In the last few years, disability hiring has undergone a sea change, moving its stature from philanthropic cause to good business decision. That’s good news for job hunters and employers alike, and has breathed new life into corporate disability-hiring programs across all industries, from retail to technology.

As every employer knows, even seemingly good business decisions must prove successful if they are to be sustained for the long term. While it’s still difficult to pinpoint the impact of disability-hiring initiatives, companies that learn to measure results with a more flexible yardstick will derive more value from their programs.

For the most part, many of the tools used to assess other diversity hiring programs, such as those for women and minorities, don’t work as well in the disability space. For instance, hiring a women or Asian-American candidate based on his or her school, coursework and grades may demonstrate an employer’s ability to capture top minority talent. Yet for someone with learning or mental disability, a grade-point-average doesn’t always provide the best picture of a candidates’ worth.

It’s also worth pointing out that disability isn’t as easy to identify as race or gender. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, employees do not have to disclose a disability. And just last year, the Act was expanded to include new definitions of disability such as diabetes and epilepsy.

For these reasons, companies should unfold that yardstick and aim broadly, but with clear business needs in mind. A good approach is to focus on the one-of-a-kind benefits that disability-hiring programs bring to the table.

1. Reward Loyalty
The most unique advantage, by and large, is more effective human resource management. People with disabilities are more loyal workers, with less turnover and absenteeism rates, according to a 2008 disability employment report by Rutgers University. More workers on the job, staying in their roles for longer periods, directly correlates to productivity gains, a strong measure of success in any corporation.

For instance, at a Walgreens distribution center in Anderson, S.C., more than 40 percent of the 275-person workforce has a disability, ranging from autism to Down syndrome. The Anderson center operates at a 20 percent higher rate of efficiency, says Randy Lewis, Walgreens senior vice president for distribution and logistics. “It’s literally our No. 1 producing facility in the country, with very low turnover and low accident rates,” he says.

2. Strut Your Stuff
The second distinctive benefit is a stronger all-around reputation. Disability hiring supports the communities in which you operate, helping to boost relations and goodwill. It also helps improve public perceptions in the eyes of your customers and shareholders.

A smart approach is to take on initiatives that celebrate your disability programs, including public relations, joining an employment council or local group, and seeking awards and recognition for your disability programs. You can then measure results based on media coverage, awards won, and other accolades in the areas of social responsibility and work environment.

For instance, Wells Fargo and Motorola participate in the U.S. Business Leadership Network, a national organization that promotes disability employment. More than a dozen Fortune 500 companies have received the U.S. Department of Labor’s New Freedom Initiative Award, including IBM, Merck and CVS Caremark, for bringing more people with disabilities into the workplace.

3. Remember Your Customers
A third benefit is enhanced competitiveness, which translates, at least indirectly, to revenues. Hiring people with disabilities helps a company more demographically reflect its customer base and also attracts the larger disability community, representing $200 billion in annual buying power.

That’s why companies like Microsoft and Hewlett Packard involve employees with disabilities in the design, engineering product development, testing and marketing of product lines as a way to make their products more accessible to users who would otherwise have difficulty using them.

It’s also why Google recently supported one of its Deaf software engineers in configuring Google Voice technology to automatically caption YouTube videos, a feature that’s extremely beneficial to the deaf and hearing-impaired population. No doubt that the story, written up in dozens of blogs, contributed positively to Google’s brand and increased the search-engine provider’s affinity among the disability community. Of course, a happy customer also creates a happy shareholder.

4. Get Good Grades
If you’re really looking for the nuts and bolts of disability measurement and are willing to take a hard-core look at your hiring and customer needs, look no further than the Return on Disability (RoD) Index. Rich Donovan, a former Merrill Lynch trader, developed the Index for his disability consultancy, Integrated Process Solutions.

The RoD Index helps companies determine the performance of their disability programs. While criteria varies depending on a company’s needs, some hiring benchmarks include cost to hire, productivity gains, revenue benefits, or savings from adding to a shrinking labor pool. All of a company’s programming efforts are then distilled down to a single, standard rating. “We’re proving that returns exist in the disability space,” Donovan says.

Whether you’re just starting up or have an established hiring program, you can take your initiatives farther – and get the resources you need — if you’re able to single out critical success factors. Armed with one or more of these flexible measurement methods, your disability-hiring program has more gravitas to stand on its own, flourish and perhaps even set the gold standard for your industry.

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Four Ways Companies Can Measure Returns Hiring Employees with Disabilities