There are many reasons why the unemployment rate among people with disabilities is as high as 70 percent, says Dr. Robert Pasternack, Assistant Secretary in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services in the U.S. Department of Education. But disability itself is not necessarily one of them.

Barriers to Employment

"Fifty-four million people with disabilities still face barriers," said Pasternack during his plenary presentation at the Proyecto Visión 2003 conference. He pointed out that some people with disabilities have experienced as much as 10 years of unemployment. And yet, he said, "There are good business reasons to hire people with disabilities. People with disabilities stay longer, they're not absent as frequently, they work hard, and it's better for morale." Pasternack also pointed out that people with disabilities are likely to buy more products once they are employed and have a source of disposable income. "If you hire people with disabilities, they will buy from your business," he said.

"Disability doesn't mean 'You can't,'" Pasternack said. "People say, 'Disabled people can't work.' Wrong, wrong, wrong! People still don't understand that it's good sense to hire people with disabilities." Pasternack urged conference participants to spread the word. "You all know the statistics. You need to tell the businesses."

Negative attitudes toward people with disabilities is a continuing problem, said Pasternack, citing an international study conducted by Ireland in nine countries that found that many people believed that people with disabilities can't work. "You know that's wrong. Just look around," said Pasternack, encouraging audience members to look at the role models of workers with disabilities sitting among them. "But the business world doesn't realize this," he said. As recently as this year, a study found that 40 percent of Americans think that people with disabilities can't do the same work as others, Pasternack added. "We've improved some. We need to improve more."

Making Changes

Changing the attitude of individuals and businesses, however, is not the only solution that people with disabilities need, said Pasternack. He cited, for example, the difficulty that some people with disabilities have in using inaccessible forms of transportation. "If you can't get on the bus, you can't work, you can't shop, and you can't visit friends," said Pasternack. He also expressed concern about the lack of insurance coverage for people with mental illnesses. "That's a big group of people with disabilities," he said. Yet, only one out of five children who need mental health services actually receive them. Even Independent Living Centers, Pasternack noted, often do not feel prepared to help people with psychiatric disabilities.

Education for children with disabilities, and children of color, also needs to improve, said Pasternack. Studies have found that as many as 40 percent of all 4th graders still cannot read well enough to understand the meaning of their assigned texts, said Pasternack. However, two-thirds of children of color cannot read at a 4th grade level. Pasternack noted that President Bush has requested more funding for special education programs, and has otherwise been supportive of people with disabilities. "Disability doesn't mean you can't," he said. "Bush knows that."

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