With nationwide unemployment at a 50-year low, some employers are struggling to fill jobs.

Businesses recruit workers from a variety of sources, including online job postings, other companies, job fairs, universities, technical schools and networking events. But with the nation at full employment, finding applicants with the right skill sets isn’t always easy.

There’s one pool of qualified professionals that remains largely untapped — people with disabilities. Mari-Anne Kehler, partner and chief marketing strategy officer with Green Hasson Janks, a Los Angeles-based accounting, tax and consulting firm, believes businesses are overlooking a hidden workforce.

“People with disabilities are truly an untapped market and this hiring could address the ever-painful need to find great talent while filling much-needed gaps in a company,” Kehler said. “Unfortunately, many of today’s leaders are not familiar with incorporating this kind of diversity in the workplace.”

Statistics bear that out. In November, the Bureau of Labor Statistics found only 19.3% of people age 16 and older with a disability were employed, while 66.7% of those without disabilities had jobs. That equates to 5.9 million employees with disabilities compared to 153 million non-disabled workers.

Kehler attributes the disparity to a lack of awareness and a reluctance on the part of business owners to embrace things they don’t understand.

“We all have unconscious bias,” she said.” It’s human nature to be uncomfortable with those who are different from us. And many people assume anyone with a disability is unable to fully do a job.”

The reality, according to Kehler, is often the reverse because people with disabilities are more likely to be innovative problem solvers since they’ve already had to use creative solutions to address challenges in their lives.

A unique partnership

Albertsons Companies, which includes the Albertsons, Vons and Pavilions supermarket chains, is one of the businesses that employ people with disabilities.

“We’re basically looking for anyone who can do the job,” company spokeswoman Melissa Hill said. “Our stores have relationships with nonprofits who work specifically to develop job skills for developmentally disabled workers. We look for people who can take care of customers and interact with them, and those are teachable skills.”

New Horizons, a North Hills-based nonprofit that helps people with disabilities reach their full potential, offers a “Go Grocery” program in partnership with Albertsons/Vons and the California Department of Rehabilitation. The 10-week program helps adults with disabilities train for jobs at grocery stores.

“If we look just in our geographic area, they have 25 stores with about 10 openings per store per month,” New Horizons CEO John Brauer said in an interview with ABC. “That’s 250 openings! And when you think about it, we’ve got a lot of folks with disabilities who would do really well in this kind of job — that would really excel with the right training and support.”

Albertsons Cos.’ Southern California region includes 342 grocery stores stretching from as far north as San Luis Obispo to as far south as the Mexican border.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates one in four U.S adults has a disability, according to Kehler.

“What most employers aren’t aware of is the number of people they already employ who haven’t disclosed their disability for fear of judgments,” she said.

Looking beyond the disability

Statistically, the largest numbers of disabled adults are those with mobility challenges. When someone in a wheelchair or with a physical disability interviews for a job, most employers see the disability more than the applicant’s other attributes, she said.

“The key is to have an interview process that emphasizes specific skills and characteristics needed for the job, allowing the interviewer to assess candidates fairly and avoid the potential subjective bias that can arise,” Kehler said.