From Government Executive magazine:

Christine Griffin, a member of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, says the federal government is doing a “terrible job” in employing people with disabilities. She said the ranks of disabled employees in fiscal 2007 amounted to only 0.9 percent of the federal workforce, down from a meager 1.2 percent in fiscal 1996.

It’s not only that few people with disabilities are getting in the door at federal agencies, Griffin said. They also are not rising through the ranks.

… “You can’t have anything that the rest of America has unless you have a job and you have money,” said Griffin, who uses a wheelchair. “They look at us and say, ‘Isn’t it great they get to go to a restaurant?’ But it hasn’t changed their views of what I’m capable of doing. . . . I see employment for people with disabilities as critical to changing society’s view of us as people, as human beings. . . . That’s where this revolution is going to take place.”

From the Tallahassee Democrat:

People with disabilities want to work but find lots of obstacles in their way, says Bryan Vaughan, executive director of the Florida Governor’s Commission on Disabilities. Even when employers have an opening and are willing to hire a person with a disability, prospective employees must then find accessible transportation and appropriate housing.

As a result, people with disabilities have very low employment rates. A recent report by Cornell university found that the employment rate for people with disabilities was just 37.7 percent nationwide, and 39.1 percent in Florida.

From a press release on Yahoo Business:

A national study by the Bobby Dodd Institute in Atlanta found an overwhelming majority of those surveyed feel that people with disabilities face barriers to hiring in the American workplace. The study also found that more than one-quarter (26 percent) of respondents say they are uncomfortable when interacting with people with disabilities or even avoid interaction.

The survey was conducted by 2008 Kelton Research, based on 1,000 nationwide online interviews among adults 18 years or older.

“The challenge that workers with disabilities are facing isn’t their disability,” said Wayne McMillan, president and CEO of BDI. “The challenge is dispelling myths and preconceptions about accommodations and competency. In reality, this population performs at a high level and can provide a tremendous value in the workplace.”

In an effort to combat stigma and communicate the advantages of hiring people with disabilities, the BDI website offers free disability awareness training.

See also:

• Presidential Proclamation for Disability Employment Awareness Month — White House press release
• Work helps Katie Bowman be a ‘totally different person’—Tallahassee Democrat
• Workers with disabilities contribute to many workplaces — By Jim DeBeaugrine in the Tallahassee Democrat

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 2nd, 2008 at 7:17 pm and is filed under employment/jobs, housing, public attitudes, stigma, transportation. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post