Mass. lags badly in workplace accessibility for disability community
It’s time for lawmakers to address barriers that keep people from jobs!
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month aka NDEAM. NDEAM ’s roots go back to 1945. It is held each October to “commemorate the many & varied contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces & economy.” 76 years later many people with disabilities in Massachusetts are still unable to “contribute” to “America’s workplaces and economy”. Because Massachusetts law does not require workplaces that aren’t open to the public to be accessible. Even if they are in new or substantially renovated buildings. This is why passages of the MA Access/AAB Bills are so important.
According to data from the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, only 37.7% of people with disabilities are employed in Massachusetts. Compared to 80.2% of people without disabilities — a gap of 42.5%.
This places us 40th out of 50 states. Perhaps this state’s deficiency has something to do with the fact that our law keeps many jobs out of reach of people with mobility impairments.
There are bills pending in the House and the Senate that would enforce accessibility in workplaces when the buildings in which they are located are new or substantially renovated. They are the Accessible MA Act (SB1629) and the Accessible Workplaces MA Act (HB2419).
What better way to fulfill the promise of National Disability Employment Awareness Month “to commemorate the many & varied contributions of people with disabilities to America’s workplaces & economy” than to pass this legislation that would give people with disabilities in Massachusetts the opportunity to work.
Read the whole article here: CommonWealth Magazine
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