October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month

Written by: Amy Kerrigan, Community Education Specialist

October is a great time to bring awareness to the community about employment of persons with disabilities.

According to the July 2021 nTIDE jobs report¹, those with disabilities only have around 30% labor force participation rate. Comparatively, those without disabilities show over 70% labor force participation.

Employing people with disabilities is beneficial to both the individuals and the employers. Having a job:

• provides opportunities for socialization
• allows people to be less dependent on social security income
• gives a sense of purpose

Employers will find that hiring those with disabilities:

• reduces employee turnover
• increases overall productivity
• provides tax incentives for the business

We encourage anyone with disability employment questions to contact the Champaign Co Board office at 937-653-5217. Whether you are a person with disabilities curious about employment or a business interested in hiring persons with disabilities, we can help you! 

¹ nTIDE reports can be found at kesslerfoundation.org