New York City has a sizable demographic of people with disabilities, making up an essential part of its population and workforce. U.S. Census Bureau data reveals that nearly one out of six city residents have a physical or mental health issue that causes significant cognitive, mobility, visual, auditory, self-care, or independent living difficulties. For the city’s working sector (those aged 25 to 55), the rate approximates to one in thirteen.

However, people with disabilities have traditionally experienced structural hurdles to employment. These obstacles cover,

• Bias from employers
• Lack of suitable facilities
• Disparities in accessing social support and vocational retraining

In honor of July being Disability Pride Month, commemorating the landmark 1990 passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), we highlight the dynamics between disability and employment in New York City. Our primary subjects are individuals within what is often referred to as “prime” working years, ages 25 to 55.

Understanding Disability

The concept of "disability" is diverse and multifaceted, comprising a vast spectrum of conditions and scenarios. The ADA categorizes disability as “a physical or mental shortfall that greatly restricts key life functions,” including but not limited to tasks such as,

• Self-care
• Manual operation 
• Sight, hearing, eating, sleep 
• Mobility activities like walking, standing, lifting. bending 
• Vocal communication, respiration, learning 
• Literacy capacity, concentration power, cogitation, interaction, work delivery capacity

The ADA’s definition also accounts for individuals with "recorded proof of such a deficiency" or those "perceived to have such a deficiency." The American Community Survey (ACS) categorizes disability based on six questions that address severe limitations in cognitive capabilities, ambulatory functions, independent living, self-care, vision, and hearing.

Disability and Employment in New York City

New York City reports a lower disability prevalence among its working-age population than the nationwide average. Yet the city’s disabled workers face poorer employment outcomes than their national counterparts. For instance, only 41 percent of working-age New Yorkers with disabilities are employed, seven percentage points fewer than the United States 48 percent.

Additionally, employees with disabilities often work part-time and earn less median income compared to nondisabled workers. In 2022, New York City data shows 26 percent of employed workers aged 2555 with disabilities worked less than 35 hours every week, a higher proportion than the reported rate of nondisabled workers, which was just 15 percent.

Employment Rates by Type of Disability 

A granular analysis of disability employment data in New York City reveals notable variances in employment rates according to different types of disability. Those dealing with visual and auditory challenges tend to report the highest employment rates (roughly 53 percent each). In comparison, people struggling with independent living and self-care difficulties report dismal figures (just around 18 and 17 percent, respectively).

Multiple factors underlie these disparities,

• Certain kinds of disabilities pose more stringent limitations to employability than others. 
• Societal biases prevent some forms of disability from garnering equal job opportunities compared to others.
• The variation between eligibility and laws regulating public benefits.

The Influence of Race and Gender on Disability Employment Gap 

Results indicate worse employment outcomes for Black and Hispanic people with disabilities compared to their counterparts of white and Asian Pacific Islander (API) descent. The disability employment gap is narrower among women than men in the 2555 years category in New York City. Forty percent of disabled men are employed compared with 85 percent of nondisabled men, the gap being a stark 45 percentage points.

Impact of COVID-19 on Disabled Workforce in New York City

The proportion of New Yorkers who report having a disability has grown since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The instance rate of cognitive difficulties among working-age citizens jumped from 2.8 percent to 3.8 percent between 2019 and 2022, which means an increase of almost a third. The pandemic was responsible for adding close to a million newly disabled workers all across the USA, many of whom are still dealing with brain fog symptoms.

Global Autism Awareness Day in Italy

Pfizer PGS Ascoli unit, located in Italy, observed Global Autism Awareness Day by hosting approximately twenty young enthusiasts and their family members. After touring the premises, they gained insights into Pfizer's high-tech tools processes. Company colleagues rallied around them. Adriana Minniti, the functioning supervisor of procurement from the Ascoli site, expressed the value of acquiring knowledge firsthand about technology.

Final Remarks

People with disabilities constitute a significant proportion of New York's population. Most of them aspire to work and are capable of it, too. However, even 34 years after the ADA was passed, employment remains inaccessible to many such individuals. The employment rate among these individuals is just half that of ordinary people without disability in New York City. Furthermore, this gap widens when you consider attributes like being Black, Hispanic, or male and having cognitive, ambulatory, or independent living disabilities, among other factors.

The COVID-19 pandemic has altered this scenario a bit as it increased the count of disabled people, perhaps due to long-term infection effects, while simultaneously creating new home-based job openings across various sectors. This led to more disabled people becoming part of the working population. Yet, there exist significant gaps that need to be filled to deal with economic outcomes related to disparity among disabled individuals, which is everyone's responsibility.