Ask any child what he or she will do when they grow-up and you’ll receive a multitude of different answers. Typically, you’ll hear teacher, doctor, nurse, veterinarian, fire fighter, President and even an occasional superhero. Why? Because these are the occupations that many children are exposed to while very young.
Are career aspirations any different for a child with a disability? I think not, but how many youth with disabilities become what they said they would when they were a child? Did they have positive role models and mentors who encouraged them to focus on their ABILITY to achieve or were they told they could not or should not aim high because of a disability?
Sometimes youth with disabilities are discouraged from aiming high in their career aspirations because parents, caregivers or youth influencers naturally want to keep them safe from harm or failure. They may communicate low expectations when it comes to success or discourage taking risks or seeking new challenges. This fear of failure or harm can limit a child from reaching his or her full potential. Alternatively, when a child is encouraged to aim high and is motivated to succeed, he or she is more likely to set and reach employment goals.
The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE), a collaborative effort among several disability and business organizations, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy, has launched “What can YOU do?” – an initiative to encourage everyone, including youth with disabilities, to elevate perceptions about what people with disabilities CAN do on the job, when given the opportunity.
We know the current employment rate for people with disabilities is low — just 22.0 percent compared with 70.2 percent for individuals with no disability according to recent Bureau of Labor Statistics numbers . “What can YOU do?” is a positive outreach initiative, aimed at driving the employment rate of people with disabilities up by changing disability employment misperceptions. The initiative sends a clear message: people with disabilities want to work and their talents and abilities benefit businesses in every way imaginable.
Asking the question, “What WILL you do?” the CDE is encouraging youth with disabilities to set goals for employment, aim for success and focus on what they CAN do to contribute to America’s businesses when prepared to enter the labor force. Youth with disabilities are encouraged to visit the Youth with Disabilities community-building section of the CDE website. There, they can share what they WILL do to achieve career goals and increase awareness about the many ways today’s youth plan to become tomorrow’s leaders.
Also, the CDE invites family, educators and other youth influencers to visit whatcanyoudocampaign.org to access information and tools, such as resources for job training, career development, mentoring and internships, to support youth as they develop career aspirations or transition to employment.
Among the tools and resources available are the CDE’s “I Can” public service announcement (PSA), accompanying “I Can” PSA Youth Discussion Guide – Fostering CAN-Do Attitudes Among Youth and Young Adults and the “What can YOU do?” Poster Series.
The “I Can” PSA is a montage of seven people with disabilities sharing what they “can do” on the job when given the opportunity. It reflects the diversity of skills people with disabilities offer, to challenge common misconceptions about disability and employment, and reminds everyone that at work, it’s what people CAN do that matters. “I Can” is airing nationally and has earned more than $8 million in donated media time.
During National Disability Employment Awareness Month (NDEAM), the CDE is collaborating with AMC Entertainment to bring “I Can” to select movie theaters nationwide. Paired with the “I Can” PSA Youth Discussion Guide, “I Can” can be used to facilitate conversations among all youth about not making assumptions about what a person can or can’t do based upon a disability.
It is important that people value each individual for his or her skills and talents and that youth with disabilities are supported and encouraged to dream big when it comes to developing career goals. To learn more about how you can support successful employment outcomes for people with disabilities, visit whatcanyoudocampaign.org.
The Campaign for Disability Employment (CDE) is a collaborative effort among several leading disability and business organizations that seek to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities. The CDE partners include:
- American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD);
- National Business and Disability Council (NBDC);
- National Council of La Raza (NCLR);
- National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC);
- Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM);
- Special Olympics (SO); and
- U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN).
Guest Blogger Tracie D. Saab is the Project Manager for the Campaign for Disability Employment