By Kaylee McGrath
Happy New Year to ALL! For my first opening blog topic for 2023, I would like to start off the year with an important and a not nearly enough discussed topic of “The workforce, opportunities, and realities of people with disabilities in our workplace and obtaining higher education”.
As everyone should know and care about is people with disabilities are often faced with barriers in the workforce and in furthering their education that are associated with the stigma attached to various physical/visible, and hidden disabilities. There needs to be an increase of both employment, higher education, and vocational trade school opportunities for these important and often overlooked individuals.
Despite efforts for greater inclusion, individuals with disabilities, especially individuals with intellectual and other developmental disabilities (I/DD), remain significantly undervalued, underemployed, and underutilized in our workforce. The stigma attached to disability creates a mask that shields employers from accessing this diverse group of qualified and unique potential employees. Often people with disabilities who are employed frequently face significant pay gaps. This may be due to underemployment and a lack of opportunities for career development and advancement.
Employment provides financial independence, a sense of meaning and purpose, and a better overall quality of life to everyone including the disabled. There have been many legislative efforts to help remove barriers to employment, education and accessibility, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (ensuring equal opportunity and nondiscrimination on the basis of disability), the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (requiring free and appropriate public education for children with disabilities in the least restrictive environment) and the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (supporting workforce development activities and funding education and job training programs).
Unfortunately, policies alone can’t change universal inequality, this has been proven time and again over the last four decades. A greater understanding among employers is ultimately the key to seeing people with I/DD as valued members of the workforce. Some postsecondary institutions are reaching beyond the basic requirements of these policies and embracing the movement toward greater inclusion in higher education by developing resources to assist students with a range of supportive and ongoing needs.
Things to think about on how can we help to connect the gap between the expectations we have for people with I/DD and the results we are seeing?
• Promote and establish self-determination and development opportunities
• Create partnerships with higher education and I/DD community providers
• Substantiate the value of diversity to businesses
The latest data as of February 2022, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics
The employment standings of people with and without disabilities in 2021:
• Only 21.3% of Americans age 16 and over with disabilities were working or actively looking for work
• These numbers are far below the 67.1% rate for Americans without disabilities.
How much of the US workforce has a disability?
• 19.1 percent
Questions that are frequently asked:
Are disabled people less likely to be hired?
• As of May 2022, statistics prove that from 2009 to 2021, individuals with a disability were more than three times less likely to be employed than those without a disability
What barriers do disabled people face in employment?
• Fear, ignorance, and stereotypes contribute to people with disabilities being unfairly discriminated against
• Very often, widespread lack of awareness and knowledge, rather than malice, results in discrimination that is not intentional. However, that doesn't make it less discriminatory or hurtful
Source of Information: Various Google Searches and Personal Experience
Until Next Week, Stay Safe and Well!
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