In a report issued in the December 2008 Current Population Reports the U.S. Census Bureau reported that of the 291.1 million people in the 2005 population of the United States, 54.4 million, or 18.7 percent, reported some level of disability, and 35 million (12.0 percent of all people) reported a severe disability. This link opens a PDF document.
Information on access to transportation, often a powerful positive predictor of employment, from the National Organization on Disability (N.O.D.)/Harris 2000 Survey of Americans with Disabilities.
The ABA's Commission on Mental and Physical Disability Law collects data concerning lawyers with disabilities.
Report from AARP examines how older consumers spend, factors that are increasing the difficulty of consumer decision making, older consumers as money managers and recommendations for the future. This link opens a PDF document.
Highlights state-level policy options and organizational practices to improve access to work supports and employment retention and career advancement services for low-wage workers, including individuals with a disability.
December 2007 final report from the Ticket to Work & Work Incentives Advisory Panel Annual Report to the President & Congress. Document is in Word format.
Case studies of businesses that have successfully employed people with disabilities. Includes information on best practices, results achieved, recruitment and hiring and successful return to work models for employees who have become disabled.
Links to information regarding people working at home.
Disability-related information from the U.S. Census.
Facilitates the sharing of information and expertise in rehabilitation research between the United States and other countries and maintains an international rehabilitation research database that enables users to locate research in their field by country.
Contains a variety of research-based information focused on enhancing the understanding of the positive factors that can predict and support rehabilitation for persons with psychiatric disabilities, including employment.
February 2009 IssueLab offers a collection of research resources and a podcast on the topic of disability and employment.
Research reports on community employment for people with disabilities from the Institute for Community Inclusion at UMass Boston.
Offers a series of tables showing various VR outcomes for people with mental illness.
Details research related to job training and workplace supports for individuals with a significant disability. Link opens a PDF document.
Analyzes 10 conditions and impairments on the basis of prevalence and policy relevance to determine if differences exist among these groups and between these groups and the general population.
Links to sources of information on disability statistics, including resources on children and disability and international data.
Web page designed to help you tap into employment-related disability statistics in an easy-to-use fashion.
Provides access to datasets generated by the Executive Branch of the Federal Government. Data is offered in two forms: a "raw" data catalog for instant downloading and a tools catalog, which provides hyperlinks to tools that allow you to mine datasets.
A clearinghouse from The Center for an Accessible Society which provides journalists credible information and quotable sources on national disability policy and independent living issues.
Report prepared as part of the Congressional Budget Office's (CBO's) ongoing examination of the future composition of the labor force and the performance of the economy.
Information and general statistics about people with disabilities
Fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides information on sources for disability-related research.
Produces and disseminates statistical information on disability and the status of people with disabilities in the U.S. and establishes and monitors indicators of how conditions are changing over time to meet their health, housing, economic and social needs.
A bimonthly online magazine covering international disability news, including best practices, current research and other topics of interest.
Study investigates the composition, quality and competitiveness of the emerging workforce of persons with disabilities.
A September 2007 report on the needs and challenges of American businesses in employing people with disabilities.
September 2006 report from the Interagency Committee on Disability Research's event, "Employer Perspectives on Workers with Disabilities: A National Summit to Develop a Research Agenda." The report is the result of feedback from researchers, business leaders, service providers, policy-makers and advocates. Link opens a Word document.
2007 report from the National Council on Disability (NCD) reviews issues and barriers relating to the employment of people with disabilities.
Summarizes findings of an evaluation of the first year of implementation of the Social Security Administration's Ticket to Work Program.
Findings from five separate exploratory studies on issues related to the labor force participation of persons with disabilities.
Nearly 50 million Americans say they have a disability - almost one in five Americans. People with disabilities make up 18.7% of the working age population, yet almost 70% of people with disabilities are unemployed.
U.S. Census Bureau 2002 press release highlights key facts about people with disabilities, including economic disparity.
Gateway to statistics from more than 70 U.S. federal agencies.
March 2009 paper from the National Council on Disability examines the status of employment of people with disabilities in the federal government and makes recommendations for improving federal hiring and advancement of employees with disabilities. Link opens a PDF document.
Fact sheet from the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides information on where to find fact and figures related to disability research.
Explores the self-employment experiences of people with disabilities.
Findings from a survey conducted by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics regarding accessibility of transportation systems for people with disabilities. Document is in .pdf format.
Results of a GAO report that examines federal disability assistance. Link opens a PDF document.
Information describes how the VA could improve its program by offering improved financial incentives, better workforce planning that collects and uses relevant data and increased transparency of performance reports. Link opens a PDF document.
Additional results of GAO's survey of federal programs that provide assistance to people with disabilities. The purpose of this survey was to identify the federal programs that play a role in supporting people with disabilities and the major challenges that these programs face.
Summary of the results of a variety of research studies on employment services for individuals with severe mental illness. Document is in .pdf format.
This issue brief from the MDRC provides information on the size and costs of the two largest federal disability programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI), as well as existing programs to help people with disabilities enter or return to the workforce.
A comprehensive report addressing strategies to reverse the declining participation rate of federal employees with targeted disabilities. The entire report may be downloaded in PDF format.
2003 report from the ITAA's Blue Ribbon Panel on Information Technology (IT) Diversity examines the IT workforce and the progress being made in the field by women, minorities and people with disabilities. Document is in .pdf format.
Comprehensive data regarding the presence and impact of disability, including information on disability and employment.
Disability data tables containing statistics on a variety of topics, including employment and education.
The National Council on Disability's report is the result of a year-long effort by NCD to identify valid federal data and to describe the status of the U.S. population of Americans with disabilities.
Provides an in-depth description of employment among persons with disabilities and makes comparisons to the general population, based on the 1984 Survey of Income and Program Participation.
A report of the Michigan Advisory Committee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights regarding employment rehabilitation services in the state of Michigan.
This GAO report examines federal disability programs, how to strengthen partnerships and coordination for modernizing programs, and ways to modernize measures of program success. The report also reviews next steps for achieving a 21st century disability policy. This link opens a PDF document.
Links to research programs of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR).
The NCDDR is part of a National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) program that encourages the dissemination and use of disability research in order to shape new technology, improving service delivery and expanding decision-making options for people with disabilities and their families.
Disability-related resources to assist educators, employers, journalists and others.
Report issued on January 15, 2008 by the National Council on Disability (NCD) that examines employment, housing, education, transportation and other federal policies that affect people with disabilities.
Provides national and state level statistics over a twenty-year period that address the status of employment and economic self-sufficiency for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Report on a study detailing employment outcomes using the Individual Placement and Support (IPS) model that integrates clinical and vocational services within the mental health center.
Equal Employment Opportunity data from the U.S. Secret Service, including number and status of complaints.
ODEP, part of the U.S. Department of Labor, works to promote evidence-based practices that increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. ODEP's research is focused on both the supply (employee) and demand (employer) sides of the workforce development system.
Report provides policy frameworks to assist stakeholders (such as Medicaid directors, state legislators and cross-disability coalitions) design and implement Medicaid Buy-In programs and related work incentive initiatives to enhance the level of economic self-sufficiency of persons with significant disabilities.
Information on the employment outcomes of youth with ID who participated in postsecondary education as part of their Individualized Plan for Employment compared to youth with ID who did not participate in postsecondary education. This link opens a PDF document.
Report regarding progress made by the Task Force.
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) has released a new report, Creating a Roadmap out of Poverty for Americans with Disabilities. The report focuses on three cities: Detroit, Jacksonville and Milwaukee, and the tie-in between the workforce development system and advancing the economic independence of individuals with disabilities. The complete report can be downloaded in PDF or Word formats.
Summary of focus group findings from a Department of Health and Human Services report which examines the role various employment support programs play in helping people with disabilities find and maintain employment. This link opens a PDF document.
Summary of information collected during three sets of focus groups conducted for a study on employment supports for people with disabilities sponsored by the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE) within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Report from the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University regarding employers attitudes about people with disabilities. This link opens a PDF document.
Report on the YTD initiative, projects intended to develop and evaluate promising strategies to help youth with disabilities become as economically self-sufficient as possible as they transition from school to work. This link opens a PDF document.
Provides national and state level employment data on participation and funding levels for employment services for individuals with a developmental disability.
Examines key operational issues and implementation challenges associated with serving welfare recipients with disabilities. Document is in .pdf format.
Charts with Ticket to Work Program statistics for Employment Networks (ENs) and Ticket Assignments.
Web site generates customized charts of state, national and individual disability data.
Scale to assess the adequacy of implementation of the Individual Placement and Support model of employment supports for individuals with a psychiatric disability.
January 2009 report from the Labor Department's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) provides findings from the most extensive survey in history of employers' actions and attitudes toward employing people with disabilities. This link opens a Word document.
Testimony of the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Director of Education, Workforce and Income Security before the House Subcommittee on Higher Education, Lifelong Learning and Competitiveness, Committee on Education and Labor regarding Labor's progress in addressing areas of concern and the remaining need for more focus on understanding what works and what doesn't. This link opens a PDF document.
Materials from the 2006 StatsRRTC (Rehabilitation Research and Training Center) State-of-the-Science Conference. Includes trends and statistics on the employment, health and socio-economic status of people with disabilities.
This report, released on August 11, 2008 by the National Council on Disabilities (NCD), describes financial incentives affecting people with disabilities and presents research findings in key areas of peoples' lives such as education and health care. The report also suggests several strategies for securing meaningful employment, career advancement and benefits needed for daily living and accommodations. The complete report can be downloaded in .pdf format.
Study on successful strategies to help youth with mental health needs transition to post secondary education, employment and independent lives. This link opens a Word document.
This report from the Institute for Community Inclusion presents strategies to combat challenges that people with disabilities often face when trying to find employment.
May 12, 2006 press release from the U.S. Census Bureau indicating that more than 50 million Americans have some level of disability, with 12 percent reporting a severe disability.
Publications, subscriptions and electronic products relating to physical disabilities that can be purchased from GPO.
DOL will release the first official measure of the unemployment rate facing Americans with disabilities tomorrow. The data will be published on the Office of Disability Employment Policy's (ODEP) Web site. ODEP is sponsoring the collection of these data by the department's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) using the Current Population Survey (CPS).
Enter "disability" in the search field to find data on disability populations in various countries.
Enter a search term on this Web page for access to articles and abstracts on a variety of topics related to independent living, including transportation and employment.
This project will review and synthesize the past 20 years of research and advancements in the area of transition for youth with disabilities.
Provides information on key issues related to work and disability, contributing to the understanding of current employment issues faced by people with disabilities.
Type in "disability" in the search field for links to reports and other resources on disability and employment.