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Career Services, Disability Services, and Employers: A "Key" to Unlocking Employment Success for College Graduates With Disabilities
Description:
College students with disabilities are underrepresented when it comes to employment opportunities after graduation. Career services professionals can play a significant role in helping students with disabilities develop greater self-awareness related to employment by promoting opportunities such as internships. Unfortunately, research has noted that college students with disabilities often underuse career services and graduate with minimal work experience. Partnerships between career services and disability services professionals can reverse these trends. This session will describe:
- what research tells us regarding employment outcomes for students with disabilities;
- the perspectives from career services and disabilities services professionals;
- an example of an employer that provides a robust internship program for students with disabilities; and
- best practices for career services professionals in working with disability services colleagues to promote successful outcomes for graduates with disabilities.
According to a recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 19.3% of individuals with disabilities (regardless of education levels) were employed in 2019 compared to 66.3% of individuals without disabilities. While a bachelor’s degree improves these outcomes, disability still creates a significant gap. According to the same source, only 28.2% of college graduates with disabilities were employed in 2019 compared to 75.5% of college graduates without a disability. Overall, students with disabilities graduate from high school and college at lower rates and have less work experience once they complete college compared to non-disabled peers. These barriers matter because paid work experience is a powerful predictor of occupational success after college, particularly for young adults with disabilities.
Audience:
University Relations & Recruiting
Track:
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Main Speaker:
Cindy Verduce, Indiana Tech
Additional Speakers:
David Parker, Children’s Resource Center
Larry Markle, The Gregory S. Fehribach Center at Eskenazi Health
Carlos Taylor, The Gregory S. Fehribach Center at Eskenazi Health
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