Publisher's Synopsis
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as of August [2011] there were more than 15 million adults with disabilities in the United States between the ages of 16 and 64, working age. Of this group, less than one-third were participating in the labor force; over two-thirds not working. In the last 3 years, statistics show us that people with disabilities have been leaving the labor force at a rate of more than 10 times the rate of the non-disabled population. Some of the biggest barriers to success in the labor market for people with significant disabilities are what? Low expectations, discriminatory attitudes, lack of early life preparation for gainful employment, and frankly, a failure of imagination on how we can construct systems for gainful employment for people with significant disabilities. The purpose of today's hearing is to hear from a diverse group of experts about how they would improve our education, our workforce development, our human service programs, so that people with the most significant disabilities who want to work are able to find a place in the labor market and have a career that works for them.
