Maryland?s unemployment rate is less than 4 percent, but joblessness for people with disabilities is more than 50 percent, with underemployment as high as 70 percent.
And based on U.S. Census figures, almost 1 out of every 5 Marylanders has some form of disability, whether physical or mental.
To help encourage employers to hire people with disabilities ? a term preferred over “disabled” or “handicapped” ? the state Department of Disabilities is recruiting companies to join in a Sept. 14 summit on the issue.
“We want to explore what their barriers are and how to fix them,” said Kristen Cox, state disabilities secretary. “I?m a huge proponent of employment.”
The lead sponsor for the summit is SunTrust Bank, which has had a disability initiative for 15 years.
“This is not about social welfare,” said Katherine McCary, who heads the Disability Resource Center to help managers find and hire the disabled. “We look at disability as a diversity issue. They help us be more aware and more sensitive” to a wide variety of customers.
“Employing people with disabilities is just good business,” she said. In a sign of priorities for the bank, McCary reports directly to the CEO of the mid-Atlantic region.
With low unemployment and scarce skills in the workplace, “we have a lot of skilled people who are not going to work,” McCary said.
Because of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the accommodations it requires, employers are “scared” ofhiring people with disabilities, said Deidre McCabe, of the Disabilities Department.
McCary said the fear is largely unnecessary. “Most accommodations require less than $500” to put in place, she said.
The summit is aimed at top executives of large companies because “CEO buy-in” is so important, said Jade Gingerich, who oversees employment policy at the disabilities agency.
Cox is emphasizing “eliminating the disincentives for work,” particularly the loss of Medicaid health insurance benefits when those with disabilities start making too much money. The new state budget includes $10.6 million to provide for Medicaid Buy-In.
“This will allow people to go back to work and maintain their health benefits,” Cox said. “They tend to be pretty loyal employees because it?s hard to find employment.”
