BRIDGING THE GAP

Roughly 30 percent of workers with a disability are employed part-time and roughly 7.2 percent in 2023 are unemployed, about twice that of those with no disability, according to data from the U.S Bureau of Labor Statistics. The youth unemployment rate in 2023 for those with a disability was at 11.8 percent, about twice that of those with no disability.

The number of college students with a disability has steadily increased with most recent data from 2020 finding that nearly 20 percent of undergraduates reported having a disability and more than 90 percent of all colleges enroll students with a disability. And this doesn’t account for the number of students who don’t even disclose that they have a disability.

So, what can higher education do to support this growing student population to be successful during college, and after?

This playbook intends to highlight the needs of this student population, the challenges faced during and after their college experiences, and offer guidance on what institutions can do to bridge this gap. Symplicity is co-authoring this playbook with John Robinson, a quadruple congenital amputee who is the CEO and founder of Our Ability, the only disability owned and operated business dedicated to building employment opportunities through job platforms, employment webinars, digital profile system and personal empowerment.