According to DisabilityScoop.com, adults with intellectual disabilities are having difficulty finding jobs in the workforce, with just one in three currently employed.
The website reported that of those who work, “slightly more than half are employed in competitive environments alongside those without disabilities, while 38 percent work in sheltered workshops and 9 percent are self-employed.”
The statistics used in the story come from a poll of more than 1,000 parents or guardians of adults with intellectual disabilities conducted for Special Olympics by Gallup and the Center for Social Development and Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston, according to the website.
“A meaningful job is important to most of us, and people with intellectual disabilities are no different,” Gary Siperstein, director of the Center for Social Development and Education at the University of Massachusetts Boston and the lead researcher of the study told DisabilityScoop.com. “Government has invested millions of dollars in better outcomes for adults with (intellectual disabilities) as they transition out of high school and into the labor force. Unfortunately, this study shows that we haven’t done enough.”
The poll found that of those who do work, only 26 percent worked full-time jobs. Many who worked in sheltered workshops also earned less than minimum wage. “Of the individuals with intellectual disabilities employed competitively, almost one-third worked in customer service, the survey found,” DisabilityScoop.com reported. “Other popular fields included retail and food service while a smaller number of respondents cited office work, manufacturing or positions in landscaping, construction, childcare and animal care.”
Does My Family Member Qualify for SSDI or SSI?
Many people with intellectual disabilities are eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
For a person to qualify for SSDI benefits, a determination for eligibility is based on work history. The Social Security Administration has two different gauges by which to evaluate your work history. The first test is the “Duration of Work Test,” while the second test is the “Recent Work Test.”
These tests take into account how long a person has worked, as well as how recently, in order to determine benefits, so past employment can have a large impact on eligibility.
If you or a family member suffers from an intellectual disability making it impossible to work, contact a Tulsa Social Security disability attorney. We offer free evaluations of your case, and you may reach us by phone at (918) 265-1404. Contact us today.
Troutman & Troutman, P.C. – Tulsa Social Security disability lawyers
Troutman Touts: In December 2013, 61,983 Americans were awarded SSDI benefits.
Source: http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/02/18/survey-intellectual-employed/19114/
