A terrible car accident 30 years ago left Lisa Smith partially paralyzed, with lengthy hospital stays and painful rehabilitation before she eventually learned to walk with a limp. Years later, a worsening spinal condition left her dependent on a walker and wheelchair.
But she wasn’t discouraged because she didn’t think she had a choice.
“After the accident, everything changed,” Lisa Smith said, “I never felt 100% again. My marriage ended. But I had two young children to depend on and no money.”
Smith was out of work for a long time after the car he was rear-ended was hit, but thanks to training from Goodwill and a special one-handed keyboard, he was able to return to work, joining the growing number of millions of people with disabilities in working America.
About 34.1 million Americans age 16 and older have some kind of disability. Of those, only 8.3 million are employed, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, but that number has increased 38 percent over a decade. The number would probably be higher if it weren’t for barriers like lack of transportation or the need for special equipment at work. And for many, advocates say employers have historically been reluctant to hire them.
Federal law requires most employers to provide reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities if they are able to do the job. Employers cannot discriminate against people with disabilities. For employees, job security is not a product of having a disability; it is only legal protection against discrimination because of disability.
Employers also have a financial incentive in the form of a tax credit of up to $9,600, according to the Internal Revenue Service. Applications for the credit will be reviewed by a Georgia branch of the Department of Labor.
Disabilities range from physical to cognitive to psychological. Some people have severe disabilities, but many can work if they have special parking spaces, ramps, Braille instructions, enlarged computer screens, and other facilities.
“We customize work to accommodate an employee’s disability,” said Scott Parry, vice president of facilities services at Goodwill. Goodwill provides training and hires people with disabilities in its stores, and provides workers to a number of local organizations, including the Centers for Disease Control and the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library.
Parry said Goodwill, along with a staffing agency, is currently placing about 250 people.
Historically, employment rates for people with disabilities have been much lower than those without disabilities.
During the 2007-2009 recessionary downturn, only 9.3 percent of people with disabilities were employed — that is, had a job or were actively looking for work. By 2014, that percentage had risen to 18.2 percent, close to the historical average.
Still, this is far lower than the employment rate of people without disabilities, which is 68.3%.
But the trends were positive, and more employers began to include people with disabilities in the following years. By 2020, the labor force participation rate for people with disabilities had risen to 20.4%, surging during the pandemic as companies became more willing to allow people to work from home.
Moreover, the “labor shortage” – that is, many businesses had difficulty finding the workers they needed – forced many employers to abandon arbitrary requirements and broaden their hiring scope.
According to the latest government statistics, the employment rate for people without disabilities has remained unchanged since 2014. But the proportion of people with disabilities has jumped to 24.2%, 2 million more people than in 2014 and 5.1 million more people than in 2008.
But what if employers continue to push for a return to the office? And what if an economic downturn expands the pool of potential workers? Advocates worry that the trend could soon reverse.
“I think there’s still a stigma about our willingness to employ disabled people,” Parry says, “What people don’t understand is that the vast majority of disabled people love their jobs. They put their whole heart and soul into their work. Once they come in, they tend to stay with us for a long time.”
Other Atlanta organizations are also fighting stereotypes through efforts to connect employers with people with disabilities.
The Bobby Dodd Institute in Atlanta provides training, support and counseling to people with disabilities and their families. It also functions as a sort of staffing agency, with about 375 people currently working for the government and other organizations, said Joe Paolini, vice president of the institute. Employees do a variety of jobs, including janitorial work, landscaping, warehouse management, call center work and mailroom sorting.
The institute sees evidence that significant numbers of people with disabilities are moving off the employment sidelines as part of a longer-term trend towards increased employment for people with disabilities.
“We have a significant percentage of people who weren’t working here before,” Paolini said. “The cultural environment seems to have changed.”
According to government statistics, unemployment rates for people with disabilities have fallen by almost 50% over the past decade, from 13.1% to 7.3%.
The worry, Paolini said, is that because the changes have not yet taken hold, companies may start excluding more people with disabilities. “If there is an economic downturn, I expect we will see companies start including some really weird things in their job requirements that aren’t necessary.”
Meanwhile, Lisa Smith keeps going to work. She’s back at Goodwill in Decatur as an office coordinator. 8 to 5. Five days a week. She says it’s not just about the paycheck, it’s also about the satisfaction and recognition. She talks to a lot of people, so being out in the community and being recognized is a special joy.
“I drive to work every day,” she says. “I can do what I want. I feel normal. When I’m out and I see someone and they say, ‘Hey, aren’t you Lisa from Goodwill?’ I feel good.”
Disability* and Work, Georgia
Total number of people with disabilities: 1.4 million
Population percentage: 12.9%
Working age: 11.2%
Employment rate for people with disabilities**: 39.6%
Employment rate for non-disabled persons**: 78.4%;
Median full-time income for people with disabilities: $46,600
Disability* and Work, United States
Americans with disabilities: 34.1 million
Americans with disabilities in the workforce: 8.3 million
Percentage of people with disabilities who are employed: 24.2%
Percentage of people without disabilities in the workforce: 68.3%
Unemployment rate for people with disabilities: 7.3%
Non-disabled unemployment rate: 3.4%
Highest pre-pandemic unemployment rate for people with disabilities: 16.9% (September 2009)
Highest pre-pandemic unemployment rate (without disability): 9.3% (September 2009)
Total workforce: 167.9 million
Disabled workforce: 8.3 million
Total population without disabilities: 233.3 million
Total population of people with disabilities: 34.1 million
States with the highest percentage of people with disabilities**: Mississippi, 17.1%
States with lowest percentage of people with disabilities**: New Jersey, 8.0%
*All data is for people aged 16 and over
**For working age adults
Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. U.S. Census Bureau, Disability Statistics. ©2023 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.