The White House put out a Presidential Proclamation naming October National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and this year also marks 20th anniversary of the passing of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act), the civil rights act that prohibits discrimination based on disability. The federal government hopes to improve employment opportunities for disabled Americans by becoming a model for the recruitment and hiring of disabled citizens and implementing programs for retaining these workers.
According to the most recent BLS employment numbers, there are currently more than 26 million disabled people in America. Of the almost 5.7 million disabled workers that are a part of the workforce, about 4.8 million are actually employed, for an unemployment rate of 14.8 percent—five points higher than the national average.
As equality is a fundamental right in this nation, people with disabilities are entitled to work. Are you a disabled worker having a difficult time in your job search? What are the biggest issues you have run into? Share your experiences in the comments below!
