Every October, we recognize National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM) to celebrate the value and talent disabled workers add to America’s workplaces and economy. This year’s theme, “Access to Good Jobs for All,” highlights the importance of ensuring good, quality jobs for everyone who can or wants to work–including disabled workers. But ensuring good, quality jobs for disabled women, particularly disabled women of color, will require a complete overhaul of the systems that have been deliberately designed to keep disabled women in poverty.
What do we mean when we say “good jobs”? It’s not just about the number of jobs available, and it isn’t just any job. It’s about being valued for what we bring to the table, regardless of role. Good jobs must have, at a minimum, the following things:
1. Competitive Wages
Good jobs offer livable wages that allow disabled women to support themselves and their families. Good jobs also offer wages that are competitive to nondisabled workers with similar responsibilities.
We know the cost of living with a disability is steep – a 2020 National Disability Institute study estimated that households with a disabled member need, on average, 28 percent more income (or an additional $17,690 a year for a household at the median income level) to have the same standard of living as a comparable household without a member with a disability. Yet, disabled people, particularly disabled women and disabled women of color, typically earn less.
Our research shows that while disabled people overall are paid an average of 68 cents for every dollar paid to nondisabled people, the wage gap for disabled women is wider. For workers overall, including part-time workers, disabled women are paid an average of 50 cents for every dollar paid to nondisabled men. The wage gap is often widest for disabled women of color, who face the compounding effects of racism, ableism, classism and sexism. For every dollar paid to a white, non-Hispanic nondisabled man:
- Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) disabled women workers are paid 55 cents,
- American Indian/Alaska Native (AIAN) disabled women are paid 45 cents,
- Black disabled women are paid 45 cents and
- disabled Latinas are paid 44 cents.
A key driver of the wage gap is “occupational segregation,” which is when women, people of color, disabled people and people from other marginalized backgrounds are funneled into low-paying, undervalued occupations as a result of deliberate policy choices and stereotypes rooted in sexism, racism and ableism. While disabled people are forced into undervalued jobs deemed to be “for disabled people,” disabled women are also forced into undervalued jobs “for women,” compounding the effects of occupational segregation to limit potential earnings. As a result, disabled people, women and people of color are more likely to work in low-wage jobs.
Additionally, federally, disabled people can also be paid below the minimum wage for their work. This exception in federal wage and hour laws is based on outdated and problematic ideas about productivity and the value of disabled people’s work. We must be sure that all disabled people can earn competitive wages that allow them not just to survive but to thrive.
2. An Integrated Setting
Good jobs are integrated, meaning disabled folks work alongside nondisabled folks. And that does not mean nondisabled people supervising disabled people. It means disabled workers’ jobs are comparable to their nondisabled counterparts – and in all positions, whether supervisory or not.
Many disabled workers who are paid subminimum wages are segregated into sheltered workshops. Only about 5 percent of individuals in sheltered workshops transition to competitive integrated employment in their lifetimes without additional supports. Integrated workplaces do not just improve social skills – they can also help disabled employees develop additional skills, expand community participation and improve mental health and well-being. Inclusive and integrated workplaces may also improve business efficiency for employers.
As a result of these ableist policies, disabled people in institutional settings generally are paid less. Disabled women and men who live in institutional group quarters, such as group living facilities, are paid very low wages. These disabled women are paid $9,000 on average each year, while their disabled men counterparts are paid $11,000. Overall, nondisabled men are typically paid $50,000 a year.
3. An Inclusive Environment
Everyone deserves to work in an environment where they are valued and appreciated for what they bring to the table. Inclusive environments improve productivity, innovation and engagement. Of course, disabled workers must be able to access reasonable accommodations in a way that reduces burden. But for disabled women and disabled women of color, compliance with federal civil rights laws like the Americans with Disabilities Act, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the ways they interact when it comes to intersectional discrimination is the floor – not the ceiling. Employers must make access and inclusion a part of their operations, such as through universal design, or making your workplace welcoming to and inclusive of all people to the greatest extent possible.
4. Access to Paid Leave
Women take on a disproportionate amount of caregiving responsibilities compared with men. But disabled people are caregivers, too. This is especially true for disabled women of color. The National Partnership estimates that about 2.9 million disabled people ages 16 to 64 are parents, including 1.6 million disabled mothers.
Disabled people, women and people of color are more likely to work in low-wage jobs, which are the least likely to offer paid leave policies. Meanwhile, disabled workers may be more likely to need leave to address their own health conditions. As a result, the people who would be harmed the most by losing their income are the least likely to have access to the benefit that would prevent that loss.
This lack of access is compounded by the fact that many disabled people serve as caregivers for a wide range of loved ones, including other disabled people. Compared with people without disabilities, people with disabilities are more likely to request time off to care for chosen family, making employer policies that more broadly define “family” even more critical for disabled people.
5. Opportunities for growth or promotion
For disabled women and disabled women of color, barriers to growth and advancement in the workplace may be impacted by the intersections of multiple marginalized identities. But true competitive integrated employment requires the opportunity for improvement and growth for all workers – whether that’s advancing skill sets or climbing the career ladder to a role with more responsibility. Full access and inclusion is not possible if disabled employees do not have the same opportunities for professional growth as their nondisabled colleagues.
Conclusion
Of course, this list is not exhaustive. But we hope this can serve as a starting point as employers consider how they can improve access and inclusion for disabled women workers. While NDEAM is an excellent time to begin these conversations, they cannot end in October. Striving toward an inclusive workforce is a year-round job, and we must work together to make it a “good” one. It’s time to step up for disabled women.
