Employment
The three legs I feel are necessary for success
I’ve been thinking a lot about employment lately. Here are the Labor Force Participation Rate statistics from the Department of Labor for those with, and without, disabilities. The Labor Force Participation Rate is the labor force (employed & unemployed) divided by the entire, noninstitutionalized, population. In January of 2023, the rate was 39.6% for those with disabilities and 76.8% for those without. This doesn’t take into account what type of work, or how many were underemployed.
There appears to be a growing industry of consultants who will help your company hire those who are neurodiverse. While I’m happy to see this, I feel it’s only addressing part of the problem. To me, the issue of employment is a 3-legged stool. We need to create cultures of mutual respect, improve accessibility, and help candidates maintain the support benefits they need to work.
A culture of mutual respect means we see the person for who they are. I’m not suggesting you be “color blind” or not see someone’s disability. Rather, don’t make it the focal point. It should not have any more impact than the color of their eyes or hair. Instead, the focus is on how well you can do the job you were hired for.
People with disabilities shouldn’t be pigeonholed into food, filth, flowers, or IT careers. Vocational Rehabilitation Counselors have a difficult job, and they are relying on relationships they’ve built over the years. Unfortunately, many of these relationships are with companies in industries with high turnover (fast food, landscaping, hospitality).
I’m not sure how to fix this. It takes time to develop relationships. I believe part of the solution can come from parents. Some parents may be in a position to correct some of the more common misconceptions about hiring people with disabilities. Especially the idea of how expensive “reasonable accommodations” may be.
Share the strengths and talents of your children, and anyone else you know who happens to have a disability. Again, don’t make the disability the focal point. The goal is to help companies get used to disabilities. When disability representation becomes more commonplace it won’t stand out so much in an employer’s mind. It’s an uphill battle, but I believe we can do it.
We need to manage expectations for those entering the workforce. It may not be possible to find a job matching a “special interest”, and that’s ok. I’m not a fan of the “follow your passion” trope. Yes, in an ideal world, this would be possible for everyone, but that’s not the world we live in. Many of us need to enter the workforce doing something we may not “love”, and use these early experiences to develop the skills necessary to get us where we want to go.
Sadly, in our current environment, there appears to be very little upward or lateral mobility for those with disabilities. To address this I feel we need “Champions” in the workforce. Someone who will not just mentor an individual with a disability, but will actively campaign to help the individual enter and move up in their chosen career path.
Again, parents may be the best short-term solution. Many of us are already fierce advocates. We recognize the value the person brings, with or without a disability. I don’t think we should say someone has “superpowers” because of their disability, because IMO this highlights their differences. We don’t use language like this for their non-disabled peers. Instead, call attention to the individual’s skills and talents and how they are benefiting the company.
Accessibility starts with the hiring process. When was the last time you reviewed the job description of the position you are hiring for? Does a back office worker really need excellent customer service skills? Yes, they should be able to get along with coworkers, but “excellent customer service skills” could deter many very capable people from applying because they struggle with interpersonal relationships. Let’s pare down job postings to just what is needed.
The next barrier is the software used to review resumes. How many candidates never make it to a hiring manager’s desk because they were screened out? I feel the age of cover letters and resumes is (or at least should be) behind us in most circumstances. Let’s be real - unless you are applying for an entry-level position, who you know is more important than what your resume says. And if you’re hiring for an entry-level position what are you looking for in a resume?
Yes, we need to know if someone can do the job we are hiring them for. My argument is that a typical resume doesn’t necessarily address this. Let’s give people the option to provide short video clips of them doing the job. No, this won’t be possible in every situation. But watching a 30-sec or 1-minute video clip isn’t that onerous and shouldn’t have to be delegated to a computer program.
This could also replace interviews. In my personal experience, both as a person giving an interview and being interviewed, they are not very good indicators of someone’s potential. There is too much inherent bias. Not to mention being a good or poor interviewee often has nothing to do with the skills required to do the job.
I’ve focused a LOT on what employers can do to improve accessibility because I feel like the system is broken. However, until it’s changed people with disabilities need to play the hand they’re dealt. That means perhaps they work with a resume writing service and/or get coaching on how to interview well. Change is not going to happen until we get more disability representation within a company.
Once hired, those with disabilities shouldn’t take advantage of their employer. They need to meet their employer halfway, acknowledging the reasonable accommodations that have been made and accepting there may still be minor inconveniences. To be clear, I’m not suggesting someone accept subpar working conditions. If you need reasonable accommodations you should get them. For example, don’t come in late every day just because the employer provides a buffer to account for transportation challenges.
People with disabilities are people and have the same quirks and foibles as everyone else. They don’t belong on a pedestal. Their performance at work is going to mirror what you could expect from those without disabilities. There are going to be extreme examples of individuals who are incredibly hard-chargers who will let nothing get in their way. On the other end of the spectrum will be those who want to do the bare minimum to get by. But the majority are going to be like you and me, they want to do their job and go home.
The last leg of the stool is benefits. I’ve heard many parents tell me they were worried about their child working because they didn’t want to lose Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Medicaid. Most states have Home and Community Based Services Waivers designed to help individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities live independently. But to receive these services you must be on Medicaid. Ironically you could be receiving Vocational Waiver services, get a raise or promotion putting you over the Medicaid limits, and subsequently lose the very benefits that helped you get the raise or promotion.
Personally, I’d rather see someone work and lose SSI because I feel the long-term benefits far outweigh whatever they were getting from SSI. In 2023 the Federal maximum amount of SSI you can get is $914/mth. Try to imagine paying all your monthly bills with just $914/mth. When you work, you can earn up to $1,913/mth and keep SSI, although it will be reduced by $1 for every $2 you earn (it ignores the first $85).
Often when you qualify for SSI you are automatically qualified for Medicaid, so when you lose your SSI you could also lose Medicaid. But it’s important to realize these are separate programs. You may be able to qualify for Medicaid even if you cannot get SSI. In fact, some states have expanded their Medicaid, allowing individuals with disabilities to earn more while maintaining eligibility. This increases the likelihood that individuals with disabilities will try to find work.
I feel we need to make a concerted effort to address all three areas - mutual respect, accessibility, and access to benefits. Otherwise I don’t think we will see outcomes improve very much. It’s going to take time. Perhaps more importantly, it’s going to take buy-in from employers AND the Disability community. The first step is to normalize having a disability. Stop with the “inspiration porn” and saying people have “superpowers”. People are people, period.