Each of us has a 20 percent chance of becoming a person with a disability and a 50 percent chance of having a family member with a disability. An estimated 43 million Americans have physical or mental disabilities. Of those, 67 percent are unemployed.1
Developmental disabilities are severe chronic conditions due to mental and/or physical impairments.2
People with developmental disabilities struggle with language, mobility, learning, self-help, and independent living. Developmental disabilities begin during development up to 22 years of age and usually last throughout a person’s life.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 is a federal law that provides civil rights protection to persons with disabilities in the area of employment, public accommodations such as restaurants or day-care centers, services made available by state and local governments, transportation and telecommunications.3
Despite ample evidence that the ADA is working, people with disabilities are, at times, treated as second-class citizens, shunned and segregated by physical barriers and social stereotypes.
Creating employment opportunities for people with disabilities expands opportunity, increases wages and improves benefits. Empowering employees also boosts satisfaction, autonomy, and self-sufficiency. Research has shown that the training and employment of these individuals saves millions in federal money through decreased entitlements and an increase in income and payroll taxes.4
1. The Council for Disability Rights
2. Center for Disease Control and Prevention
3. Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
4. “People with Disabilities Work: America Benefits." 2003 study by The National Institute for the Severely Handicapped (NISH).