Disability Employment Mid-2023

  In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the employment of adults with autism and other developmental disabilities.

Rob Wile at NBC News:

People with disabilities have been among the greatest beneficiaries of the strong post-pandemic rebound in the labor market.

And on Friday, the Bureau of Labor Statistics added another data point to this trend.

Among that group, the number of employed individuals climbed by approximately 175,000 in June to 7.6 million, the BLS said, higher than at any point since June 2008, the earliest year for which data is available.

As a percentage, the employment-to-population ratio for disabled individuals also now stands at a record high of 22.4%.

... 

"It's continuing to grow — and moving up every month it seems like," said Allison Chase, president and CEO of The Able Trust, a Florida-based nonprofit focused on the disabled community. "It's unprecedented, and we’re really excited about it."

...
Chase noted that basic transportation is one of the biggest barriers many people with disabilities have faced when looking for work.

The post-pandemic remote-work boom, she said, has helped to eliminate that obstacle.

"It's something that many people with disabilities have wanted for a long time," Chase said. "Once you take it [transportation] out of the equation, a lot of jobs open up."

Autism Transit Project

In The Politics of Autism, I discuss efforts to raise the issue's profile and include autistic people in everyday life.

Alexa Liacko at Scripps News:

In the hustle and bustle of taking the train, you just might miss it, but if you listen carefully, it will be hard not to smile.

7-year-old Immanuel Stephens knows a thing or two about trains.

"What I like about trains is that it goes fast. It goes under the tunnels and go through the city. We get to see the city, the conductor drives the train. And I think that's it," said Stephens.

Immanuel has autism, and for many kids like him, trains and other very complex engineering systems are much more than mundane.

They’re a playground for learning and interacting.

And now, Immanuel is even more excited about his favorite spot because he and other kids and young adults with autism recorded announcements for passengers.

"Hi, my name is Immanuel. Please help us to keep MARTA clean. Please don't litter. Hope you'll enjoy your ride!" Immanuel says in his announcement.

These announcements are part of a nationwide effort called The Autism Transit Project, they’re playing on MARTA in Atlanta, in the subways of New York, and in trains in San Francisco, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C.

All to make sure the voices of those with autism are heard and included.

"Oftentimes, kids with autism, no matter what level on the spectrum they're on, are excluded and misunderstood, including Immanuel," said Immanuel’s mom, Lisa Stephens. "But this project has afforded a number of individuals throughout the country an opportunity to show ‘I am unique. I'm special. I'm versatile. I'm capable.’"

 

Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights

  In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families.  One challenge is that autism is an "invisible disability," which does not have obvious physical markers.  

From the US Department of Transportation:

The Airline Passengers with Disabilities Bill of Rights, an easy-to-use summary of the fundamental rights of air travelers with disabilities under the Air Carrier Access Act, will empower air travelers with disabilities to understand and assert their rights, and help ensure that U.S. and foreign air carriers and their contractors uphold those rights. It was developed using feedback from the Air Carrier Access Act Advisory Committee, which includes representatives of passengers with disabilities, national disability organizations, air carriers, airport operators, contractor service providers, aircraft manufacturers, wheelchair manufactures, and a national veterans organization representing disabled veterans. The Bill of Rights provides a convenient, easy-to-use summary of existing law governing the rights of air travelers with disabilities.

The Bill of Rights consists of:

1. The Right to Be Treated with Dignity and Respect.
2. The Right to Receive Information About Services and Aircraft Capabilities and Limitations.
3. The Right to Receive Information in an Accessible Format.
4. The Right to Accessible Airport Facilities.
5. The Right to Assistance at Airports.
6. The Right to Assistance on the Aircraft.
7. The Right to Travel with an Assistive Device or Service Animal.
8. The Right to Receive Seating Accommodations.
9. The Right to Accessible Aircraft Features.
10. The Right to Resolution of a Disability-Related Issue.

 

COVID and Transportation

 In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the day-to-day challenges facing autistic people and their families. Those challenges get far more intense during disasters.  And coronavirus is proving to be the biggest disaster of all.

 At The Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, Beth Pfeiffer and colleagues have an article titled "Impact of COVID-19 on Community Participation and Mobility in Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders."

Transportation and mobility for community integration is difficult for persons with ASD under normal circumstances (AOTA, 2008; Feeley et al., 2015; Friedman & Rizzolo, 2016; Newman et al., 2011), but the impact of COVID-19 made access even more difficult. COVID-19 had a significant impact on the lives of the six study participants based on GPS and daily reporting data. For all participants, the number of trip destinations, as well as travel modes, were substantially reduced during the first after COVID-19 period which immediately followed the closure, with only very small increases in the second after COVID-19 period. Specifically, all six of the study participants had significant reductions in the after COVID-19 periods in transportation modes used, total destinations for all five categories analyzed, time out of home, median daily activity living space, and distance traveled. Business closures and shutdowns significantly decreased activities by restricting services to those deemed essential (Office of the Governor, 2020a, 2020b; Wolf, 2020a). All participants had reduced trips for essential function. Additionally, five of the six participants had reduced trips for non-essential functions, with two making zero trips for non-essential functions.

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Perhaps the most significant contribution of this study is to illustrate the lack of access to different transportation modes during the after COVID-19 periods. None of the six participants reported any type of travel provided by a social or human services agency to ensure essential needs were being met during this time period. As described in the Daily Community Mobility and Participation questionnaires, the first participant only traveled three times during the two after COVID-19 periods and only for ADLs/IADLs. This was even more significant for the second participant who used five different modes for community mobility during the before COVID-19 period, but only walked for nonessential purposes including RLEA and a few SA. Participant 2 only traveled once during this timeframe and was driven by someone else for an essential purpose.