Integrated, competitive employment: Good for employees, good for business | WPN World People News

During National Disability Employment Awareness Month exit disclaimer icon (NDEAM), we celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities and the value of a workforce that includes their skills and talents.

Inclusive workplaces -- where people with diverse talents, experiences, and abilities work side-by-side -- benefit employees and employers alike. For example, a retail distribution center exit disclaimer icon in South Carolina developed around principles of accessibility and inclusion quickly became one of the company’s most efficient centers. And there are thousands of people like Eric and William, who are thriving in integrated jobs they love exit disclaimer icon.

This year, the Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy exit disclaimer icon (ODEP) chose #InclusionWorks as the theme for NDEAM. As the stories above and countless others illustrate, inclusion does work.

Unfortunately, far too many people with disabilities never get the chance to contribute in an integrated workplace, and too many employers miss out on their talents. The latest National Trends in Disability Employment report exit disclaimer icon, funded by ACL’s National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), found an employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities of just 28%, compared to 73% for people without disabilities. While this is nearly 6% above last year, we clearly have a long way to go.

There are many reasons people with disabilities can have trouble finding integrated employment. Some are physical, such as workplaces that have stairs without ramps. In many other cases, the problem is low expectations and inaccurate beliefs about the capabilities of people with disabilities.

Fortunately, we are seeing promise. Many states have embraced an “Employment First exit disclaimer icon" approach that aligns policies, service delivery practices, and reimbursement structures to prioritize integrated employment in publicly financed day and employment services and to better support access to integrated, competitive employment for people with disabilities.

At ACL and across HHS, with federal partners like ODEP, we are working to further these goals. ACL’s Partnerships in Employment Systems Change (PIE) grants; promote collaboration across state and nonprofit organizations. Six new states recently received grants totaling $1.8 million.

Source: U.S. Department of Health & Human Services