Can disabled adults get jobs in CT? Often not and here’s why

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month , and in Connecticut, Gov. Ned Lamont's Administration marked the occasion with a proclamation and press release celebrating individuals with disabilities and urging them to apply to thousands of open jobs in the state.

Disability rights advocates and allies welcomed the governor's recognition but stressed that even in the current labor market, finding and maintaining employment remains a challenge.

Approximately 705,000 adults in Connecticut — more than a quarter of the state's adult population — have a disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention . However, just 22.5% of people with a disability were employed in 2023, data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found.

That same year, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities more than doubled the rate for the non-disabled population. Among individuals with employment, the bureau reported that "workers with a disability were nearly twice as likely to work part-time" and "more likely to be self-employed than those with no disability."

Another study by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy found that "earnings are consistently lower for disabled workers" and "poverty rates are consistently much higher for people with disabilities."

In a proclamation declaring October 2024 Disability Employment Awareness Month in Connecticut, Lamont urged "businesses to recognize the value and talent people with disabilities add to our workplaces and communities and affirm Connecticut's commitment to an inclusive community that increases access and opportunities to all."

The language in the proclamation largely borrowed from a sample provided by the U.S. Department of labor , but left out recommended resolutions, including a call to employers "to ensure that disabled workers have access to good jobs every month of every year" and a state "pledge to continue to take steps throughout the year to recruit, hire, retain, and advance individuals with disabilities and work to pursue the goals of opportunity, full participation, economic self-sufficiency, and independent living for people with disabilities."

Lamont's press release included a list of resources available to job seekers with disabilities through the Connecticut Department of Disability Services , the Connecticut Department of Aging and Disability Services , the Connecticut Department of Labor's American Job Centers , CTHires and local job fairs .

"Given the number of open jobs in our state, we know many industries and businesses are looking for employees," Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said in the release.

Connecticut Department of Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo said "Now is a great time to get into the job market."

"Employers throughout Connecticut, across industries, and at every career level have more than 80,000 jobs available," Bartolomeo said in the release. "No matter your skillset, the Connecticut Department of Labor and the American Job Centers in our state can help you launch a job search. Each employee brings unique abilities and diversity to their job, it's what makes our economy strong and competitive."

Melissa Taylor, a member of the Citizens Coalition for Equal Access , said leaders of the disability advocacy group saw Lamont's proclamation as "wonderful," but Taylor said state officials must do more in order for people with disabilities to "know that we're being heard."

"It's rosy," Taylor said, describing the announcement. "And I want to believe in rosiness, but I've also had a lot of pain and I'm tired of pretending that I didn't."

Taylor was born with cerebral palsy. She has experienced "varying degrees of disability" throughout her life and currently uses a rollator with a seat to walk.

Taylor served six years as the vice president of the Connecticut State Independent Living Council . She has a bachelor's of arts in social work and a master's in elementary education, but after earning her degrees Taylor said she worked for years as a customer service associate at Stop & Shop until she said her body "just couldn't handle it anymore."

Taylor said that every time she tried to branch out professionally, she hit roadblocks.

"The things that I'm really good at, they don't really have jobs where you're not (having) to do a bunch of other stuff with kids and chasing them around," Taylor said. "I'm better at small group instruction, because teaching a full classroom, my energy level isn't the same ... it takes me two to three times more energy to move around."

After enrolling in Fordham University's online Master of Social Work program, Taylor said she "did very well in the classes, but when it came time to do field work, it was very hard to find an internship."

One of the main challenges was transportation — Taylor does not drive. She eventually found a remote internship, but Taylor said "it wasn't very rigorous." During the "specialist" year of the program, Taylor said she fell behind. Due to the lack of viable internship opportunities and financial challenges, Taylor said she had to put her studies on pause.

At times, Taylor said "it's hard to have the courage to apply" to jobs.

"It's hard to build up your self-confidence and then you go out into the world and they don't see it," Taylor said.

"I have all this great stuff inside and I have all this life experience, but I feel like I don't have a correct avenue to share it because it's like my experience is always filtered through a nondisabled lens," Taylor explained. "As much as I've learned in my life and as much as I try and do, it's hard for other people to see my strength. They more often will see what I can't do first and I know that and there's nothing I can do about it."

Taylor said that many jobseekers with disabilities encounter the same frustrating experiences that fuel self-doubt.

"It's hard for me. It's hard for other people and they tell me ... 'People don't think I can do anything.' So when you have to break down that barrier every time you meet someone ... you wonder, 'Well, is it just me?'" Taylor said.

In 2021, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that more than 43% of individuals with disabilities who did not have a job reported at least one barrier to employment. Reported barriers included the disability itself, lack of education, training or transportation, the need for accommodations or modifications at work, attitudes held by employers and coworkers and the loss of government benefits.

For individuals who were employed, the bureau said "more than half ... reported that their disability caused some difficulty in completing their current work duties."

Stephen Morris, the executive director of Favarh, The Arc of the Farmington Valley, said transportation is one of the top barriers for workers with disabilities in Connecticut.

Accessing fast, reliable transport can be difficult for individuals who can not drive. For people with limited mobility, the challenges are even more immense.

Morris explained that workers with disabilities can spend hours switching between buses on public transport for a commute that would take just 25 minutes by car. The other option, using ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, is often too expensive to be practical.

"We need more transportation options so that everybody who wants to work can work," Morris said. "Enhancing our transportation options or reducing the cost of existing options is going to help more people participate because otherwise we're leaving people out."

Each year, Favarh helps provide employment training to roughly 150 individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Morris said there are still "lots of misconceptions" about disability employment "and a lot of that's based on outdated information and notions."

"The older generation of managers and business owners ... if they don't have a personal experience (with individuals with disabilities), they fall back on what they know, and what they know is that, not all that long ago, students with IDD were segregated in separate schools and they weren't given a lot of credit for their abilities," Morris explained.

It was not until 1975 that Congress passed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act , guaranteeing children with disabilities the right to a "free appropriate public education."

Through the years, Morris said "special education services in school have improved," and today, more students with disabilities are graduating "with more skills and higher expectations for themselves."

"We're just seeing this new generation of business owners and business managers who may have gone to school in an integrated setting who better understand the value of people and their contributions," Morris said.

Morris said that too many employers still see hiring people with disabilities as a good deed rather than an asset, a notion that holds businesses back.

"It's not goodwill," Morris explained. "It's a benefit."

"Businesses that have employed people with IDD understand and have discovered that these are people that want to come to work every day, they never miss (or take) a sick day. They're more reliable, they are more positive at work, and that affects the entire work culture," Morris said.

Morris said he believes more marketing around these benefits and additional government incentives will inspire more business owners and hiring managers "to take a chance" and diversify their workforce by hiring individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

"Let's face it, our society is built on the value of contribution through paid work," Morris said. "Nobody should be excluded from that."

"We need to provide avenues and opportunities," Morris added. "It's a tough road, but we all need to commit to it and I think the end result for businesses, for individuals, for families in our community as a whole is really going to be a win."

Support a small business

In Lamont's press release, the lieutenant governor highlighted four local businesses that have committed to expanding employment for people with disabilities.

"Disability Employment Awareness Month is a wonderful way to highlight and celebrate these opportunities," Bysiewicz said.

Lamont said the annual observance "highlights the importance of inclusive employment policies and practices that create benefits for both employers and employees."

"Disability Employment Awareness Month is a significant time to acknowledge and celebrate the contributions of workers with disabilities," Lamont said. "Connecticut's dedication to fostering an inclusive workforce where people of all abilities are appreciated and integrated into the business community enriches the diverse tapestry of the workplace and of the state."

BeanZ & Co. – Avon

On 11 East Main St. in Avon, BeanZ & Co. is a coffee shop where "everyone belongs."

Founded in 2018 by two families, BeanZ & Co. is on a mission "to expand awareness of and reduce the 80% unemployment rate of individuals with IDD and to promote inclusive workplaces everywhere."

Good Cause Gifts – Berlin, New Britain, West Hartford

Since 2009, Good Cause Gifts has served as a nonprofit social enterprise "dedicated to advocating for the value, inclusion and acceptance of individuals with disabilities so they can reach their full potential in the classroom, at work and within their community."

Today, more 20 individuals with disabilities work for Good Cause Gifts in three Hartford County locations: 384 Main St. in Berlin, 2150 Corbin Ave. in New Britain and 973 Farmington Ave. in West Hartford.

Creations – Madison

Creations is a nonprofit gift shop owned and operated by Vista Life Innovations , an organization that "offers programs and pathways to independence for adults with neurological disabilities."

Located at 698 Boston Post Road in Madison, Creations employs individuals with disabilities from Vista Life and all store purchases support the organization's mission to "support the inclusion of people with disabilities in our communities."

The Blue Dragonfly Gift Shop – Windsor

Located at 144 Broad St. in Windsor, The Blue Dragonfly Gift Shop calls itself " The Gift Shop with a Purpose ."