Stats on Disabled Persons in Workforce Sometimes Misleading

The Kessler Foundation recently released optimistic statistics that stated that the employment rate for people with disabilities improved.

According to the foundation:

“Employment-to-population ratio for working-age people with disabilities increased from 29.5 percent in June 2018 to 31 percent in June 2019.” (Cited at https://kesslerfoundation.org/press-release/ntide-june-2019-jobs-report-job-numbers-show-strong-gains-americans-disabilities.)

Unfortunately, these findings can be misleading. Readers unfamiliar with the struggles people with disabilities face while seeking employment can mistakenly conclude that times are getting better. But that is untrue.

According to Angela Melledy, Publisher of the New York based publication Able News, which caters to people with disabilities, those are still low numbers. (For more info about Able News: www.ablenews.com.)

“Kessler does this about every month,” said Melledy. “Each month their stats (usually) go up in tiny increments. Thirty-one percent is nothing compared to the high unemployment rate in this country.”

According to Melledy, the unemployment rate of people with disabilities is high because many employers have no desire to make special accommodations due to high expenses. She added that a number of people with disabilities choose not to work because they fear that they might lose their disability benefits. Worse, employers might fire them immediately. Just one mistake, and the apprehensive employer is ready to fire them. After being let go comes the struggle of regaining their disability benefits. (I am legally blind and this has happened to me. It also happened to other people I know who have disabilities.)

“There are some programs that can help people with disabilities keep their benefits like Ticket to work,” said Melledy. (For more information about this program, log onto https://choosework.ssa.gov/mycall/)

Another problem with Kessler’s findings is that they put all people with disabilities into one category.

Cynthia Myers, Author of “High Rate of Unemployment for the Blind,” wrote:

While the unemployment rate of the blind is often quoted as 70 to 75 percent, this statistic does not necessarily reflect the percentage of blind people who want to work but are unable to find jobs. The statistic looks at all persons over the age of 16 in the general U.S. population who are not working at a job. Students in high school and college, parents who have chosen to remain at home to raise children or care for other family members, and retired persons are all included in that 70 to 75 percent of blind people who aren't working. The statistics also do not account for people who have other medical conditions that would prevent them from working. Since the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not group unemployment by disability, determining the exact rate of unemployment among the blind is difficult. Dr. James Nyman, former director of Nebraska Services for the Blind, estimated in March 2009 that 30 percent was a more accurate reflection of the unemployment rate among blind people who wanted to and were able to work.

Myers added that some blind and sight impaired people struggle with finding transportation to work and attaining information about available jobs. (To access her article: https://work.chron.com/high-rate-unemployment-blind-14312.html)

In sum, statistics might not lie, but the researchers leave out vital information.