Washington, D.C., March 14 – Last year, more than 1,700 Vermonters with disabilities entered the workforce, propelling the Green Mountain State to join the ranks of the top states with the best employment rates for people with disabilities. Part of a nationwide trend of job growth for people with disabilities, Vermont stood out for a dramatic increase in its overall disability employment, now ranking sixth in the nation. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows Vermont has a 47.2 disability employment rate. That number is up from only 39.6 percent employment for Vermonters with disabilities.

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Washington, D.C., March 14 – As nationally 111,804 jobs were gained by people with disabilities, 578 people with disabilities in Wyoming were part of this gain in the workforce. Wyoming now ranks 10th in the nation for employment rates of people with disabilities with 19,063 of the 41,825 working-age (18-64) Wyomingites with disabilities being employed. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows Wyoming has a 45.6 disability employment rate.

Among newly sworn-in Gov. Mark Gordon’s first actions as Governor was to select Erin Johnson as his Health and Human Services Policy Advisor, signaling a firm commitment to working on “key Wyoming issues and advocating on behalf of…those with disabilities and Wyoming youth.”

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Washington, D.C., March 14 – As nationally 111,804 jobs were gained by people with disabilities, 4,040 people with disabilities in Oklahoma were part of this gain in the workforce. Oklahoma now ranks 29th in the nation for employment rates of people with disabilities with 127,608 of the 339,773 working-age (18-64) Oklahomans with disabilities having jobs. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows Oklahoma has a 37.6 disability employment rate.

Newly-elected Gov. Kevin Sttit is well positioned to support further job gains among Oklahomans with disabilities. In 2018, Oklahoma’s Department of Rehabilitation Services (DRS), the state agency primarily responsible for helping job seekers with disabilities, reported they had successfully taken “more than 3,400 people [with disabilities] looking for work off wait lists and placed them in jobs.”

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Washington, DC., March 13 – While nationally 111,804 jobs were gained by people with disabilities, 2267 people in North Dakota exited the workforce last year. Despite these losses, North Dakota still ranks 1st in the nation for employment rates with 21,019 of the 37,320 working-age (18-64) North Dakotans with disabilities being employed. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows North Dakota has a 56.3 disability employment rate.

The job losses experienced by North Dakotans with disabilities reflects a slowing state economy starting to see significant shifts in employment patterns. However, North Dakota’s state government has made an effort to recognize key employers who have played a vital role in ensuring economic inclusivity. Last year, for example, “The Dollar Tree received an Employer of the Year Honorable Mention from the Department of Health for their work with people with disabilities.” Recognizing inclusive employers is crucial to shining a light on the abilities of people with disabilities. Continue reading North Dakota Ranks 1st in the Country for Disability Employment Rate But Loses 2267 Jobs for People with Disabilities

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Washington, DC., March 13 – More people with disabilities in Nebraska continued to gain new jobs last year, continuing a trend from the year prior.

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows that Nebraska has a 49.3 disability employment rate. That puts Nebraska fourth in the nation for employing people with disabilities. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that in 2017, 2,068 Nebraskans with disabilities entered the workforce. That means that out of 112,418 working-age (18-64) Nebraskans with disabilities, 55,391 have jobs.

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Washington, D.C., March 12 – 23,953 Floridians with disabilities entered the workforce last year, part of a national trend of jobs gained among people with disabilities.

According to the newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows Florida has a 34.1 disability employment rate. Florida now ranks 39th in the nation for employing people with disabilities. In total, 428,638 of the 1,258,361 working-age (18-64) Floridians with disabilities have jobs.

Among newly sworn-in Gov. Ron DeSantis’ first actions as Governor was to reappoint Barbara Palmer as the leader of the state’s Agency for Persons with Disabilities. The Agency, which “works with local communities and private providers to assist” Floridians with disabilities, was first created back in 2004. Palmer has systematically broken down silos and bridged gaps across the public, private and nonprofit sectors.

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Washington, D.C., March 10 – While nationally 111,804 jobs were gained by people with disabilities, 676 people with disabilities in New Hampshire exited the workforce last year. New Hampshire now ranks 15th in the nation for employment rates of people with disabilities with 36,069 of the 84,234 working-age (18-64) New Hampshirites with disabilities being employed. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows New Hampshire has a 42.8 disability employment rate.

In the weeks prior to his 2018 re-election, Governor Christopher Sununu made new commitments on jobs for people with disabilities in a proclamation sent to RespectAbility in October in honor of Disability Employment Awareness Month. RespectAbility is a nonpartisan, nonprofit national organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities.

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