Little progress in last couple decades getting more people with disabilities into workforce
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/little-progress-in-last-couple-decades-getting-more-people-with-disabilities-into-workforce/2013/03/25/36d22876-951b-11e2-95ca-dd43e7ffee9c_story.html
WASHINGTON Whether it means opening school track meets to deaf children or developing a new lunch menu with safe alternatives for students with food allergies, recent Obama administration decisions could significantly affect Americans with disabilities. But theres been little progress in one of the most stubborn challenges: employing the disabled.
According to government labor data, of the 29 million working-age Americans with a disability those who are 16 years and older 5.2 million are employed. Thats 18 percent of the disabled population and is down from 20 percent four years ago. The employment rate for people without a disability was 63 percent in February.
The job numbers for the disabled havent budged much since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, which gave millions of disabled people civil rights protections and guaranteed equal opportunity in employment, public accommodations, transportation, government services and more.
The National Council on Disabilitys Jeff Rosen said longstanding prejudicial attitudes need to be addressed to boost jobs.