Putting the Pieces Together:
Disability, Employment and
Independence
Lisa Meeks, UCSF
Garret Westlake, Arizona State University
46%
• Bachelors Degree
or Higher
• Unemployed
75%
2x
• Underemployed
• As likely to live in
poverty
• Median income
35K
2012-2013 Statistics…..
Persons with a disability
Employment status,
sex, and age
Mar.
2012
Persons with no disability
Mar.
2013
Mar.
2012
Mar.
2013
TOTAL, 16 years and
over
Civilian noninstitutional
population
Civilian labor force
Participation rate
Employed
Employmentpopulation ratio
Unemployed
Unemployment rate
Not in labor force
28,158
28,936
214,446
216,059
5,671
5,979
148,645
148,533
20.1
20.7
69.3
68.7
4,810
5,203
136,603
137,495
17.1
18.0
63.7
63.6
861
776
12,042
11,038
15.2
13.0
8.1
7.4
22,487
22,957
65,801
67,526
CHALLENGES for EMPLOYEES
Lack of
Information
• Americans w/Disabilities Act
• Available Assistance
• Fear of loosing job
Social Pressure
• Stigma or Stereotype (Label)
Compensatory • Underdeveloped
Skills
• No ‘goodness of fit’
STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS
Highlighting
Strengths
Disability as
Catalyst
Persistence
&
Motivation
Adelman & Vogel, 1990; Gerber 1988; Rawson 1968
We Must Change the End Goal
Many SWD enter college with
the goal of 'getting through'
or getting a degree
Little thought goes into the
employment piece of after
college
•
Food For Thought
The next 4 years vs. the next 40
(important for goodness of fit)
I can get a degree in X, but will I really like doing
X? Is the environment a good match?
Get the wheels turning and start the
conversation early? Prelude to internships, etc.
BUILDING EXPERIENCES
Level 1: Volunteer Work
Level 2: Internship, Job
Level 3: Co-op, Career
INTEGRATING SERVICES
Career
Services
National
Programs
Disability
Services
Counseling
Services
DISABILITY RESOURCES
Advocate
Mediate
Initiate
CAREER SERVICES
DS/Career Joint
Workshops
Cross Training Student
Employees
Resume/review, Mock
Interviews
COUNSELING SERVICES
Identification
• Evaluations
• Re-Evaluations in
New environment
Illumination
• What is Asperger’s
• How does this impact
me and others
Intervention
• Group therapy
• Individual therapy
NATIONAL PROGRAMS
Entry point
American Association for the Advancement of
Science (AAAS
Competitive pay (e.g. $24/hr)
10-week summer internships with top companies
Workforce
Recruitment
Internships with Government-all sectors
Interviews occur on campus, must be current student
or graduate within 1 year
Student Success Stories
• Michael spent two summers at NASA followed by a NASA
sponsored fellowship to pursue his PhD at William and Mary
and conduct research at Langley.
• Brandon spent a summer with IBM
before choosing between multiple
job offers at graduation.
• Bryan is currently at Lockheed
Martin Missiles Control designing
Software for pilots in zero visibility
conditions.
SPECIALIZED COMPANIES
References
• Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, The
Editor's Desk, Unemployment among persons with a disability,
2011 on the Internet at
http://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2012/ted_20120625.htm
(visited April 10, 2013).
Contact Us
Lisa Meeks, University of California San Francisco
Director of Disability Services
lisa.meeks@ucsf.edu
Garret Westlake, Arizona State University
Director of Disability Resources & Assistant Dean of Students
Garret.Westlake@asu.edu