Crisis of Employment in Disability Community

February 7, 2012Kate Bigam Kaput

I’ve always been more of a words person than a math gal, but sometimes, numbers are more powerful than words could ever be. This Jewish Disability Awareness Month, let’s talk statistics:

  • 8 percent: The average unemployment rate of the total U.S. population
  • 13.5 percent: The average unemployment rate of Americans with disabilities
  • 54 million: The number of Americans living with a disability
  • 35 million: The number of those people living with a “severe disability”

In a December op-ed in the Washington Post, Jay Ruderman, president of the Ruderman Family Foundation, writes of “the civil rights issue we need to talk about” – the rights of people with disabilities. The Ruderman Family Foundation is a philanthropic organization that focuses on the full inclusion of people with disabilities into Jewish life in the Boston area and in Israel. The Americans with Disabilities Act, commonly known as the ADA, was made into law in 1990, with the full support of the Reform Movement and the activism of the Religious Action Center. Under the ADA, places of employment may not discriminate in hiring, firing, or promotions on the basis of disability – just as it may not do so on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, or county of national origin. The ADA and a slew of state laws that came after it are responsible for disability-friendly building accessibility in the form of chairlifts, ramps, Braille signs, and other physical adaptations. But contrary to popular belief, ensuring disability rights goes far beyond installing ramps and Braille signs. Rabbi Lynne Landsberg, the Religious Action Center’s Senior Advisor on Disability Issues, suffered a Traumatic Brain Injury following a car accident in the late ‘90s. As she is fond of saying, “The ADA guaranteed accessibility to public places. But nothing demands accessibility to the human heart.” In his op-ed, Ruderman describes how personal and institutional biases against individuals with disabilities have led to a crisis of employment among individuals with disabilities. He writes, “To date, it has been easier, as a society, to ignore people with disabilities rather than to spend the time and creative energy to develop innovative solutions to their needs.” Both as employers and as citizens of the world, it’s vital that we remember that people with disabilities are, above all else, people first; their disabilities are secondary to their abilities. Just as no two individuals are alike, neither are any two individuals with disabilities; these disabilities come in many forms, from physical handicaps to mental illnesses to cognitive impairments. The success stories of people with disabilities thriving in the workplace are many. Amber Adair, whose cognitive disability affects her math and reasoning skills, works as a dietary aide in a nursing home, where she is popular with the residents. Phillip Brooks, who has autism, works in compliance section of the University of Missouri Athletic Department, using his keen attention to detail to excel in data management. And Paul Steven Miller, who had the genetic condition achondroplasia (a type of dwarfism), served as a special assistant to President Barack Obama before his death in 2010, managing political appointments at the U.S. Department of Justice. Simply put, there is no reason people with disabilities cannot serve as vital and contributing members of the workforce. At present, a number of resources exist to assist employers in integrating individuals with disabilities into the workforce, taking into account the vast array of existing disabilities. Disability.gov provides resources for employers about recruiting, hiring, and retaining people with disabilities, along with information about workplace accommodations, tax incentives, and targeted human resources tools. The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides an Integrated Employment Toolkit to help employers and business owners include people with severe disabilities into the workplace, even – and especially – in settings where the majority of workers do not have disabilities. Leviticus 19:14 commands, “You shall not insult the deaf, or place a stumbling block before the blind.” As Reform Jews and compassionate human beings, it is our responsibility to ensure equal opportunity for all, including those with disabilities. Let us take the necessary steps in removing all stumbling blocks and working toward full workplace inclusion of individuals with disabilities.

 

Kate Bigam currently works as a Congregational Representative for the URJ’s East District. She previously worked at the RAC as press secretary and as an Eisendrath Legislative Assistant covering disability rights and other issues.

Join the Union for Reform Judaism and other faith communities in signing the Statement of Solidarity by the Religious Community Around Employment of People with Disabilities. Once enough signatures are collected from organizations and congregations across the country, the statement will be delivered to everyMember of Congress. Your congregation can sign the Statement of Solidarity here. Contact Eisendrath Legislative Assistant Ian Hainline for more information.

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