Leading on Jobs for People with Disabilities
Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life. People with disabilities deserve the opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence, just like anyone else.
There are 22 million working-age people with disabilities and only one-in-three have work. As we know from our Best and Worst States Report, Americans with disabilities are twice as likely to be employed in some states as opposed to others. In fact, in some states and counties that are using best practices, people with disabilities have 50 percent employment.
As such, leaders at the state and local level are critical partners in our mission to fight stigmas and advance opportunities. Below you will find an expansive list of reports, resources, testimonies, toolkits and data on disability employment. At every opportunity available, our policy team submitted our ideas for how to avoid failed policies and reinvest in cost-effective solutions. We have reviewed and provided testimony in all 50 states and have become a trusted source of data for people across the country. Would you like to know more? Please make use of our resources below.
RespectAbility’s Testimony to Workforce Boards:
More RespectAbility Testimony:
- Options for an Equitable Recovery – RespectAbility Advises Congress on Bipartisan Solutions for People with Disabilities
- $500 Million Dollars for an Inclusive Recovery in California – Will It Help People with Disabilities?
- RespectAbility Submits Testimony to Committee Developing New National Autism Plan
- Disability Nonprofit Urges Government to Focus on More Disability Inclusion, Accessibility in the Arts
- Disability Group Pushes Government to Better Understand COVID’s Impact on Students with Disabilities
- RespectAbility Responds to Office of Management and Budget Request for Ideas on Equity, Inclusion and Diversity
- RespectAbility Responds to Request for Ideas on Promoting Access for Voters with Disabilities
- RespectAbility Advises the National Council on Disability on the Imperative of Fighting Stigmas that Hold Back People with Disabilities
- RespectAbility Contributes to Online Racial Equity Dialogue with Ideas on Metrics, Measures and Best Practices
- Advancing Competitive Integrated Employment: RespectAbility Advises AbilityOne Commission on Strategic Plan
- DOL Advisory Committee on Increasing Competitive Integrated Employment for Individuals with Disabilities (ACICIED)
- Gaps and Opportunities in the WIOA Presentation
- House Ways and Means Committee Testimony
- Public Comments on LA City Workforce Development Board’s 2020 Plan
- Illinois Employment First Plan Testimony
- New York State Employment First Commission Testimony
- Top 10 Things to Know about WIOA and Jobs for People with Disabilities
- WIOA State Plan Checklist
Reports on Best Practices:
- A Better Bottom Line: Employing People with Disabilities – 2012-2013 Chair’s Initiative-National Governors Association (NGA)
- Disability Employment First Planning Toolkit – Developed in partnerships with Best Buddies, The National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD), National Council on Independent Living (NCIL), Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and National Organization on Disability (NOD).
- Establishing a National Employment First Agenda – Association of People Supporting Employment First (APSE).
- Fulfilling the Promise: Overcoming Persistent Barriers to Economic Self-Sufficiency for People with Disabilities – US Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP)
- Leading Practices on Disability Inclusion – US Business Leadership Network (USBLN) and the US Chamber of Commerce.
- Q & A’s on State Employment First Policies – State Employment Leadership Network (SELN)
- The Time is Now: Embracing Employment First – National Association of Councils on Developmental Disabilities (NACDD)
- Work Matters: A Framework for States on Workforce Development for People with Disabilities – The Council of State Governments (CSG) and National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL)
- Empowering Jobseekers with Disabilities in New York City – Accessible Word Document – PDF – PowerPoint
Disability and Employment Data Sources:
- Total Disabled Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Beneficiaries, Ages 18-64 by State – Kaiser Family Foundation
- Total SSI Beneficiaries by State – Social Security Administration
- Disability Statistics – Cornell University
- Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics – Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Access to Integrated Employment (AIE) Project – Institute for Community Inclusion
- Annual Disability Statistics Compendium – University of New Hampshire-Institute on Disability
- Disability Resources – Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)
Pre-2017 State Data and State Plan Comments:
Examples of State Leadership:
- Terry Branstand R-IA – Employment of People with Disabilities Summit
- Jay Inslee D-WA – Disability Employment Task Force
Do you know other people or nonprofit organizations that should be included as a resource?
Contact our Senior Communications Associate, Eric Ascher, at EricA@RespectAbility.org.
More Resources You Can Use
- Webinars
- Disability Training and Consulting Bureau
- African Americans
- Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders
- Communications, Marketing, and Advertising
- COVID-19
- Education
- Employers
- Ending the School-to-Prison Pipeline
- Entertainment Professionals
- Equity and Inclusion
- Faith Inclusion
- Hispanic and Latinx
- Inclusive Philanthropy
- Job Seekers/Entrepreneurship
- LGBTQ+
- Sex Education
- Spinal Cord Injuries
- Statistics
- Veterans
- Women
