Here’s a statistic relevant to American youth that might surprise some readers: According to the U.S. Social Security Administration and as reported in a recent national article, about 25% of individuals aged 20 today “will have a temporary or permanent brush with disability by age 67.”
The implications of that are certainly notable from a long-term care standpoint in terms of resources and expenditures.
And they are noteworthy in another way as well, namely, downsides for legions of disabled persons seeking to gain employment or facing discrimination while striving to thrive in the workplace. Many disabled individuals also face unfair – and unlawful – challenges when seeking to find and secure reasonable lodging accommodations.
We noted such hurdles in a recent Devadoss Law Firm blog post. We cited in our October 15 entry the federal Americans With Disabilities Act. That seminal legislation passed in 1990 provides myriad and strong safeguards for disabled persons suffering from on-the-job and other forms of discrimination.
Unfortunately, though, discrimination victims don’t always avail themselves of its protections. The aforementioned article from the publication The Hill states that, while about two-thirds of the country’s non-disabled population is employed, the percentage of disabled people – many who want to work and actively seek jobs – stands at a paltry 19%.
Other relevant numbers/statistics are also linked with downside outcomes. Here are two examples:
- Disabled workers’ salaries reportedly being only about two-thirds of what employees without disabilities earn
- Lower employment rate for disabled adults having college degrees than for adults possessing only a high-school diploma
The Hill stresses the need for enhanced incentives granted to companies making real efforts to hire more disabled workers. And it points to a more willing reliance (and coupled ability) by discrimination victims to invoke the ADA’s protections and those highlighted in other relevant laws.