Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

I’ve often heard that the unemployment rate of people with disabilities is 70%. I wondered where these numbers were coming from so I did some investigation. I was certified to teach comprehensive science (which includes math) in secondary education and also have an MBA so I thought I knew a little about numbers.

I started reading the 2005 Disability Status Report.

I found that, in Texas, the employment rate for people without disabilities is 76.7%. Using my superior level of mathematical prowess I determined that the unemployment rate of people without disabilities in Texas is 100% - 76.7% = 23.3%, an incredibly hire number. The report noted though that the unemployment rate is not 100 minus the employment rate. Well of course! What was I thinking?

On the national level, the report also made it clear that for people with disabilities, the Unemployment rate IS NOT equal to 70%. The report uses mathematical formulas to illustrate this. It goes on to say, “the overall economy is doing well but employment participation of people with disabilities is lagging behind.” Excuse me?! No, a second place team lags behind a first place team. Teachers pay lags behind others in similar professions. But to say “employment participation of people with disabilities is lagging behind” is like saying Pikes Peak lags behind Mt. Everest in height, or that Detroit lags behind Honolulu as a popular tourist destination during the month of January. The truth is, no matter how you slice it, the percentage of people with disabilities who are working is very low.

Upon further reading, however, I found that the employment rate for people with disabilities is 40.3%. I was disappointed with my mathematical acumen but started to feel much better about the job outlook for people with disabilities. I realized the employment picture for people with disabilities is part smoke and mirrors, and part math. I am, after all, solely responsible for my interpretation of the numbers.

A report, “Economics and People with Disabilities” by the Center for an Accessible Society, blames part of the low employment rate on discrimination, and part on recent court rulings favoring employers in ADA lawsuits. However, it also postulates the greatest single problem is the federal government itself, once persons are on the rolls, it is too risky to come off. Thankfully, once again, we can shift responsibility.
As long as we have someone else to blame, we can accept our high level of unemployment. Oh please!

Sure there are many reasons people with disabilities are unemployed. How about the most obvious reason – we aren’t trying hard enough. Sure, we’ll loose any government support if we start working full-time but wasn’t that the plan all along? Isn’t that why we went to college? Surely, for many people with disabilities transportation to and from a job is problematic. Whatever happened to the ADA? I thought that was supposed to make all transportation systems accessible. Perhaps showing up at 8am and staying until 5pm is just too demanding. The part-time picture though isn’t very bright either. Unfortunately, there are few part-time jobs relative to full-time opportunities. Since the Department on Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS) doesn’t help folks look for part-time employment, you’re on your own there.

I think the real reason there are so many people with disabilities unemployed is that employment just isn’t convenient. There is no doubt that for many of us, full-time employment means busting our hump, making some sacrifices and taking some chances. Unemployment will remain high for people disabilities until we are ready to ‘hunker down’ and get to work.

A disabled comedian said he earned a degree in economics. At least now when he’s unemployed he understands why. It doesn’t take a degree though to know that working isn’t for the faint of heart. If you have a disability and are unemployed and want to know why, take a look in the mirror – you’ll find most of your answers there.

*Statistics used were obtained from Houtenville, Andrew J. 2005. "Disability Statistics in the United States." Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics, www.disabilitystatistics.org