March 24, 2025
Source: Southeast ADA Center and Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University.
When the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became a federal law in July 1990, one of its foundational goals was to promote economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities. Researchers from the Southeast ADA Center (SEADA) and the Burton Blatt Institute (BBI) at Syracuse University have produced a research brief that describes how the economic self-sufficiency of people with disabilities is influenced by social and demographic characteristics..
The research brief examines how an individual identity is not based on one trait or characteristic. These characteristics create complex and overlapping issues that may lead to discrimination against different groups, including people with disabilities who have rights under the ADA.
The research brief looks at employment rates in the Southeast region for people with and without disabilities. Employment rates were examined using intersectional data to understand how these factors affect the employment outcomes of people with and without disabilities.
The research found that:
- Employment rates vary by disability status across the Southeast region;
- Among people with disabilities, employment rates vary based social and demographic characteristics; and
- Intersectionality may be one reason why people with disabilities do not all experience discrimination or ableism in the same way.
The research brief showed that the employment barriers faced by people with disabilities are influenced by specific combinations of social and demographics characteristics, even after researchers control for other relevant characteristics that might affect their chances of being employed.
Key Takeaways:
- Employment rates for people with disabilities in the Southeast region are less than half of the employment rates for people without disabilities.
- Employment rates among people with disabilities vary, with Asian men and American Indian and Alaska Native women having the highest and lowest employment rates, respectively.
- Employment disparities faced by individuals with disabilities are amplified by specific combinations of social and demographic characteristics.
Read the Research Brief:
Dismantling Barriers: How Disability and Other Characteristics Affect Employment Outcomes [PDF download]
Web: bbi.syr.edu
For more information about this research project, contact:
Barry Whaley
Director of the Southeast ADA Center, A Project of the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University
Email: bawhaley@syr.edu
Phone: 404-541-9001
English