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Studies show that education helps people with disabilities avoid unemployment
In today’s economy, seeking employment is extremely difficult. In the United States the current national unemployment rate is 9.1%. Youth unemployment rates are considerably higher. However, for students with disabilities, the economic outlook appears bleak. The U.S. economy is considered at “full employment” when the unemployment rate is under 5%. Even during good economic times people with disabilities have an extremely difficult time finding work. A 2000 Harris Poll (when the country was said to be at full employment) found that 2/3 of disabled Americans who wanted to work, could not find jobs. This translates into a 66% unemployment rate. If one looks at specific disabilities, anecdotal evidence suggests that the unemployment rate for students on the autism spectrum is closer to 90%.
What should a guidance counsellor or advisor tell a young person with a disability to do if he or she seeking full-time employment? The first thing to tell the young person is the following: education matters! Education is correlated with increased lifetime earning capacity and higher levels of employment. In other words, the more education or vocational training a student receives, the more money he or she will make over his or her lifetime, and the less likely he or she will be unemployed. Participation in any type of post-secondary education (vocational education, college certificate program or even one college course) significantly enhances the ability of individuals with disabilities to secure meaningful employment (Getzel & Wehman, 2005). Education helps protect students with disabilities. Students with disabilities who earn a bachelor’s degree obtain subsequent employment at almost the same rate as their neurotypical peers (HEATH Resource Center, 1998; OSER, 2000).
According to Getzel & Wehman, (2005) a high school dropout will earn $500,000 over the course of his or her lifetime. A high school graduate, on the other hand will earn $800,000. However, a student who earns an associate degree will earn approximately double the income of a high school dropout ($1,000,000). A student who earns a bachelor’s degree will earn approximately $1,500,000 over his or lifetime. Education enhances and protects a student’s earning potential.
Education also protects a student against unemployment. According to the U.S. Census Population Survey (2009), workers with less than a high school education had an unemployment rate that was over 14%. Workers with an associate degree level of education had an unemployment rate of a little over 6%. Those individuals who earned a bachelor’s degree had an unemployment rate of less than 5%. The unemployment rate for individuals with bachelor’s degrees was three times lower than that of high school dropouts. These data were collected before the latest economic downturn and the unemployment rate for individuals with lower educational levels is likely to be far worse than in 2009.
There are however bright spots in the economy. According to the Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011, there will be a growth of almost 20% in jobs that require an associate degree from 2010-2018. However, there will shortages of job seekers who possess an associate degree. Having the correct educational credentials can make all the difference for both students with and without disabilities. Eldercare and healthcare are two fields with a large number of anticipated openings. Aide level positions do not require an associate degree level of education. Assistant level positions in the fields of occupational and physical therapy do require at least a two-year associate degree. Home health aide, skin care specialists, and fitness trainers and aerobics instructors will be areas with a large number of job openings and will require some sort of vocational training or certificate rather than an associate degree.
Encourage your students to get as much education or vocational training as they can. It will not be necessarily be easy; however, it will have a long lasting influence upon their lives. Education increases their earning capacity and helps hedge against unemployment.
Ernst VanBergeijk, Ph.D., M.S.W.
Associate Dean & Executive Director
New York Institute of Technology
Vocational Independence Program
300 Carleton Avenue
Room 112 Independence Hall
Central Islip, NY 11722
E-mail: evanberg@nyit.edu
