African Americans with disabilities are being left behind even as more and more people with disabilities enter the workforce, according to the 2018 Disability Statistics Compendium, released by the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire in February.

Out of more than three million working-age African Americans with disabilities, barely 934,589 have jobs. This data also shows the serious gaps that remain between disabled and non-disabled African Americans. According to the Compendium, 28.6% of U.S. African American civilians with disabilities ages 18-64 living in the community had a job, compared to 73.7% of blacks without disabilities.

Comparing new data to 2017 results shows that more than 7,500 African Americans with disabilities left the workforce in 2017. These losses occurred even as other segments of the disability community continued to see job gains, a media release from RespectAbility explains.

The Compendium compiles data collected by the US Census Bureau and is intended to equip policymakers, self-advocates, and other groups with clear statistics on the state of disability in America today.

“The most recent employment data demonstrates the need for a national dialogue, reinforced by a commitment to leverage the power of partnerships to identify highly responsive, innovative strategies for transforming the underemployment paradigm for people with disabilities including African Americans with disabilities,” says Janet LaBreck, an African American woman who is blind. She also is the founder of Synergy Consulting Partners, a noted workforce development expert and RespectAbility board member.

“As a black woman with a disability, ableism, sexism, and racism are nothing new to my daily experiences,” states Tatiana Lee, a communications fellow with RespectAbility.

Lee is a black woman who uses a wheelchair as a result of spina bifida. “It shouldn’t be a choice which identity people choose to see and value at a given moment, especially when those who live with these multiple identities cannot separate them and shouldn’t have to. I want to be celebrated for all my identities and everything that comes with them,” she adds.

Out of the 50 states, African Americans with disabilities only saw job gains in 22 states, while they lost jobs in 28 states. The worst job losses experienced by African Americans with disabilities came in Missouri. According to the Disability Statistics Compendium, the disability employment rate for African Americans with disabilities living in the Show Me State dropped to 23% after 7,686 left the workforce.

Likewise, Pennsylvania saw a major drop in both the number of African Americans with disabilities and in the state’s disability employment rate for African Americans with disabilities. In total, 6,974 African Americans with disabilities lost their jobs and the disability employment rate has dropped to 24.9%, the release continues.

While last year’s data shows negative outcomes, there is hope for future improvements in jobs for African Americans with disabilities. “As partners, we have a responsibility to embrace evidence-based models that include and expand understanding of best practices for delivering high-quality, fully integrated services and supports to all job seekers,” LaBreck comments.

For more information, visit RespectAbility.

[Source(s): RespectAbility, PR Newswire]