New PSA Encourages Employers to Hire More People with Disabilities

As the unemployment rate for people with disabilities continues to decline, a new public service announcement (PSA) is challenging viewers to rethink how they perceive career prospects for youth with disabilities and to recognize that we all benefit when young people with disabilities are able to develop their skills and talents into successful careers."

Produced by the Campaign for Disability Employment, a partnership between business organizations and disability advocates funded by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy, the minute-long spot features seven people with disabilities talking about the people who inspire them, with the goal of convincing employers and members of the general public that people with disabilities have career prospects that are similar to those of people without disabilities.

The PSA, titled What Can YOU Do?, is part of the Campaign for Disability Employment's long-term goal of increasing job prospects for people with disabilities. It's not an easy task, with the unemployment rate for people with disabilities currently standing at 11.7 percent, 4.2 percent higher than the rate for people without disabilities. While that number may not appear to be very dismal given the tough financial times, keep in mind that only 20.5 percent of people with disabilities actually participate in the labor force at all, compared with 69.1 percent of people without disabilities. So the Campaign for Disability Employment not only wants to help people with disabilities who are already looking for work find jobs, but it also hopes to encourage and assist more people with disabilities to enter the workforce.

The What Can YOU Do? campaign's Web site features tools that help spread the word about employment of people with disabilities. For more detailed information about employing people with disabilities, or about your rights as a worker with disabilities, you can also visit the Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy here.