President Obama issue Proclamation on employment.
On employment of persons with Disabilities
“One of the major goals of people with serious mental illnesses is to overcome their illness so they can get back to work or living on their own. These goals are thwarted, however, by stigma; by the employer who believes the stigma and does not want to hire people with mental illness because they are dangerous, or the landlord who buys into the stereotypes and does not want to rent to them.” --Patrick Corrigan, 2010, Emerging Research Front Commentary.
“Employment helps all people, including people with mental illnesses live independently, build personal relationships, and be involved in their communities. Unemployment contributes to low self-esteem, isolation, and hopelessness.”-- Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law.
The employment rate for persons with all disabilities is less than 1/3 that of those with no disability: about 20% versus 69%. For individuals with a mental illness the employment rate is even worse, even though they now have limited legal protection under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Changing attitudes is paramount, if we are to improve opportunities for employment for persons with mental illness.
Attitudes are important factors affecting the employment and retention rate of people with disabilities. Key issues include:
• Whether job seekers with disabilities and their families perceive themselves as able to work and support themselves financially through working.
• Also, whether employers and coworkers perceive the employment and retention of people with disabilities as profitable and safe for their organization.
• And finally, whether service providers, including workforce development professionals and vocational rehabilitation staff, perceive that people with psychiatric disabilities are capable of working.
The preference of VR staff to work with clients with physical problems and not mental problems has been well known in North Carolina among mental health advocates for many years.
Recognizing that changing attitudes within all three of these groups is critical to improving employment opportunities for people with disabilities, the US Dept. of Labor has spearheaded a variety of initiatives, including: Campaign for Disability Employment/"What can YOU do?" — an Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP)-funded collaborative effort among several leading disability and business organizations to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
"It's about jobs, stupid." Let's hope one day it will be about jobs for all Let's also hope those now excluded based on prejudice and fear based on disability will be brought into the marketplace and compete on an even field with others.
9:20 AM PT: October Is National Disability Employment Awareness Month
Held each October, National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) is a campaign to raise awareness about disability employment issues. NDEAM celebrates the many and varied contributions of workers with disabilities across America. This year’s theme is "Expect. Employ. Empower." Read the Presidential Proclamation--National Disability Employment Awareness Month, 2014, and be sure to check out today’s blog post, “Building Inclusion,” by Kathy Martinez, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy.