October marks the beginning of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. With this 12 months’s theme of “Access and Equity,” let’s take a second to have fun disabled expertise, and evaluate the fact of the Disability Divide and the way it impacts alternative in society.
The information is vital to evaluate. In the United States, the unemployment fee is double for individuals with disabilities versus these and not using a incapacity (7.9% vs 3.8%) regardless of the very best labor drive participation fee for individuals with disabilities aged 16-65 (41.2%) since information started. Factors reminiscent of subminimum wage practices and insurance policies such because the Supplemental Security Income, which restricts how a lot individuals could make with out shedding advantages, creates increased unemployment for disabled individuals.
The hole is altering. Some excellent news is that individuals with disabilities are becoming a member of the workforce at a a lot higher fee. However, employment charges for these with a incapacity stay double that of their friends and not using a incapacity. Additionally, new information from our mates at LinkedIn sourced from incapacity self-identification exhibits that, in August 2023, 53.9% of job purposes from LinkedIn members who self-ID with a incapacity had been distant, in comparison with 45.6% of members with out disabilities.
Changing the lens. Disability is a expertise pool that drives innovation. Product inclusion begins by listening to concepts from numerous voices, particularly disabled expertise. We see this on daily basis. Solomon Romney from Windows Devices lately demonstrated Microsoft’s speaking concerning the wonderful issues we will do after we embody the incapacity group. He introduced the brand new Surface Haptic Trackpad (50:47), on the Surface Laptop Studio 2 together with Microsoft Copilot, Bing Copilot, Surface Pen Grips, voice entry, adaptive equipment, Seeing AI, Forza Horizon Blind Driver Assist. As Solomon mentioned, “We are empowering people to use their devices in ways we never could before.”
Discoverability issues. We are seeing elevated utilization on the again of creating options simpler to seek out. Accessibility Checker, accessible throughout Office, is getting used extra, with an 852% improve since 2022. And Windows 11 transferring accessibility to the taskbar, together with its shortcut Win+U on any Windows gadget, is making it simpler for extra individuals to be productive at work. The Disability Answer Desk has supported 1.5M contacts from prospects and staff and continues to innovate to raised serve prospects. They have partnered with Be My Eyes so as to add “Be My AI,” an AI-powered digital visible assistant into the help course of, offering prompt visible help with any Microsoft’s product.
Empower your tradition. Learning about incapacity and accessibility is a key a part of rising a incapacity inclusive tradition. In 2020, we took the step to make coaching on accessibility and incapacity necessary. We are proud that 97% of our staff have accomplished our coaching and plenty of go on to select from 100 programs starting from accessibility etiquette to developer coaching, all of which can be found now at: Accessibility Resources & Training | Microsoft Accessibility. While you’re there, remember to take a look at our Accessibility Fundamentals coaching sequence, created to point out how organizations can create experiences which are accessible for individuals with disabilities.
We additionally imagine in truthful wages for all. The Microsoft Supported Employment Program has over 300 individuals with mental developmental disabilities employed in over 40 job sorts in 27 international locations. In 2019, we requested all our suppliers to do the identical and can proceed to advocate for aggressive wages for individuals with disabilities.
There’s far more to do. According to the World Health Organization, there’s been a rise in individuals with disabilities to 1.3+ billion individuals world wide. As we proceed our work with nonprofits, policymakers, universities, and accessibility builders to assist slender the Disability Divide, we all know that making workplaces extra accessible, investing in accessibility, listening to staff, and selling inclusive practices, collectively, can cut back the incapacity unemployment hole and create extra alternatives for these with disabilities.