Recession’s Bite Hits Americans With Disabilities Extra Hard

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As the Disability Program Navigator (DPN) for a large Workforce Board in West Texas it is trulely a sad fact that during difficult economic times that individuals with impediments / barriers to employment are the first to go when companies are facing a reduction in workforce.
As we move forward to educate employers on dispelling the myths of hiring people with disabilities and in recognizing that this is an under utilized applicant pool of highly skilled applicants ready and eager to work. It has become very frustraiting to know that the opportunities to improve ones quality of life,self respect and a scence of belonging is for the most part a matter of available funding.

Kevin K. Bowes of TX 2:00PM December 18, 2008

I believe that those who are disabled could start up their own companies that hire the disabled. This is the way to help those who help themselves.

Theresa Pearson of IL 9:21AM December 13, 2008

Thank you for writing this piece. As a mother of an autistic child I constantly think of his future without me. If somehow there is a way to create almost "recession-proof" jobs and careers for the community then we need to all come together as one to ensure that security for our children and loved ones. After reading this it has certainly given me food for thought . I work with a non-profit organization that is primarily funded and ran by parents. We all come from different walks of life and there are many talented,motivated members. This is something I will absolutely share with them as we plan our future projects to empower our children in their communities.
Thank you for opening my eyes and mind to the possibilities.
Sincerely,
Stacey

Stacey of TX 9:21AM December 10, 2008

I have been a job coach for 19 years. So far 8 of my clients have either been laid off or had their hours cut back starting in May 2008 and escalating in Oct 2008. Clients that were doing fine jobs last year and had been working 4 and 5 years at different companies all of a sudden are not "doing well" or "their too slow" or they work a service job and the companies all of a sudden don't care about service to their customers. The population I serve is not famous for their mult-tasking abilities but they are clean and dependable and enthusiastic about working. Many of their jobs are service-oriented because that is typically the only industry that is receptive to hiring them. Seeing people with disabilities working in the community should not be a rare thing. Helping this population to become employed and remain that way remains a struggle. Every time the economy burps they pay the price.

Ellen Weidner of SC 3:00PM December 08, 2008

Most State's will be convening some type of legislative or executive branch committee to tackle economic challenges and unemployment ... I wonder how many of those committees will consider for a moment the issues your article mentions?
We have legislation in place to remove barriers that prevent people with disabilities from getting around their communities and into businesses, schools and public facilities. We have laws to ensure that children with disabilities get a quality education. We have the Americans with Disabilities Act to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities on the basis on their disability in gaining employment. However, the truth is that even with these laws on the books and supportive programs in place people with disabilities are not considered a part of the mainstream discussion as it relates to job creation and economic growth.
New York Governor David Patterson who is legally blind said in a speech, "…71 percent of the blind are unemployed, 90 percent of deaf people in this country are unemployed. Maybe one of them could figure out a cure for cancer, but we can't get them into the workplace. The educational proficiency of the disabled surpasses the national education average, and yet we have these horrible unemployment rates in communities."
Keep up the good work in keeping this issue in the public eye.

Darla Stuart of CO 11:01AM December 07, 2008