Unemployment among people with disabilities continued to climb in July, reaching a record high for the second month in a row, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
In July, people with disabilities faced a 15.1 percent rate of unemployment. That’s the highest level since the government began tracking such data last fall. This is the second month in a row that the unemployment rate for people with disabilities has soared to record levels, with June seeing a 14.3 percent rate.
Meanwhile, there were hopeful signs for the rest of the population. General unemployment remained steady at 9.5 percent, after marking a 26-year high in June. These numbers are not seasonally adjusted.
The Department of Labor began tracking employment for people with disabilities in October 2008. The data covers people with disabilities over the age of 16 who do not live in institutions. The first employment report specific to this population was made available in February. Now, reports are released monthly.
What do you expect from people with disabilities who have minimal inadequate educations. School districts refuse to provide education services to children. When they age out of school or are given IEP deplomas they are not employable. Transitional plans are a joke if there is one in an IEP. All the money saved by our school system with their delay, deny and distroy a child special education system is then spent on people who are under employed and/or unemployable. You should post this in every school district in this country to show the success school staff and their lawyers have by making sure that the minimal most inadequate services they provided special education children has produced citizens who can’t support themselves. When are school districts going to educate children with disabilities to become independnt employable citizens of our nation?
It is good our job situation is tracked. Now people know what has been apparent for years. Now more than ever PWD need to have employment we can do even in this economy. I would like to see more demographics along ethnic and gendar employment stats. Also the type and severity is important too. People with severe disabilities have been terribly shut out of developing businesses that we can do.