Spotlight on Disabilities

Jenny is nearing the end of her high school education. She’s 16 years old and contemplating all those upcoming stage-of-life events with excitement and anxiety. She’s beginning to look forward to the next step, trying to decide whether she should seek employment or a higher education or attend a technical school to become an information technology specialist. Jenny is doing what most young people do―searching her soul to determine the kind of life she wants to create for herself, the type of career she’ll pursue, and what steps she needs to take to reach her career goals.

But unlike most young people, Jenny faces additional challenges that she must take into consideration when deciding what to do with her life. Why? Because Jenny has a disability. She is legally blind.

Growing up, Jenny received an array of special services―Braille to read and write; JAWS screen reader software, designed for persons with visual disorders, to read and respond to electronic communications; a walking cane to inform others of her visual disorder and to help her achieve independence; and a service animal to further support her living independently in the community. The State Office on Disability and the Association for the Blind provided these accommodations and training support. Jenny also receives health care support from her State’s Office on Medicaid. She is fortunate to live in a place where services are more readily available than if she resided in a rural area.

The challenges Jenny now faces are similar to those experienced by individuals with other disabilities, whether they be physical, cognitive, behavioral, or chronic medical disorders. Perhaps potential employers or university officials will discriminate against her because they don’t know much about the abilities of persons with a disability. Whether or not Jenny decides to continue her education, eventually she will seek employment. Maybe the people she’ll encounter while pursuing her goals will believe, erroneously, that Jenny will require too much one-on-one attention to complete her assignments. Maybe a potential employer will be concerned that Jenny will cause the company’s health care costs to increase. How will this potential employer feel about the service animal that helps Jenny navigate daily life, including the work place? Will taking her dream job mean that she’ll forfeit her Medicaid health care benefits? Will the employer provide the needed software and hardware supports to accommodate her disability?

“Youth in transition, those generally between 14 and 30 years old, who have a disability, have career goals the same as a person without a disability,” says Eileen Elias, JBS’ Senior Policy Advisor for Disability and Mental Health.

“They want to attain their career goals, have a purpose in this life, live independently. Many want to get married and lead a full, rich life in the community. A growing number of young adults with a disability are attaining associate, bachelor, master, and doctorate degrees. The big challenge is will they attain employment after obtaining their degree? Today’s challenge is helping employers understand that persons with disabilities are loyal, committed employees. Research is documenting that health care and accommodation costs need not be presumed as costly hiring barriers.”

Eileen’s 30+ years of experience in disability-based healthcare policy and coordinated service system design and management provide her with remarkable insight and extensive expertise. She uses her comprehensive knowledge to educate employers, academia, providers, and persons with disabilities and to help all understand that disability need not be a barrier. She also helps JBS and our clients address the needs of people with disabilities, regardless of how old they are, where they live, or what their cultural background might be.