In a recent news release, Kessler Foundation has announced the commission of a national employment survey centered on the state of employment among Americans with disabilities. The release notes that the University of New Hampshire Survey Center (UNH-SC) will design, field-test, and execute the survey.

The results yielding from the 2014 National Employment Survey on the Status of Americans with Disabilities, which will be initially analyzed by the UNH Institute of Disability (UNH-IOD), will be released July 2015  as a nod to the  25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

Kessler Foundation and UNH-IOD also collaborate on National Trends in Disability Employment (nTIDE), which is a monthly update based on the Bureau of Labor Statistics Jobs Report, funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

Rodger DeRose, president and chief executive officer of Kessler Foundation, states that the organization’s ultimate goal is to maximize employment opportunities for individuals with disabilities, and “This in-depth survey will provide detailed information about the current status of employment and support efforts to identify innovative strategies that result in long-term employment for large numbers of people.”

According to the release, the employment gap is significant; with 73.6% of working age (aged 18 to 64 years old) individuals without disabilities employed in 2012, compared to 32.7% of individuals with disabilities.

The release reports that UNH-SC will survey a total of 3,000 adults with disabilities in the US by region, demographics, disability type, and employment status. Questions provided will address job search strategies, use of accommodations, employer practices, use of support services, the nature of barriers, factors involved in loss of employment, and in the subpopulation that has never worked or sought work.

John O’Neill, PhD, CRC, director of Employment & Disability Research, Kessler Foundation, explains that the survey will offer a picture of “what is working and what is not working in terms of getting people engaged in long-term, competitive jobs. These data will be available to researchers for further analysis. We anticipate that these findings will guide the actions of employers, individuals, families, and service providers who are committed to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities.”

Source: Kessler Foundation