Gov. Northam: “We’ll do everything we can to take care of individuals with disabilities.”
Washington, D.C., March 15 – As the economy expands, for the first time in decades people with disabilities are gaining jobs, success and independence. According to new data, 14,479 more people with disabilities in Virginia gained employment. 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.
Last month, America’s governors gathered in Washington for the National Governors Association meeting to talk about these and other key issues. During the Winter Meeting, Governor Ralph Northam took questions about jobs for people with disabilities in Virginia. When asked, Northam said: “They’re not asking for a lot; they’re asking for a leveled playing field and that’s something I’ll continue to promote in Virginia.”
He went on to add, “We’ll do everything we can to take care of individuals with disabilities.”
When asked about promoting educational attainment for students with disabilities, the Governor said “I’ve been very involved in our state of Virginia Education Association so it’s something we’re going to put a lot of focus on.”
According to RespectAbility, a national nonprofit organization that fights stigma and advances opportunity for people with disabilities, Virginia now ranks 23rd on jobs for people with disabilities. In total, there are 496,928 working-age people with disabilities living in that state and 193,632 of them have jobs. With a 39 percent employment rate for its people with disabilities, Virginia ranks above the national average.
Governors have a critical role to play as the economy grows and states advance opportunities for citizens of all disabilities. Former Governor 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.”
Virginia had an overall high school graduation rate of 86.7 percent in 2016, but only 53.9 percent of the students with disabilities graduated.
Nationally, 343,483 Americans with disabilities entered the competitive workforce last year.
“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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