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October
30, 2017
By Lance
Robertson, ACL Administrator and Assistant Secretary for Aging
October is
National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and all month we've been
celebrating the many contributions of workers with disabilities and highlighting some of our work to remove the
barriers that often prevent people with disabilities from working.
At
ACL, we have a vibrant workforce that benefits from the diversity of
experiences contributed by people from all backgrounds, including many
people with disabilities. Unfortunately, we are far from typical, and it is
a sad fact that people with disabilities are far less likely to be working
than their peers. The latest data from the Employment
Policy and Measurement Rehabilitation and Research Training Center
indicates that 33 percent of working-age people with disabilities
participate in the labor force, compared to 77 percent of their peers
without disabilities.
When
people with disabilities don’t have opportunities to work, we all miss out.
·
People with
disabilities miss out. Employment in integrated settings, and at
competitive wages, offers a direct pathway to greater independence and
self-sufficiency, and research suggests that people with disabilities are
happier and healthier when they have the opportunity to work.
·
Employers
miss out on a larger and more diverse talent pool to pick from when hiring.
Workers with disabilities can bring unique perspectives, creativity, and
loyalty to the workplace that can boost a business' bottom line.
·
As a
country, we miss out when people with disabilities don’t have the chance to
contribute as colleagues, business owners, and taxpayers.
We can’t afford to let that happen.
At
ACL we are working with our partners across federal government, with states
and communities, and with people with disabilities to identify – and then
demolish – the obstacles that keep people with disabilities out of the
workforce.
Frequently,
the highest obstacles to employment are not physical. For example,
businesses often believe reasonable accommodations are extremely difficult
or costly to provide, and they shy away from hiring people with
disabilities as a result. In fact, a survey of employers found that
nearly 60% of accommodations cost nothing at all, and the rest had an average
cost of $500.
Too
often, the individual strengths, skills, and talents -- and potential -- of
people with disabilities are underestimated. This is particularly true for
people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We know that high
expectations and high accomplishments go hand-in-hand, but children and
young adults with disabilities are often not pushed to succeed in the same
way their peers without disabilities are.
We
have to change this – and we are. ACL is working hard to advance an “Employment First ” approach, and we
are excited to see it taking hold across the country. As laboratories of
innovation, states and communities are experimenting with new models to
make working in the community the preferred option for people with all
types of disabilities. A central premise of “Employment First” is
increasing expectations – both for people with disabilities and for our
systems that help them access the opportunities they need to succeed.
That
central premise is shared across all the work we do at ACL to increase
employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Together with
partners in the federal, state, and community levels, we are dismantling
some of the other common barriers to employment, such as a lack of
accessible transportation, difficulty finding programs and services that
can help, and insufficient skills training. For example:
·
ACL’s Partnerships in Integrated Employment (PIE) grants are
increasing collaboration across state systems in order to improve
employment outcomes for people with developmental disabilities. As an
example, ACL’s local PIE grantee, the DC’s Department on Disability
Services, participates in Project SEARCH, a year-long school-to-work program
led by local businesses that offers classroom and on-the-job training in an
integrated workplace.
·
ACL’s inclusive transportation program connects
people with disabilities and older adults with local transit planners to
improve transportation options. Together with the Federal Transit
Administration at the Department of Transportation, ACL sponsors a
project, Transit Planning 4 All , to develop,
test and demonstrate ways for older adults and people with disabilities to
be actively involved in designing and implementing coordinated
transportation systems.
·
Centers for Independent Living, which are
run by and for people with disabilities, connect people with services,
supports, and peer mentors to help them find jobs and succeed in the
workplace, and State Councils on Developmental Disabilities help
give people with disabilities and their families a voice in the
policy-making process. Many DD Councils also support employment programs
such as Project SEARCH.
Complementary work is underway throughout HHS and the federal government:
·
The Social
Security Administration and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid
Services (CMS) have launched a “Ticket to Work ” initiative that
offers career development services for adults receiving Social Security
Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income programs.
·
CMS’ Medicaid Buy-in initiative gives
states the option of developing a Medicaid benefit group for workers with
disabilities whose earnings prevent them from receiving services and
supports through traditional Medicaid.
These are just a few of many examples.
Our
country and our economy can't afford to overlook the potential that people
with disabilities represent. NDEAM may be coming to a close, but our
commitment to removing barriers to employment for people with disabilities
is not. It is a year-round focus, and I am excited about what we can do,
working together.
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