[Ohio-talk] Fw: New monthly reports, disability unemployment stats

[Dr. Smith]

Check it out.

JW

Dr. J. Webster Smith
President National Federation of the Blind of Ohio
P.O.BOX 458 Athens, Ohio, 45701-0458
Phone Number - 740-592-6326 
"Changing What it Means to be Blind"
----- Original Message ----- 
From: Sammons, Elizabeth 
To: Williamson, Erik ; Hanes, Mike - RSC ; 'tango_lady at sbcglobal.net' ; 'Dr. Smith' ; Hinton, Scott ; 'Lissner, Scott' ; 'Wayne Cocchi' ; 'Nancy Celebrezze' ; Williamson, Glenda ; 'Izzo, Margo ' ; 'Earley, Jennifer' ; 'OlmsteadTaskforce at yahoogroups.com' ; 'Deborah Kendrick' 
Cc: Rhodes, Brenda 
Sent: Wednesday, April 01, 2009 11:34 AM
Subject: New monthly reports, disability unemployment stats


Friends and colleagues,

I thought the below website and reports may be of great use and interest to you. If not, remember the delete key and don't be mad at me...


Best regards,
Elizabeth


AFB eNews
April 2009
Bureau of Labor Statistics Now Offers Vision Loss Data

For the first time ever, the U.S. Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is tracking employment rates among people with disabilities. Beginning
in January 2009, six questions regarding disabilities were added to the Current Population Survey (CPS)-a monthly survey created by the federal government
to better estimate unemployment rates in the United States.

This can be a great resource for the disability community, as we will now have monthly reports on employment statistics pertaining exclusively to people
with disabilities, something we haven't had before. The BLS web site only reports the employment status for people identified with a disability of any
kind; therefore, upon special request, anyone who is interested can receive the monthly employment data from the BLS broken down by specific type of disability.
AFB has requested the disability-specific employment information from this monthly survey as it pertains to vision loss and posted this information in
the 
Statistical Snapshots section of AFB's web site.

While we are excited for this new information, AFB is asking that people examine the unemployment rates among people with disabilities with caution since
the 13.2% reported by the January 2009 BLS data is dangerously misleading. A closer examination of the data reveals the following facts, which more accurately
depict employment rates among people with disabilities.

list of 4 items
. 77% of survey participants with a disability were identified as "not in the labor force." (People identified as "not in the labor force" were not actively
looking for work during the reported month, and thus not included in the reported unemployment rate, even though they were not employed as well.)

. 13.2% of survey participants with disabilities in the U.S. are unemployed. This number does not include the 77% of participants identified as "not in
the labor force."

. 75% of survey participants with vision loss* were identified as "not in the labor force."

. 8.6% of survey participants with vision loss in the U.S. are unemployed. This number does not include the 75% of participants identified as "not in the
labor force." 

*The BLS defines people with vision loss as anyone 16 years of age and over in the civilian noninstitutional population who answered "yes" to the question:
"Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?"

The 77% of people with disabilities not included in the labor force and the 75% of people with vision loss not included in the labor force are both strikingly
similar to the 70% number that most disability organizations have been reporting for years. AFB hopes that these findings continue to underscore the need
for additional services and resources for people with disabilities-job training programs, accessible technology, etc. Given the tough economic climate
and current unemployment rates in our country overall, it is more important now than ever that we address the needs of people with disabilities and give
them the tools they need to live active and independent lives.

To access the area of the Bureau of Labor Statistics web site that is reporting the new monthly data series on the employment status of people with a disability,
go to 
www.bls.gov/cps/cpsdisability.htm
. To view AFB's full report about the Bureau of Labor Statistics Current Population Survey, as well as the disability-specific vision loss employment data,
visit 
AFB's Statistical Snapshots section. 

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