Our careers are so important to us that they become part of who we are. They give us purpose, happiness, independence, and our own place in society. Jobs are very valuable to many people living with disabilities for the same reasons. Our purpose for this comes from a resource from our Continuing Development page. Reading slides 7-28, from the presentation, Challenges Facing Young Adults with Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Transitioning into Adult Life: The State of the Research, first will help guide you for the rest of this page.
Only 36% of individuals with disabilities over the age of 18 are employed. (Source: Family & Individual Needs for Disability Supports) This includes paid work in center-based programs. Therefore, 64% of individuals with disabilities are unemployed. This statistic shows how difficult it is for individuals with disabilities to get a job. It is important to know that employment is obtainable among your circumstances.
We will discuss some of the challenges to employment on this page, along with provide resources to help advocate for the employment of those with disabilities. You can check out the entire FINDS 2017 Report here on the ARC’s website. At the bottom of this page, you can find more resources that may assist you with employment. Be sure to visit our Community Directory for local organizations.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)
PA’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) “provides vocational rehabilitation services to help persons with disabilities prepare for, obtain, or maintain employment.” You can visit their site for more resources that may relate to you. Here are some additional links that may be useful:
The Pennsylvania Client Assistance Program (CAP), is an organization specializing in understanding and navigating OVR services.
Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation Services
Phone: (717) 787-5244
Toll-Free: (800) 442-6351
TTY: (717) 787-4885 or (866) 830-7327
Website: http://www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Disability-Services/ovr/Pages/OVR-Office-Directory.aspx
Bureau of Blindness and Visual Services (BBVS)
Phone: (717) 787-6176
Toll-Free: (800) 622-2842
TTY: 717-787-4885
TTY (2): 866-830-7327
Website: http://www.dli.pa.gov/Individuals/Disability-Services/bbvs/Pages/default.aspx
Understanding and Addressing Challenges to Employment
The OVR provides individualized services to develop an Individual Plan for Employment (IPE). These services are time consuming and based on government funding. If there are insufficient resources, staff, or funds, there could be a wait list. Check out this article by The Hechinger Report to get a better understanding of wait lists. OVR services have been proven to be helpful, so we wanted to inform you of this common concern. Moreover, waiting lists are something you can bring up with your local OVR office.
An individual’s behavior or educational level may present a challenge when looking for employment. The higher the educational level, the lower the unemployment rate is according to this report: Disability Rates and Employment Status by Educational Attainment. Although college is not for everyone, it is important to know how it can be beneficial. The landscape and quality of education has been changing for individuals with disabilities. Consider the article Developmentally Disabled, and Going to College from the New York Times. You are the one who knows your loved one’s employment challenges best. We encourage you to start this early and keep up to date with the latest research. Something as easy as a Google search, such as “disabilities education and employment” can give many helpful resources.
We would like to point out that searching the internet for anything about disabilities comes up with a lot of results! This alone can quickly become overwhelming. You may not get through it all, and nor do you need to. Seek out the experts that are there to help you. We emphasize that success in employment, and many other aspects of life, depends on collaboration between everyone involved.
Additional Links and Resources
The Center for Parent Information and Resources has a host of associations advocating for employment, along with featuring post-secondary education outcomes of individuals with disabilities.
