Disability and Employment Policy Research
Many people with disabilities want to work. However, data from the 2007 American Community Survey show that 37 percent of U.S. working-age adults with disabilities are employed, while more than 77 percent of adults without disabilities work. When they do work, adults with disabilities typically have lower earnings than their non-disabled counterparts. As a result, many people with disabilities are living in poverty.
People with disabilities can face many barriers to employment, including:
- Limited education or work history,
- Severity of disability or functional limitations,
- Stigma associated with disability,
- Inaccessible workplaces and transportation,
- Unavailability of quality employment services, and
- The complexities of disability cash benefit (i.e., Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income), and health insurance (i.e., Medicaid and Medicare) programs.
UMass Medical School’s Center for Health Policy and Research researches the barriers that prevent or limit employment among people with disabilities. The Center also evaluates and promotes policies, programs, and practices that enhance employment opportunities and outcomes for these individuals. In particular, our research focuses on experiences of youth and adults with disabilities who meet state and/or federal criteria for public disability benefits, or are served by public programs.
In Massachusetts, there are nearly 200,000 working-age adults with disabilities enrolled in the state Medicaid program (MassHealth). Research conducted by our group has shown:
- About 17 percent of working-age MassHealth members are employed,
- Most working MassHealth members work part-time and have earnings below $10,000 annually,
- About 40 percent of non-working members would like to work in the future, and
- Both working and non-working members are concerned that earnings from work may cause them to lose disability benefits.