Power Grid Blog
79.3%
December 12, 2012 | Zach Baldwin
That’s the current rate among people with disabilities who are not a part of the labor force in the United States. We hear about the poor economy and the national unemployment rate nearly every day, yet people with disabilities, who are disproportionally left out of the labor force, are rarely mentioned.
Let’s change that.
Table comparing the percentage of people with disabilities left out of the labor force (79.3%) to the percentage of people without disabilities not participating in the labor force (30.8%).
Source: Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
AAPD believes in economic power for our community because the opportunity to work creates the chance for economic self-sufficiency and the chance to be an active member of society. Joyce Bender, the Chair of AAPD’s Board of Directors, understands the importance of employment for our community.
“For over a decade, I have been on a crusade to advance employment of Americans with Disabilities. The ADA was signed into law on July 26th 1990, and yet we still have the highest level of unemployment of any minority group. At AAPD, we have made employment of people with disabilities a national initiative. We know that people with disabilities want to work, can work, and will be successful. We know that talent should be the only discriminator. You will never be free in this country until you have competitive employment. Lead on!” – Joyce Bender, AAPD Board Chair
To combat this 79.3%, AAPD promotes legislation and policy that provide opportunities for people with disabilities, partners with employers to improve business practices and develop mentoring programs, and offers career opportunities to students and recent graduates with disabilities.
Together we can increase the economic power of our community! Thank you for your support of AAPD.
Comments
Submitted by gjukk lokmj at 12:02 AM on August 10, 2013