Daily Herald opinion: ‘We can do better’: In addition to highlighting jobs, expo a reminder of value of workers with disabilities

A March report from the national Bureau of Labor Statistics stated, among other findings, that the unemployment rate in 2025 for people with intellectual or physical disabilities was more than twice that of the non-disabled population at 8.3%. In a survey related to income, the U.S. Department of Labor reported last year that people with disabilities generally earn almost one-third less than people with no disabilities.

It may not be surprising to find that disabled people have a harder time finding jobs than other workers nor that they earn significantly less. But those realities also should not be accepted with a grudging shrug of the shoulders. We ought to have priorities on at least improving the numbers on both those measures.

As Republican state Sen. Seth Lewis of Bartlett says, “We can do better.”

In that spirit, Lewis sponsored a job fair in Carol Stream last Thursday, attracting hundreds of people with disabilities and family members to explore job placement and training services, transportation assistance and health, legal, financial and technical support in finding work.

The Disabilities Job Placement and Resources Expo was a useful program for the attendees. It also serves as a reminder to the community at large about a complement of willing workers available and capable to fill a wide variety of positions, from grocery work to jobs in government, retail, hospitality and more.

“They want to work, and they want to be part of the community,” said Diaonna Cain, administrator of employment services for the Ray Graham Association advocacy group.

Indeed, a 2018 survey by the National Library of Medicine found that businesses that hire people with disabilities see less turnover and cite the workers for “reliability and punctuality, employee loyalty (and improving) company image” as well as for “productivity, work ethic and safety.”

Of course, the work also brings benefits to the individuals themselves beyond financial interests. Research shows that, hardly different from fully able workers, meaningful jobs improve disabled employees’ self-esteem and sense of accomplishment, helps a set of individuals who can be prone to isolation expand their social networks and even improves mental and physical health outcomes.

Thursday’s expo linked hundreds of people with disabilities to potential employers, and, especially considering that a ranking by the advocacy agency Arc of Illinois placed Illinois 49th among the states for services to the disabled, that is a valuable objective. We hope oy will be repeated often throughout the suburbs.

But it also brings the additional value of emphasizing the larger role that a sometimes-hidden set of our neighbors is capable and eager to play in our community life.