In good news, disability employment is at the highest levels since record keeping began in 2008. As of January 2024, the labor force participation rate of people with disabilities was 40.5%, up from 32.7% in April 2020.

With this data as the backdrop, the Senate Special Committee on Aging held a hearing on Feb. 29 called “All Means All: Empowering People with Disabilities to Thrive in Careers and the Workplace.” You can find a video of the hearing here, which includes individuals with autism who successfully transitioned into competitive integrated employment, and data that shows people with intellectual and developmental disabilities can be successful in the workplace with the right supports. 

In other news, U.S. Senator Bob Casey, chairman, Special Committee on Aging, is once again sponsoring the Disability Employment Incentive Act, which would expand three existing tax benefits to businesses that successfully hire and retain people with disabilities.

“The Disability Employment Incentive Act would help support businesses that hire people with disabilities in competitive integrated employment,” he said in a statement. “This bill supports the transition to a fully integrated workforce where people with disabilities work alongside people without disabilities, for equal compensation, and have the same opportunities for advancement as their peers.”

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