NEW YORK -- Skyrocketing unemployment in the COVID-19 pandemic poses an even greater threat to a segment of the workforce that historically has faced significant challenges: people with disabilities.

Last year, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities was about 70%, but it had started to come down and might have continued. As the job market rebounds, said Vince Loose, president and chief executive of SourceAmerica, a nonprofit that creates job opportunities for people with disabilities, it will be important to ensure that people with disabilities are included in plans for the economic recovery.

"They're hired last and fired first," he said, "so we really have some concern about what's going to happen as we come back to work and what their employment opportunities will be going forward."

He said the pandemic has had a big impact on the nature of work itself, and that may open new opportunities for people with disabilities.

Limited mobility is a major obstacle for many workers with disabilities. Loose noted that with entire states shutting down to stop the coronavirus spread, many workers have had to find ways to do their jobs from home.

"Now I think employers will realize that telework is something that can work for them, and they really need to look to differing abilities and skill sets and capabilities that exist, but they would not necessarily have hired in the past."

He said he hopes the momentum toward meaningful employment for professionals with disabilities won't be lost because of the COVID crisis.

Even during the crisis, this segment of the workforce has been doing its part as essential workers. Loose said people with disabilities loaded hundreds of pallets of provisions onto the hospital ship USNS Comfort before it sailed to New York.

"And also, the Javits Center medical facility; 2,400 military personnel there need laundry services," he said. "And so, people with disabilities have taken up the work to take care of all their laundry needs."

He said people with disabilities are a diverse and talented workforce that is committed to helping the communities where they work and live.

More information is online at sourceamerica.org/covid19.


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A coalition of Nevada groups is behind a statewide effort to make Nevada an Employment First state. That would align the state with a U.S. Labor Department goal of meaningful employment, fair wages and career advancements for people with disabilities.

Forty states have Employment First efforts on the books, but Nevada isn't one of them.

Catherine Nielsen, executive director of the Nevada Governor's Council on Developmental Disabilities and the Nevada Employment First Task Force, said they've been having conversations with the governor's office and pushing for an executive order next year.

"Past the pandemic there were a lot of people out of work, and as we expressed, there is a lot of that untapped workforce being taken into consideration right now, that with this executive order we will be ensuring that we can 'put our money where our mouth is,'" she said.

Nielsen added former Republican Gov. Brian Sandoval signed an Executive Order during his term, but it wasn't continued by his successor, Democrat Steve Sisolak. She hopes Gov. Joe Lombardo will show his support with an Executive Order.

Skeptics of Employment First say while it's well-intentioned, the policies could have little impact on a segregated and entrenched vocational system.

Dawn Lyons, executive director of the Nevada Statewide Independent Living Council, said Nevada has what she calls a "notorious poor track record" when it comes to hiring and maintaining people with disabilities in employment. She's convinced it's important to make this a priority for the Silver State to educate employers and the disability community to combat misconceptions.

Lyons said many people with disabilities have shared their view that the standardized process of securing a job doesn't work for everyone.

"It's really just a matter of educating and letting employers know that if they can deviate from that process just a little bit, and give a person a chance with a disability, they might be very surprised at how well that would work out," she explained.

Lyons added that Nevadans with disabilities are capable of working and want to work, as staying unemployed or underemployed can doom many to a life of poverty. She is confident that Employment First can create more inclusion and equality for all. And the council is collecting data on employment experience.

Ahead of the holiday season, advocates are calling on Congress to increase disability access in air travel. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports a little more than 1,000 wheelchairs and scooters were mishandled in May of this year. In January, the Department of Transportation received 222 disability-related complaints, an increase from the same period in 2022.

Kendra Davenport, president and CEO of Easterseals, said air travel is not as accessible as it needs to be.

"When the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, it really mandated that most modes of transit adopt modalities that would make them more accessible, and air travel was given a pass. You know, we all have an interest in moving faster and making air travel accessible," Davenport said.

This was partially due to the passage of the Air Carrier Access Act of 1986, which prohibits commercial airlines from discriminating against disabled passengers. Davenport wants to see Braille placards, in-flight entertainment designed for hearing-impaired people, and ways to help neurodivergent people too. She and other advocates want Congress to implement these changes by 2026.

But, this won't be so easy. Even though the ACA and the ADA have been around for more than three decades, it's uncertain whether these changes will come to fruition. But, she says this issue can no longer be ignored.

"The baby boomers are aging rapidly. More and more of us will be disabled. This is no longer an issue that's pushed off to the corner of the desk; this is front and center," Davenport continued.

U.S. Census data show in 2020, people age 45 and older made up 42% of the population. She says all stakeholders, from air-travel employees to legislators to disability-rights advocates, need to come together for solutions, adding it's more than a holiday issue, it's an everyday issue.

By Ramona Schindelheim for WorkingNation.
Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Wyoming News Service reporting for the WorkingNation-Public News Service Collaboration

The number of people with disabilities who are working rose last year to 21.3%, up from 19.1% in 2021. Still, those statistics lag far behind the 65% workforce participation rate in 2022 for people with no disabilities.

However, some key factors are helping open doors into the workforce for people with disabilities. For one, employers are recognizing there is a pool of untapped talent in a tight labor market as they look to fill millions of jobs.

At the same time, companies are also trying to diversify their workforces.

Some advocates see enthusiasm among companies to hire people with disabilities, but stress employers need direction as to how to go about it.

"I think it's come a long way. A lot more people are interested in doing it. But they don't do it for lots of different reasons. Mostly, it's because they come at it the wrong way," says Randy Lewis, who calls himself an accidental disability advocate.

He founded the NogWog (No Greatness Without Goodness) Disability Initiative and advises employers on how to hire people with disabilities.

How One Initiative Changed a Work Culture for the Better

Lewis gained firsthand experience while serving as senior vice president at Walgreens in charge of the supply chain until his retirement in 2013.

There, Lewis created thousands of full-time jobs for people with disabilities when he launched a disability employment initiative in 2007 at a distribution center in Anderson, South Carolina that included workers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

The mandate - same jobs and same pay as everyone else. It became so successful, it expanded to other locations, and set a national standard. To date, Walgreens says it's shared the model with 400 businesses.

Lewis uses that experience when other companies are looking to hire people with disabilities. His emphasis? Hiring people with disabilities can change everyone around them for the better.

"If somebody calls me up and they say they're interested in hiring people with disabilities, I tell them to go to one of our two buildings that has 30% of people with disabilities, a large number of people. The reason to go there is somebody can tell you the facts and cite numbers. But until you see it for real, you won't do it," explains Lewis.

He stresses visiting those centers makes it clear that the workers with disabilities are getting the job done. Besides higher retention rates among workers with disabilities and the bottom line being boosted, the culture makes an impression. "What really gets people to say 'I want to do this' is talking to the managers about what it's like to work there," says Lewis.

Part of the culture, he explains, is a shared goal of success for everyone and an environment where people talk to one another and pay attention to each other.

When Lewis advises companies, he says rethinking their hiring process for workers with disabilities is key. "They'll ask what kind of jobs are good for people with disabilities? But that's not the question you should ask. The first question asked, 'Where do you have hiring opportunities? And what does that job require?' Because there are people with disabilities that can do it," says Lewis.

The idea, he explains, is to match people to skills and advocates the use of a working interview where a potential employee can do an internship and demonstrate their skills. Using peer coaches also adds to success.

Lewis also credits having an executive champion to provide the "fire in the engine" to define an end goal of success and roadmaps to get there. He proved to be that fire in the engine for Walgreens, inspired by his son who has autism. Lewis speaks about his experiences publicly, including a TEDx Talk.

"If you have a sufficient number of people with disabilities, you will change the culture, the entire building. But for sure, the people that work with a person with a disability will be changed for the better," says Lewis.

Smaller Retailers Reflecting Communities They Serve

For smaller retailers without the resources of corporations to develop initiatives to hire people with disabilities, some are finding success without an official human resources policy. One example is Murdoch's Ranch and Home Supply - located in six western states.

"We have 2,300 team members. We have 40 store managers. They have families. They have life experience. They have personal connections in their communities," says Tory Atkins, chief human resources officer for Murdoch's Ranch and Home Supply.

"We have managers whose children or siblings have autism or Down syndrome. They've developed an advocacy for people in those situations. And so, they're in a position to have a positive influence in their community."

Atkins says part of that community includes a longstanding relationship with the Special Olympics.

"I think there's a natural connection that ends up happening when organizations are advocating for people with disabilities - that we're a logical place for them to look because we can hire someone," notes Atkins. "For many people, retail is their first career exposure to a job, their first career opportunity. They're learning lots of life, leadership and professional skills by coming to work for us."

Atkins says workers with disabilities bring a strong sense of positivity and ownership of their work and he adds, it's contagious. "I think it builds a greater sense of team, a greater sense of respect in our work environment when we do have people of different abilities."

To accommodate people with disabilities, Atkins says some employees have job coaches through organizations providing disability services. On the company's end, he says, the only adjustment that is made is pairing an employee with disabilities with a mentor or coach already on the team.

Mentoring Employees with Disabilities

One of those mentors is Marny Huffaker, the store manager at Murdoch's Ranch and Home Supply in Evanston, Wyoming. She was awarded Mentor of the Year in 2022 by Disability:IN in Uinta County, Wyoming and the organization named Murdoch's Employer of the Year in 2020 in Uinta County.

In her eight years as manager, Huffaker says she has hired 10 people with disabilities, mostly intellectual or developmental disabilities.

"I enjoy seeing the accomplishments from others learning a new skill. It actually helps me to work on my skills too, because I learn just as much as they are. I'm teaching them something and they are teaching me," says Huffaker.

She says the store participates in mentoring programs with the county and with high school students who come in each week and learn basic skills. Employees also answer questions about the workforce.

Having people with disabilities on the team, Huffaker says, has a positive effect on workers. "I think it teaches every one of us patience. We're always in a hurry to the next thing and I personally learned patience. It doesn't have to be the fastest job when the job gets done right."

Huffaker says customers seek out specific employees with disabilities, including Tanesha Chandler. "'Hey, where's Tanesha? She can help us,'" says Huffaker.

Chandler is a 33-year-old woman with Down syndrome who works part-time and was dubbed Murdoch's queen of customer service by a local newspaper in 2018. Now in her sixth year at Murdoch's, she says she looks forward to going to work which plays an important role in her life.

"Outside of work, other than her companion service worker, there's not a lot outside of work. So work is her community hub," explains Elaine Chandler, Tanesha's mother.

She says, as someone with a child who has a disability, she's witnessing changes in attitudes and expectations about hiring people with disabilities.

"It depends on the group you are in," explains the elder Chandler. In her community, she credits a disability advocate who had a child with Down syndrome who fought for change. "Just an amazing attitude and so much strength and wanting to build all of these humans up and help them and just have them succeed."

Huffaker summarizes, "I think everybody deserves a chance to be able to work. I think you shouldn't ever hold back on hiring someone with a disability. Ever. I think most of the time, they're going to prove you wrong like, 'I can do this job and I can do it better.' I would never hesitate to hire somebody with a disability."


Ramona Schindelheim wrote this article for WorkingNation.


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