In April, 8.3% of disabled Americans were unemployed, compared with 3.1% of those without a disability. If disabled workers were employed at the same rate as those without a disability, nearly 14 million more would have been working in 2021, according to the analysis in the report from Center for American Progress
Emily Peck, Axios
The disabled community historically struggles to find employment and that gap has only widened. We often face discrimination both subtle and blatant throughout our job search. From job postings that list unnecessary "requirements" to purposefully screen out disabled candidates, to lack of accommodations, or invasive questions during the application process; many disabled job seekers often battle the choice whether to disclose their disability at all. While the choice surrounding disclosure is a deeply personal one, there are inherent risks regardless of the decision. Disclose too early and we risk being tossed from the applicant pool altogether. Disclose too late and we may end up working for a company unwilling to accommodate us, making that new job we took a nightmare from which extricating ourselves is yet another obstacle. It’s a Catch-22 all too common amongst disabled applicants.
During a hearing Tuesday for the House Subcommittee on Diversity and Inclusion, Vilissa K. Thompson, LMSW, co-director of the The Century Foundation's Disability Economic Justice Collaborative told the Committee many employers are failing to accommodate employees now living with long COVID, a sentiment echoed by Thomas E. Foley, executive director of the National Disability Institute.
Another obstacle for disabled job seekers is the unfair choice between receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) from Social Security Administration and Medicaid from Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services —programs designed and targeted toward disabled people—and gainful employment. Both programs, while providing a social safety net, have strict means-tested guidelines effectively capping the earning potential and/or total assets disabled workers can have.
All of these difficulties in finding work helps explain in part why laws in 36 states still legally allow for employers to pay disabled people sub minimum wage as part of the Fair Labor Standards Act. Yesterday, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster signed S. 533, phasing out the practice, making it just the 14th state in the nation to do so.
The disabled community faces unique challenges in our ongoing search for employment. Whether it’s indirect discrimination, lack of accommodations, risking social safety nets or the fight for equal wages, there remains a lot of work to be done until equity is achieved.
Disabled workers are struggling to get jobs, even in a labor shortage