"For the National
Organization on Disability, in particular, lack of Web accessibility means that
individuals with disabilities do not have a way to interact with your business
online..."
The US Department of
Labor has released updated survey data of US Employment statistics. The good
news is, for both the Persons with a disability* and the Persons with no
disability groups, the unemployment rate has decreased since March of 2015. The
bad news is; the improvement was minimal.
According to the
findings, the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is currently 10.8,
down from 11.7 just 12 months earlier. This movement is positive, however when
comparing the current 4.9 unemployment rate of people without disabilities, it
becomes clear that there is still a large divide. What this is actually
uncovering is that the unemployment rate of people living with disabilities is
more than double that of the rate attributed to those living without any
disabilities.
So why is it that people
living with disabilities are less likely to be considered for an open position?
There is not one clear
answer to this question. Many reasons factor in, including misinformation and misunderstanding
of a prospective employee's disability, a company's concern that they will not
be able to accommodate for the disability, and in some cases, even prejudice.
In fact, an article by Ananya Bhattacharya and Heather Long on Money.CNN.com
from July 26, 2015 states that Jordan Gallacher, a blind computer expert who
holds a bachelor’s degree in management and entrepreneurship from Louisiana
Tech University was actually told blatantly by one prospective employer that
they "don't hire blind people."
But perhaps the most
significant reason is that people with disabilities often are not able o apply
for positions in the first place because many websites are not built with
accessibility in mind. People with disabilities rely on accessible design to
navigate websites and applications. For example, a person who is blind may be
using assistive technology such as a JAWS screen reader, which requires that
the HTML code be written sequentially and logically in order for the user to
perform any required functionality like applying for employment.
"For the National
Organization on Disability, in particular, lack of Web accessibility means that
individuals with disabilities do not have a way to interact with your business
online," stated Carol Glazer, President, National Organization on Disability.
"With e-commerce and apps overtaking brick and mortar outlets as the main
interface between businesses and consumers, companies who adopt accessible
technology can gain a competitive edge in courting the large and growing
disability market that represents 1.3 billion people globally - equivalent in
size to the population of China - and who wield power over $1 trillion in
annual disposable income, of which $544 billion is spent in the US alone."
Accessible websites are
not just becoming required, they make good business sense. Glazer continues,
"While fully 1 in 5 Americans has a disability, making your websites
accessible allows you to reach an even greater segment of consumers. Accessible
technology helps all users reach your content: just think of the usefulness of
video captions in a noisy airport."
There are organizations
that offer employment assistance for people with disabilities. As list can be
found on the Frequently Requested Resources age on the Employer Assistance and
Resource Network on Disability Inclusion (EARN) site www.AskEarn.org, a
resource for employers seeking to recruit, hire, retain and advance qualified
employees with disabilities.
The Bureau of Internet
Accessibility (BOIA) has been helping companies achieve and maintain website accessibility
compliancy for over fifteen years. Their personalized approach begins with
performing an automated and manual website audit, then providing comprehensive
reporting that includes a programmer's guide citing specific non-compliance
issues and best practice remediation recommendations. BoIA's services also
comprise of ongoing client support, collaborating with their clients as the
accessibility subject matter experts and performing consistent ad hoc testing,
staff training and consultative services. For more information, email
contact@boia.org
* The US
Department of Labor defines a person with a disability as having at least one
of the following conditions: is deaf or has serious difficulty hearing; is
blind or has serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses; has serious
difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions because of a
physical, mental, or emotional condition; has serious difficulty walking or
climbing stairs; has difficulty dressing or bathing; or has difficulty doing
errands alone such as visiting a doctor's office or shopping because of a
physical, mental, or emotional condition.
Published 2016-06-04 --
Unemployment rate for people with disabilities is currently 10.8, down from
11.7 just 12 months earlier.
Author: The Bureau of
Internet Accessibility - Contact: boia.org
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