by Philip Kahn-Pauli
October marks the annual celebration of National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM). This month is a chance to celebrate job seekers with disabilities who are striving to work and employers who are recruiting talented employees with disabilities. The theme for NDEAM 2019 is “The Right Talent, Right Now.” Indeed, employment matters for people with disabilities for more than just financial reasons. Employment matters because people with disabilities are seeking the opportunity to achieve independence, just like anyone else.
The great state of Colorado has good reason to celebrate NDEAM this year. The Centennial State in fact, outperforms many other bigger states in terms of jobs for the one in five Americans living with a disclosed disability. In 2018, 141,691 Coloradans with disabilities had jobs putting that state’s disability employment rate at 45.5 percent. According to the Institute on Disability, that is well above the national disability employment rate of only 37 percent. A recent study by RespectAbility, a nonpartisan disability inclusion organization, found that Colorado ranks 11th out of the 50 states in terms of disability employment.
Many people assume that larger states with larger budgets automatically mean better outcomes. In fact, other smaller states have found greater success by doing the right things and investing in cost-effective solutions. Colorado is one such state. These tremendous outcomes are no accident. These are the results of deliberate strategies implemented by leaders in the community, in government and in the school system. Employment First is one such strategy. It is a strategy where critical social programs are oriented towards ensuring that getting a job is the top priority for individuals with disabilities. That goal is reinforced with high expectations among the teachers, coaches and parents around that individual.
Colorado can further capitalize on past successes by following the example of states that show constant improvement such as Florida and Ohio. Both can attribute a portion of their growth in disability employment toProject SEARCH, a program for young adults with disabilities to improve their skills, learn from job coaches and ultimately find a job. Data shows that 70 percent of SEARCH interns who complete their training obtain competitive employment. By expanding such critical programs, Colorado can greatly increase the number of people with disabilities entering the workforce.
Companies that embrace employees with disabilities clearly see the results in their bottom line. According to Accenture, disability-inclusive companies have higher productivity levels and lower staff turnover rates, are twice as likely to outperform their peers in shareholder returns and create larger returns on investment.
The fact is that disability is part of the human experience. It is nothing to fear because all of us will be affected by it eventually, whether by accident, aging or illness. Opening more job opportunities to people with disabilities will mean stronger communities and a better economy for all. Achieving that requires all of us working together because people with disabilities are the right talent, right now.