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Category: Democrats

Montana Loses 1,484 Jobs For People With Disabilities; Ranks 8th in the Country For Disability Employment Rate

headshot of Steve Bullock smiling wearing a suit with white shirt and blue tie with American flag in background
Montana Governor Steve Bullock

Washington, DC., March 12 – While nationally 111,804 jobs were gained by people with disabilities, 1,484 people with disabilities Montana exited the workforce last year. Montana now ranks 8th in the nation for employment rates of people with disabilities with 31,935 of the 69,553 working-age (18-64) Montanans with disabilities being employed. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows Montana has maintained a 45.9 percent disability employment rate.

Gov. Steve Bullock has highlighted his continuing commitment to his constituents with disabilities for the past several years. From ongoing efforts to strengthen “public schools instead of privatizing them” to reimagining programs “to better serve Montanans with disability in living the lives they choose and deserve,” Gov. Bullock has been a vocal and active supporter of the disability community.

In honor of Disability Employment Awareness Month this past October, Gov. Bullock’s released a proclamation renewing his state’s commitment to advancing opportunities for people with disabilities. “Welcoming the talents of all people, including people with disabilities, is a critical part of our efforts to build an inclusive community and stronger economy,” said Bullock in the proclamation. “This month, and every month, we celebrate the many and varied contributions people with disabilities have given to our state.”

As Pennsylvania Gains 6406 Jobs for People with Disabilities, Gov. Wolf’s Employment First Policy Helps Pennsylvanians with Disabilities Find Work

Tom Wolf headshot
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, March 11 – More people with disabilities in Pennsylvania continued to gain new jobs last year, continuing a trend from the year prior.

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows Pennsylvania is currently ranked 30th out of 50 states with 329,760 of the 880,799 working-age (18-64) people with disabilities being employed. This gives the state an employment rate of 37.4 percent for people with disabilities. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that in 2017, the employment rate was at 35.5 percent. From 2017-2018 Pennsylvania’s employment rates increased for people with disabilities as 6,406 Pennsylvanians with disabilities found new employment opportunities.

“37.4 percent employment for people with disabilities represents progress that we must build upon,” said RespectAbility Board of Directors member Richard G. Phillips, Jr. Philips, a Pennsylvania business leader and change agent, was elected to the RespectAbility Board in September 2018.

10,033 New Jobs for People with Disabilities in Colorado as Gov. Jared Polis’ Administration Wants to Ensure Independence

Jared Polis smiling in front of an American flag
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis

Washington D.C., March 9 – Colorado now ranks 11th in the nation for employment rates of people with disabilities with 141,691 of the 311,449 working-age (18-64) Coloradoans with disabilities being employed. The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows Colorado has an employment of 45.5 percent for people with disabilities. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that during the previous year, Colorado’s employment rate for people with disabilities was 42.7 percent. From 2017-2018 Colorado’s employment rates increased for people with disabilities as 10,033 Coloradoans with disabilities found new employment opportunities. Colorado’s previous Governor, John Hickenlooper, had prioritized jobs for people with disabilities.

Newly elected Gov. Jared Polis showed his commitment to the employment of people with disabilities during his campaign, responding to a questionnaire by RespectAbility, outlining his views on training and hiring people with disabilities. Then-candidate Polis repeatedly cited his work in starting two nonprofits, TechStars and Operation Bootcamp, that helped those in underrepresented communities and returning veterans start their own businesses. Project Bootcamp, he noted, “specifically works with veterans and their families, many of whom live with a disability.”

9400 Nevadans with Disabilities Lose Jobs, Leading to New Gov. Steve Sisolak Saying They “Are Great Asset to our Workforce”

Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak smiles looking off camera in front of a blurred background of trees and mountains
Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak

Washington, D.C., March 8 – During the 2019 National Governors’ Association winter meeting, newly elected Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak made his commitment to people with disabilities crystal clear: “We view people with disabilities as people with abilities, tremendous abilities that are great assets to our workforce.”

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows that there are 183,918 working-age people (ages 18-64) with disabilities living in Nevada. Out of that number, 73,968 Nevadans with disabilities have jobs. That means the Silver State has a disability employment rate of 40.2 percent. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that Nevada ranks 22nd out of the 50 states for disability employment. Census Bureau data also shows that more than 9,400 people with disabilities in Nevada lost jobs last year.

Under Gov. Sisolak’s predecessor, large companies such as Starbucks had success hiring people with disabilities in Nevada. According to the Carson Valley Times, companies have expanded employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Starbucks has been at quick to implement innovative strategies to integrate people with disabilities into the community workforce. At Starbucks’ Carson Valley roasting and distribution facility, interns with disabilities are given training that builds marketable skills and helps people find employment upon completion of the internship. According to John Kelly, senior vice president of Global Public Affairs & Social Impact, hiring people with disabilities at Starbucks is more than just the right thing to do – it positively impacts the company’s bottom line.

1381 Connecticuters with Disabilities Gain Jobs as Gov. Ned Lamont Promises “Absolute Opportunity”

Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont during a rally in Hartford, Connecticut
Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont (AP Photo/Jessica Hill)

Washington, D.C., March 8 – During the 2019 National Governors’ Association winter meeting, newly elected Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont vowed to do “everything we can to make sure” people with disabilities have “the absolute opportunity to work and thrive in our communities.”

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows there are 189,419 working-age people (ages 18-64) with disabilities living in Connecticut. Out of that number, 76,096 have jobs. That means the Nutmeg State has a disability employment rate of 40.2 percent. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that Connecticut ranks 21st out of the 50 states for disability employment. Census Bureau data also shows that 1,381 people with disabilities entered the state’s workforce last year.

A group of families in Connecticut started a café called BeanZ & Co. with the intention of helping adults with intellectual disabilities find work. According to an estimate by the Arc, a nonprofit that provides assistance to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD), more than 80 percent of people with I/DD struggle to find work because of their disability. BeanZ has adapted their equipment to accommodate employees and make everything as identifiable and accessible as possible. Efforts such as this are what have helped move Connecticut up in ranking from last year when it comes to jobs for people with disabilities.

8,000 Michiganders with Disabilities Lose Jobs, Leading to New Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Saying “Everyone Needs a Path to Prosperity”

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer smiling in front of a blurred background
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Washington, D.C., March 7 – During the 2019 National Governors’ Association winter meeting, newly elected Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer pledged to “forge relationships” with her state’s disability community. She said people with disabilities are “a strong, vocal, powerful community in the state of Michigan” and “everyone needs a path to prosperity and dignity in work.”

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows that there are 727,451 working-age (ages 18-64) people with disabilities living in Michigan. Out of that number, only 246,196 Michiganders with disabilities have jobs. That means the Great Lake State has a disability employment rate of only 33.8 percent. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that Michigan ranks 41st out of the 50 states for disability employment. Census Bureau data also shows that more than 8,000 people with disabilities lost jobs in the state of Michigan last year.

20,000 Illinoisans with Disabilities Gain Jobs, are “One of the Priorities” for New Gov. JB Pritzker

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker smiling in front of a blurred background of green
Illinois Governor JB Pritzker

Washington, D.C., March 7 – During the 2019 National Governors’ Association winter meeting, newly elected Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker vowed to make people with disabilities “one of the priorities” as he rebuilds his state’s policies and programs.

Speaking of the budgetary challenges created by his predecessor, Pritzker said, “services and programs, including some employment programs…just got wiped out.” He emphasized the need to “rebuild these services, many of the opportunities” that people with disabilities were using to enter Illinois’ economy.

In terms of making his state more inclusive of people with disabilities, Pritzker added, “You have to think of it as an entrepreneurial endeavor in the nonprofit world.”

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows there are 691,453 working-age people (ages 18-64) with disabilities living in Illinois. Out of that number, 263,464 Illinoisans with disabilities have jobs. That means the Prairie State has a disability employment rate of 38.1 percent. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that Illinois ranks 25th out of the 50 states for disability employment. Census Bureau data also shows that Illinois saw the second biggest job gains for people with disabilities with more than 20,000 new jobs even as 50,000 people without disabilities left Illinois’ workforce.

2100 New Jerseyans with Disabilities Get Jobs as Gov. Phil Murphy Vows to Serve “the Entire Disability Community”

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy wearing a suit, smiling in front of a blurred background of a flag
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy

Washington, D.C., March 7 –During the 2019 National Governors’ Association (NGA) winter meeting, Gov. Phil Murphy of New Jersey spoke about his commitment to serve “the entire disability community.” In New Jersey, he added, “we rise or fall as one family.”

Gov. Murphy pointed to his own cabinet, which includes a newly created Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and Their Families, as a testament to his commitment to serve New Jerseyans with disabilities and vowed, “we’ve got a lot of elements in our budget” that will positively impact people with disabilities.

The newly published 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium shows there are 428,932 working-age (ages 18-64) people with disabilities living in New Jersey. Out of that number, only 161,729 have jobs. That means the Garden State has a 37.7 disability employment rate. Further analysis by the nonpartisan advocacy group RespectAbility shows that New Jersey ranks 28th out of the 50 states for disability employment. More than 2,100 people with disabilities entered New Jersey’s workforce last year.

Presidential Hopeful Gov. Jay Inslee Has History of Advocacy for People with Disabilities

Washington, D.C., March 1 – Washington Gov. Jay Inslee entered the crowded 2020 presidential race Friday, becoming the first sitting governor to do so. While he is making climate change a leading issue for his presidential bid, he has made disability employment a priority during his governorship. Gov. Inslee announced…

New Video by Stacey Abrams Shows Value of Disability Community’s Vote

As many tune in after my State of the Union response, I want to take a minute to speak about recently proposed legislation that supports Americans with disabilities, a community that is in my heart and on my agenda. pic.twitter.com/xGnZs9AHJv — Stacey Abrams (@staceyabrams) February 8, 2019 Washington, D.C., Feb.…

Heard During Klobuchar’s Town Hall: “Down syndrome,” “Alcoholism,” “Autism”

Manchester, New Hampshire, Feb. 19 – Words heard during the CNN Presidential Town Hall with presidential hopeful Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) included “Down syndrome,” “diabetes,” “alcoholism,” “addiction” and “autism.” During similar 2016 town halls on both sides of aisle, this did not occur, especially during the early part of the election season.

According to the Census Bureau, more than 56 million Americans live with some form of disability. This can include visible conditions such as spinal cord injuries, visual impairments or hearing loss to people living with invisible disabilities such as learning disabilities, mental health or Autism.

“The disability community is the only minority anyone can join at any time due to accident, illness or injury,” said former Representative and Dallas Mayor Steve Bartlett. Bartlett is the chairman of RespectAbility, a Washington-based nonpartisan nonprofit that fights stigmas and advances opportunities so people with disabilities can participate in all aspects of community.

Personal Connection to Disability

“I grew up in a family with alcoholism and addiction,” Klobuchar said when asked how being the daughter of an alcoholic affects her stance on health and addiction policy. “I had a lot of times in my life where I was taking the keys away or seeing him drink in the basement and it was a hard thing.”

She also shared a story of how when her daughter was born, she was unable to swallow yet kicked out of the hospital after 24 hours without help. Nearly a third of U.S. families have at least one member with a disability and 10 percent have at least one child with a disability. It is vital for leaders to share personal experiences with all types of disabilities – including addiction – to help reduce stigma surrounding them.

Klobuchar talked about how her state of Minnesota “has a lot of great treatment that I want to bring to the entire country, so everyone has this great treatment.”

“We need to make sure we are there for people, that we have treatment,” she added. “In the criminal justice system, we’re humane, that we use drug courts because once people get good treatment, they can get through anything.”

More than half of the audience raised their hands when asked if they were affected by the opioid crisis during the town hall. Responding to a question on how she would combat the opioid epidemic, Klobuchar said to “change prescribing habits across the country” and to fund treatment for addiction. What she did not mention, however, is that some people with chronic pain and other disabilities need opioids and use them responsibly.

The State of the Union and Addressing Disability Issues

Washington, D.C., Feb. 7 – Often presidential addresses to the nation fail to include people with disabilities and the state of their lives. However, President Donald J. Trump did not make that mistake in this year’s State of the Union address on Tuesday night. He mentioned Americans with disabilities and issues relevant to the disability community: employment, medical research and health care.

Unemployment for Americans with Disabilities Reached an All-Time Low

President Trump standing behind the podium of the House of Representatives, with Vice President, Mike Pence (on the left) and the Speaker of the House, Nancy Pelosi (on the right) seated behind him. Behind all three hangs the United States Flag. Trump, in proudly announcing our country’s strong economy, pointed to our record low unemployment numbers. When declaring these statistics for communities of color, he also boasted of an “all-time low” in unemployment for Americans with Disabilities.

Between 2015 and 2016, there was an astounding four-fold increase in the number of new jobs created for Americans with disabilities, going from 87,201 new jobs to 343,483. And from February 2016 until May 2018, there was a steady improvement in the unemployment situation for people with disabilities, reaching an all-time low.

However, in the last year, unemployment for Americans with Disabilities has stagnated. It increased by one tenth of a percentage appoint, from 29.9 percent in January 2018 to 29.8 percent in January 2019. Thus, the current unemployment rate for working-age non-institutionalized Americans with disabilities is at approximately 70.2 percent. See nTIDE January 2019 Jobs Report: Job Numbers Hold Steady for Americans with Disabilities. 

Candidates Who Support Opportunities for People with Disabilities Won Big

Washington, D.C., Nov. 19 – Key senate and gubernatorial candidates from both sides of the political aisle who support opportunities for people with disabilities won big this election, showing that disability rights is a winning issue. There are 56 million people with disabilities (one in five Americans), more than 35 million of…

Disability Advocates Casey and Wolf Win Re-Elections

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, Nov. 9 – Both Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf and Sen. Bob Casey, Jr., successfully defended their seats against their challengers, Scott Wagner and Lou Barletta. Each of these individuals have spoken about the importance of including the more than 1.7 million Pennsylvanians living with a disability in society…

Disability Advocates Rosen and Sisolak Win Elections

Carson City, Nevada, Nov. 8 – Both Democrat Steve Sisolak and Jacky Rosen were elected to new positions in Nevada – Sisolak defeating Adam Laxalt for the governorship and Rosen defeating incumbent Dean Heller for U.S. Senate. While campaigning, both Rosen and Sisolak completed a disability issues questionnaire for Senate and…

Disability Supporter Cuomo Wins New York Gubernatorial Re-Election

Down Ballot Disability Supporters in New York City Also Win Big New York City, Nov. 8 – Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo has won re-election, defeating Republican challenger Marcus J. Molinaro for New York’s governorship. In the weeks prior to the election, Cuomo made new commitments on jobs for people with…

Disability Supporter Robert Jackson Wins NY District 31 Senate Seat

New York City, Nov. 8 – Longtime former City Council member and Democratic New York State Senate Candidate Robert Jackson wins the District 31 senate seat beating incumbent Marisol Alcantara (Independence Party) and Melinda Crump (Republican).

Jackson responded to disability issues questionnaire for New York City candidates for Senate and Assembly put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national disability organization working to end stigmas and advanceopportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire to which Jackson responded gauges how candidates plan to tackle disability issues. This way, voters with concerns about disability policy know which candidates have the positions that they agree with the most. Jackson’s opponents, Alcantara and Crump, did not respond to the questionnaire despite repeated requests to their campaigns from RespectAbility.

Jackson fully responded to the five questions in the questionnaire, indicating what disability policy would mean for his administration. For instance, Jackson highlighted how he would tackle issues such as high unemployment rates amongst the disabled in New York.

“My plan is to work with [RespectAbility] and other advocates to reduce the unacceptably high unemployment rate among working-age persons with disabilities in New York,” said Jackson. “This plan should include early training and subsidized intern programs to help disabled people become part of the workforce when they are young and can build experience and credentials.”

Disability workforce programs can be vital in helping people with disabilities find stable employment, especially when people in the disability community face chronic joblessness. Currently, only 32.7 percent, or one third, of residents of New York City with disabilities between the ages of 18 to 64 are employed. In comparison, 58.4 percent of working-age residents of New York City without disabilities are employed.

To help address such issues, Jackson also plans on initiating other programs to help the disability community obtain a higher rate of employment. These programs include giving workers with disabilities tax credits to help offset expenses associated with their disabilities as well as providing transportation options so that people with disabilities can get to work in the first place.

Read Jackson’s full response below.

Disability Supporter Gottfried Re-Elected to NYS Assembly District 75

New York City, Nov. 8 – Democrat Richard Gottfried was re-elected to the New York State Assembly District 75 with no major party opposition in the midterm elections. While campaigning, Gottfried completed a disability issues questionnaire for New York City candidates put out by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan, nonprofit national disability organization working to end stigmas and advance opportunities for people with disabilities. The questionnaire asked candidates to answer five key questions that impact the 948,000 people with disabilities living in New York City.

While Gottfried did not answer each question, he submitted a statement in response. He highlighted his participation in the Assembly Health Committee, as well as his sponsorship of the NY Health Act, which aims to create universal, single-payer health coverage for the city of New York.

“I will be amending the bill in the 2019 legislative session to include long-term care (particularly home care),” Gottfried said in his statement.

Gottfried closed with a commitment to work with people with disabilities to meet their goals. “I believe strongly in working with groups. including people with disabilities, to learn from them what their priorities and needs are and what state policies and actions would be most effective, and then to work in whatever ways I can to help advance that agenda,” he said.

There are 455,186 working-age people with disabilities in New York City and only 150,074 have jobs. Currently, only 32.7 percent, or one third, of residents of New York City with disabilities between the ages of 18 to 64 are employed. In comparison, 58.4 percent of working-age residents of New York City without disabilities are employed.

View Gottfried’s full statement below: