By Matt Cherry | Guest Commentary
When Craig Warren graduated college, he wanted to be a music therapist to help people with the healing power of music. He got a job in a large mental health institution, where he led music, recreation and art sessions and took notes after each interaction.
Born visually impaired, Warren uses a computer and a phone with a screen reader and braille display. One day the hospital switched its electronic medical record system to a program that was incompatible with his screen reader. Just like that, he was out of a job.
Cases like Warren’s are not isolated. People with disabilities just entering the workforce face barriers that can seem insurmountable. Though 2023 saw a record high share of people with disabilities in employment, their work participation rate was 24%, or less than a third of the 78% rate for people without disabilities.
New technology — and its rapid adoption for remote work during COVID-19 — continues to break down many barriers for people with disabilities. There are more ways than ever for workplaces to ensure accessibility, often at little to no cost. For example, voice recognition expands communication options for those who face challenges with traditional keyboards. And auto-captioning ensures that people who are deaf or experiencing hearing loss can fully engage with multimedia content.
However, better planning and training are needed to ensure employers tap into this newly empowered pool of workers.
Ability Central, a foundation I work for, has granted $15 million to California nonprofits that focus on communication disabilities and make skills and leadership development a major focus.
One of the organization’s investment highlights is a job readiness program by the Center for Independent Living in Berkeley. It provides paid internships and leadership development to prepare disabled students for meaningful employment and leadership roles.
This year a focus will be training people with disabilities to work in the field of emergency preparedness. The recent fires in LA, where some residents with disabilities burned to death, showed the tragic consequences when people with disabilities are not fully included in disaster response planning.
Another promising career development program is Mychal’s Learning Place in Hawthorne. It provides support, on-the-job training and public-facing work experiences for youth with developmental disabilities. Mychal’s not only provides jobs for people who are often unemployed, it encourages the creation of new businesses that tap into their skills.
A third program of promise for young people with disabilities is the CripTech Incubator Lab by Leonardo in Oakland. It helps disabled artists to develop haptics and AI technology skills so they can join the next generation of tech innovators, bringing their unique perspectives to solve problems and create technologies that can benefit everyone.
These programs empower people with disabilities to access the tools and knowledge needed to become successful workers in today’s job market. Meaningful employment not only boosts financial independence but it also deepens social inclusion.
By investing in assistive technologies, accessible design and workforce development programs, we can ensure that disabled workers are part of a more inclusive future.
Craig Warren now works at Ability Central as a Salesforce administrator. Salesforce software’s accessibility features, and our inclusive workplace practices mean Warren can perform in a high-tech role on an equal basis to his colleagues.
In his words, “My hope is that I can make the online world a more accessible, inclusive place. I hope I can spread the message that accessibility is important.”
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Matt Cherry is the director of philanthropy for Ability Central, a nonprofit that works to expand communication access for individuals who are deaf, disabled or neurodivergent. He also is a parent of two teenagers with disabilities.
Financial support for this story was provided by the Smidt Foundation and The James Irvine Foundation.