August 2023

People with Disabilities in Skilled Trade Professions

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, 25.1% of people with disabilities work in Trade Professions. These jobs are crucial for maintaining everyday infrastructure and represent great career opportunities for all Floridians.

According to the data blog, more than one-quarter of employed disabled people working in trades report having multiple disabilities. For those who report only one disability, hearing difficulty is listed as most common.

The Able Trust is looking for business and industry leaders interested in partnering on summer career camps. As with our partnership with the University of South Florida, these are short camps that help students with disabilities learn about career opportunities, in skilled trades and other fields, as they plan to enter postsecondary education or the workforce.

If you would like to discuss this opportunity, contact Joey D'Souza at Joseph@abletrust.org.

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Broward County Snapshot

In each CEO Newsletter, we include a quick snapshot of the latest Census data at the local level. Shown below are the number of Employed and Unemployed persons with disabilities in Broward County.

Additional data is available on The Able Trust's Research webpage.

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New Study Identifies Pathways to Career Success

We are excited to release a new study, Industry Analysis and Pathways to Career Success for Persons with Disabilities. This new study provides the latest research on Florida’s top growing industries and highlights opportunities to increase employment of individuals with disabilities.

Developed in partnership with Lightcast, a global leader in labor market analytics, the study explores the employment landscape for Floridians with disabilities. The new report also reiterates the economic benefits expanding disability employment would bring to Florida, including helping industries overcome hiring shortages.

Key takeaways and recommendations from the Pathways study also highlight the importance of catering career services for persons with disabilities to destination occupations, and the importance of The Reimagining Education and Career Help (REACH) Act to ensuring a more streamlined approach to workforce service delivery.

Download a copy of the report today. If you would like to discuss how to enhance your workforce by including Floridians with disabilities, please contact me at Allison@abletrust.org.

Allison Chase

President & CEO

THANK YOU!

As schools start up around Florida, we want to give a shout-out to those employers who worked with students in our High School High Tech program this past school year. High School High Tech is a community-based partnership and businesses and other local employers are crucial to the success of the program.

The list below shows just a few of the employers who are helping inform students about career opportunities they may consider as they plan for their future. During the last school year, activities these organizations participated in included providing tours, making presentations, assisting with mock interviews, offering volunteer experiences and more.

We are always looking for opportunities for our students to learn about business and industries in their area and if you're interested in getting connected to a High School High Tech program near you, contact Coleen Agner at Coleen@abletrust.org.

Amazon
Buddy Brew Coffee
Firehouse Subs
First Watch
Jacksonville Sharks
JP Morgan Chase
Kohl’s
Mullet’s Aluminum Products Inc.

PPI Technologies Group
Publix
South Lake Hospital
Tervis
The Home Depot
Visit Orlando
Whetstone Chocolates

WHAT WE'RE READING

NEW FINDINGS ON DISCLOSING DISABILITY AT WORK

Employees are often reluctant to disclose their disability with their employers. According to a survey of 485 companies in 30 industries conducted by Disability:IN, 93 percent of companies surveyed encourage their employees to confidentially self-identify if they have a disability. However, only 4.6 percent of employees in these companies self-identify as being a person with a disability. According to the Boston Consulting Group, the prevalence of people with disabilities in the workforce is far greater. In their survey of nearly 28,000 employees in 16 countries, 25% said they have a disability or health condition that limits a major life activity.

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Your support ensures Floridians with disabilities have opportunities to gain meaningful employment.

To make your tax-deductible donation to The Able Trust,

CLICK HERE.

Forward this newsletter to other colleagues, and business and community leaders who are interested in disability employment.

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our mailing list.

We welcome the opportunity to answer your questions about disability employment. Invite us to speak at your upcoming board meeting, conference or webinar.

CLICK HERE to fill out our

Speaker Request form.

The Able Trust, also known as the Florida Endowment Foundation for Vocational Rehabilitation, is a 501(c)(3) public charity established by the Florida Legislature in 1990 as a direct support organization for the

Florida Division of Vocational Rehabilitation. Its mission is to be a key leader in providing

Floridians with disabilities opportunities for successful employment.

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