Over 5,000 People with Disabilities Lose Jobs in Alabama
As the State of Alabama celebrates a record number of unemployment, the state ranks among the worst when it comes to employing workers with disabilities.
According to RespectAbility, a national nonprofit organization that fights stigma and advances opportunity for people with disabilities, Alabama now ranks 49th on jobs for people with disabilities. In total, there are 421,135 working-age people with disabilities living in that state and only 115,799 of them have jobs. Alabama has a 27.5 percent employment rate for its people with disabilities.
Former Gov. Jack Markell of Delaware is a model of what a state chief executive can accomplish by making jobs for people with disabilities a key priority. As Governor, he chaired national initiatives with both the National Governors Association (NGA) and later the Council on State Governments (CSG). Both the Better Bottom Line Initiative of the NGA and CSG’sWork Matters Report were focused on fighting stigmas, supporting strong public policies and using best practices at the state level.
Governor Kay Ivey is new in office after significant political drama in the state. She already has used her leadership to bring attention to the employment issues people with disabilities face in Alabama. She has highlighted successful integration efforts for National Disability Employment Awareness Month. Her administration is also credited with informational campaigns that educate employers on the benefits of hiring people with disabilities.
Nationally, big name businesses have been at the forefront of driving success and inclusion. Companies including JP Morgan Chase, Pepsi, UPS, SAP, EY,IBM, Starbucks and Walgreens have seen that people with disabilities are successful employees who improve businesses’ bottom lines. Indeed, many people with disabilities also have spectacular abilities.
RespectAbility, like most governors and employers, emphasizes the critical link between education attainment and workforce development.
“Employment rates only tell part of the story,” said Philip Kahn-Pauli, Policy and Practices Director at RespectAbility. “Educational attainment is critical to the success of youth with disabilities because the jobs of the future require technical education and skill training.”
Nationally, 343,483 Americans with disabilities entered the competitive workforce last year.
