Gov. Bullock receives RespectAbility Award for job gains among Montanans with Disabilities.
Washington, D.C., March 13 – As the economy expands, for the first time in decades people with disabilities are gaining jobs, success and independence. According to new data, over 4,459 more people with disabilities in Montana gained employment; an unprecedented rise. People with disabilities previously have been left out of periods of economic growth. Today’s workforce system is better aligned to enable people with disabilities to succeed, just like anyone else.
Beginning in 2018 Montana’s council for developmental disabilities initiated the Partnerships for Transitions project. The project provides skill development to job-seekers with disabilities and also creates community and web-based information resources. According to the council, the program has already increased transition outcomes for youth with disabilities. During the NGA Winter Meeting, RespectAbility took the opportunity to recognize Governor Bullock with an award for the job gains being experienced by people with disabilities in his state.
According to RespectAbility, a national nonprofit organization that fights stigma and advances opportunity for people with disabilities, Montana now ranks 10th on jobs for people with disabilities. In total, there are 76,1691 working-age people with disabilities living in that state and 33,419 of them have jobs. With a 43.9 percent employment rate for its people with disabilities, Montana now outperforms states like Texas and California.
Governors have a critical role to play as the economy grows and states advance opportunities for citizens of all 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’s Work Matters Report were focused on fighting stigmas, supporting strong public policies and using best practices at the state level.
A key finding in both reports was that people should look to major companies that have made a commitment to employing people with disabilities to see what is possible. 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.”
Montana had an overall high school graduation rate of 85.6 percent in 2016, but only 78 percent of the students with disabilities graduated.
Nationally, 343,483 Americans with disabilities entered the competitive workforce last year. Kahn-Pauli went on to add: “We are excited to see the Governor’s continued leadership on the issue of jobs for people with disabilities. The Governor deserves the award he received from RespectAbility and we look forward to his continued efforts to advance opportunities for people with disabilities.”
“Our nation was founded on the principle that anyone who works hard should be able to get ahead in life,” RespectAbility President Jennifer Laszlo Mizrahi said. “People with disabilities deserve the opportunity to earn an income and achieve independence, just like anyone else.”
View data on all states: New Jobs for People with Disabilities, 4X the Previous Year – 343,483 new jobs for people with disabilities!
For more information on state initiatives: http://drivedisabilityemployment.org
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