Findings and Recommendations of the National Task Force on Technology and Disability

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Cost Savings to People with Disabilities

Expenditures for AT-

Reduced Income Due to Unemployment and Underemployment-

Shirley Johnson, Volunteer Coordinator

An accessible nation will have significant economic and social benefits for individuals with disabilities, their families and caretakers.

Expenditures for AT

For individuals with disabilities, the economic costs of an inaccessible world are extraordinary. Often, Americans with disabilities and their families incur significant out-of-pocket costs to obtain needed AT products and services, including modifying home and work environments. Of those for whom devices or technologies are paid for in some way, nearly half (48 percent) report paying for them personally or with familial support. More than 75 percent of those with specialized accessibility features in their homes report self or family financing. Third party sources offer complete or partial payment for 52 percent of users’ AT devices and for 23 percent of users’ home adaptations.²⁶

Reduced Income Due to Unemployment and Underemployment

The Census Bureau estimates that two-thirds of Americans with disabilities ages 21 to 64 are not in the workforce.²⁷ Far too many educated and talented people with disabilities, who want to work, are not participating in the workforce. According to a National Organization on Disability (NOD)/Harris Poll, two out of three people with disabilities want to work. Of the college-educated people participating in the poll, only 14 percent without disabilities reported not working, while 55 percent with disabilities said they did not work.²⁸

Only 15 percent of people with disabilities are born with a disability.²⁹ The majority of people with disabilities acquire them after they gain work experience and skills, and are valued for their contributions as employees in the workforce.

In conclusion, there is a tremendous economic and labor opportunity for private industry to reach the growing market of individuals with disabilities and the senior population with functional limitations, by making their products and services more accessible. UD, available AT and inclusion are some of the tools needed to reach this global market. Everyone benefits, including business, government, taxpayers and citizens with disabilities, in the accessible nation envisioned by the Task Force.

A Leader in Hiring People with Disabilities.

“Cisco has been a leader in recruiting and employing people with disabilities. Cisco’s logic is simple. Employees with disabilities are good for business. They add diversity to the workforce, a factor that improves productivity and creativity. Furthermore, some of the company’s customers have employees with disabilities, so it has the added benefit of enabling Cisco’s workers to work productively with Cisco clients.”

Shirley Johnson,
Volunteer Coordinator

“Assistive Technology has made all the difference in my life,” says Johnson. “I was born with cerebral palsy and have a speech problem.” A non-profit agency hired her as their volunteer coordinator and she has served in this capacity for almost a year. Johnson is thrilled to have landed her first job at the age of 52. She had been looking for work since graduating with an Associates degree in General Business and Applied Science from a community college in 1994.

She loves her new position and its varied tasks. Johnson oversees 12 volunteers, each of whom has various assigned responsibilities, such as answering phones, assisting people who come in to use the Center’s computer facilities and doing research. To get around, Johnson drives a scooter. “It allows me to do things more easily,” she says.

To better perform her job, Johnson taught herself to use an Orbit keyboard (keyless keyboard). With this device, she can effectively use the computer by rotating a hand-size trackball to produce text. Before using the Orbit keyboard, she used a mouse with a ball. “The mouse and keyboard didn’t work too well for me,” says Shirley. “I experienced a tremendous difference using the Orbit keyboard. Now I don’t have to use my fingers. Instead, I use the palm of my hand to move the Orbit.” She says, “Once you get the hang of it, the trackballs are pretty easy to control but you have to know how far to rotate them.”

If she had one piece of advice to give to employers she would tell them, “Don’t judge people by the way they look or talk!” She also advises others with disabilities, “Don’t give up, keep fighting!”

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