In the American state of Washington, over 80 percent of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are in paid employment, compared to just 15 percent in New Zealand.
Before we can create more job opportunities for those with disabilities, members of the public needs to believe it's possible within their own communities, says Cesilee Coulson from the Washington Initiative for Supported Employment.
Washington's high employment rates are due in part to Seattle's "employment first" legislation which asserts the rights of all disabled people to be in paid employment in the regular labour market.
It was back in the early '80s that the state started working to get more people with disabilities into the workforce, Coulson tells Kathryn Ryan.
Once the goal of improving employment options is set, a 'support workforce' needs to be recruited and trained – a team of people who provide services to families and also analyse businesses then show employers how they could customise existing jobs or fill positions with someone who has a disability.
Hiring such people can not only change the culture of a company but also how a community perceives them, Coulson says.
Cesilee Coulson Photo: supplied
Recently, Microsoft asked GoWise Seattle to help them create more positions for people with disabilities at their Seattle campus. In under three years, they've created over 200.
"That was a big multinational corporation saying we believe we could fill jobs on our campus and we want to do this."
Storytelling is hugely important when it comes to gathering support for helping people with disabilities into employment, Coulson says, and it's most effective when they tell their own stories.
"Businesses now are being led by people who went to school with people with disabilities … the whole cultural shift is happening."
Watch a short video about the Washington Initiative for Supported Employment:
