RespectAbility Presents Report: Best and Worst States on Jobs for People With Disabilities

Job Growth Slows for People with Disabilities

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Feb 15, 2019, 14:45 ET

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- New statistics released this week show that Americans with disabilities saw a slowdown in job gains compared to those of the previous year. The Disability Statistics Compendium, released by Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire, shows that the employment rate for people with disabilities has risen to 37 percent. The Compendium also shows that geography has an impact on employment outcomes for Americans with disabilities. People with disabilities in North Dakota are twice as likely to have jobs as West Virginians with disabilities.

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium compiles data collected by the Census Bureau. The Compendium is intended to equip policy-makers, self-advocates and others with clear statistics on disability in America today. Out of more than 20 million working-age people with disabilities, 7.5 million have jobs. This data also shows the serious gaps that remain between disabled and non-disabled Americans. 37 percent of U.S. civilians with disabilities ages 18-64 living in the community had a job, compared to 77.2 percent for people without disabilities.

"Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life," said Hon. Steve Bartlett, current Chairman of RespectAbility, who co-authored the Americans with Disabilities Act when he was in Congress. "People with disabilities deserve the opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence, just like anyone else."

Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that 111,804 people with disabilities entered the workforce in 2017. That number is down from the previous year's increase of more than 343,000 new jobs for people with disabilities. Different factors explain the slower pace of job growth. A slowing economy is one factor, as is changing patterns of growth in different sectors of the economy. One lesson is clear to Andrew Houtenville, PhD, of UNH's Institute on Disability: "There is still a long way to go toward closing the gap between people with and without disabilities."

"Employment rates only tell part of the story," added Philip Kahn-Pauli, Policy and Practices Director at RespectAbility. "When you look across the intersection of disability and race, you find serious gaps in outcomes." Only 28.6 percent of African Americans with disabilities have jobs compared to the 38.6 percent of Hispanics with disabilities and 41.2 percent of Asian Americans with disabilities who have jobs.

Some states have higher employment rates for people with disabilities than others. North Dakota leads the nation with 56.3 percent of its citizens with disabilities employed and is closely followed by South Dakota with a 51.3 percent disability employment rate. One of the biggest surprises in this year's data is Vermont. Under Gov. Phil Scott, Vermonters with disabilities have seen a 5.7 percent increase in jobs, bumping their employment rate to 47.2 percent. For a full break down, please see the table below:

Ranking	State	Total # of Working-Age PWDs	# of PWDs Employed	Disability Employment Rate (%)	PWDs Job Gains and Losses
	U.S.	20,444,249	7,572,805	37	111,804
1	ND	37,320	21,019	56.3	-2267
2	SD	49,546	25,419	51.3	-904
3	UT	150,964	74,754	49.5	-13
4	NE	112,418	55,391	49.3	2068
5	MN	305,082	145,697	47.8	617
6	VT	47,113	22,234	47.2	1728
7	KS	191,769	89,069	46.4	4807
8	MT	69,553	31,935	45.9	-1484
9	IA	170,186	77,746	45.7	-2670
10	WY	41,825	19,063	45.6	578
11	CO	311,449	141,691	45.5	10033
12	AK	53,087	23,815	44.9	-275
13	ID	125,743	54,948	43.7	4858
14	HI	59,469	25,546	43	-810
15	NH	84,234	36,069	42.8	-676
16	MD	335,461	141,870	42.3	4353
17	WI	339,267	142,285	41.9	-1441
18	VA	500,771	204,103	40.8	10471
19	RI	75,806	30,787	40.6	7758
20	WA	480,828	194,948	40.5	1156
21	CT	189,419	76,096	40.2	1381
22	NV	183,918	73,968	40.2	-9485
23	TX	1,622,962	647,977	39.9	3796
24	IN	477,660	184,343	38.6	8964
25	IL	691,453	263,464	38.1	20681
26	OR	288,493	109,027	37.8	-9887
27	MA	396,597	149,633	37.7	-1014
28	NJ	428,932	161,729	37.7	2154
29	OK	339,773	127,608	37.6	4040
30	PA	880,799	329,760	37.4	6406
31	MO	463,964	172,283	37.1	8040
32	DE	52,947	19,576	37	-708
33	OH	840,199	309,665	36.9	4725
34	AZ	428,198	156,194	36.5	5,760
35	CA	1,980,677	721,536	36.4	19745
36	ME	112,442	39,424	35.1	3067
37	GA	661,498	227,895	34.5	-8682
38	NY	1,099,574	378,951	34.5	11473
39	FL	1,258,361	428,638	34.1	23953
40	LA	361,642	122,683	33.9	2240
41	MI	727,451	246,196	33.8	-8138
42	NC	689,612	232,875	33.8	-16355
43	NM	169,264	57,005	33.7	7921
44	TN	538,061	179,049	33.3	4679
45	SC	376,889	122,789	32.6	-6977
46	AR	285,023	87,920	30.8	2473
47	KY	430,265	129,954	30.2	-3972
48	MS	265,344	73,203	27.6	-2875
49	AL	418,429	112,030	26.8	-3,769
50	WV	188,696	49,199	26.1	-4173

Only 111,804 people with disabilities entered the workforce in 2017, down from the previous year's increase of more than 343,000 new jobs for people with disabilities.
Florida experienced the biggest growth in job numbers with over 23,000 people with disabilities entering the workforce. Of the 50 states, 29 states saw job gains for Americans with disabilities.
Vermont, under Gov. Phil Scott, becomes one of the top 10 states with the best employment rates, and Rhode Island, under Gov. Gina Raimondo, jumps from 47^thin the nation to 19^th.

Of the 50 states, 29 states saw job gains among the disability community, while people with disabilities lost economic ground in 21 states. Census Bureau data shows an astounding 23,953 Floridians with disabilities gained new jobs. Illinois saw the second biggest job gains for people with disabilities with over 20,000 new jobs even as 50,000 people without disabilities left Illinois' workforce.

Rhode Island deserves credit for seeing a major turnaround. As reported by RespectAbility, Rhode Island under Gov. Gina Raimondo ranked 47^thin the nation last year with an abysmal 30 percent disability employment rate. As a result of a settlement agreement with the Department of Justice, Rhode Island began to close shelter workshops where people with disabilities had been paid subminimum wages. Through sustained efforts to promote competitive, integrated employment, Rhode Islanders with disabilities are now experiencing new success. Over 7,000 people with disabilities entered the workforce in 2017, pushing Rhode Island to stand 19^thin the nation. As bipartisan consensus grows around ending subminimum wages, Rhode Island shows that transformative success is possible.

What is the story behind the numbers? What is driving these changes? The answer is simple. According to Vincenzo Piscopo of the Coca-Cola Company: "People with disabilities bring a unique skill set that it is very valuable for companies." He went on to add, "As it relates to employment and competitiveness in the workplace, we have to stop thinking of disability as a liability and start thinking of it as an asset."

Brand name companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Coca-Cola, Ernst & Young, IBM, Walgreen's, Starbucks, CVS and Microsoft show people with disabilities are successful employees. These companies also know that these workers improve the bottom line. "People with disabilities bring unique characteristics and talents to the workplace," said RespectAbility President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi. "There are no limits to what they can do when given the chance."

As more companies hire employees with disabilities, conversations are shifting to focus on inclusion. "Disability inclusion is no longer about automatic doors, curb cuts, ramps, and legislation," says Jim Sinocchi, Head of the Office of Disability Inclusion at JP Morgan Chase. "Today, the new era of disability inclusion is about "assimilation" – hiring professionals with disabilities into the robust culture of the firm."

According to the Census Bureau, there are more than 56 million Americans living with a disability. Disabilities include visible conditions such as spinal cord injuries, visual impairments or hearing loss and invisible disabilities such as learning disabilities, mental health or Autism.

Voter research, done by RespectAbility, shows how disability issues connect to all aspects of American life. "Fully three-quarters of likely voters either have a disability themselves or have a family member or a close friend with disabilities," said former Representative and Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett. "People with disabilities are a politically active, swing vote, and candidates should take note of important issues they care about."

As 2019 moves into 2020 and the political campaign season heats up, continuing job growth for people with disabilities will be a crucial indicator of the health of the American economy.

For more statistics related to jobs for people with disabilities, please visit www.RespectAbility.org/Statistics.

Media Contact:
Lauren Appelbaum
Phone: 202-517-6272
Email: [email protected]

Related Links

RespectAbility Website

Statistics on Jobs for People with Disabilities

SOURCE RespectAbility