Governor Cuomo’s State of the State – Employment, Opportunity and Disability:IN New York

Please read the following from Governor Cuomo’s 2019 State of the State address. Our Ability Alliance / Disability:IN NY is gaining support throughout New York State government and we will continue to expand employment opportunities. Our Ability Alliance thanks our 40 business members for your actions. We applaud Governor Cuomo in leading the Employment First initiative throughout the Empire State!

Proposal. Increase Employment Opportunities for New Yorkers with Disabilities, Including Diverse Neurological Abilities

Governor Cuomo has demonstrated a commitment to achieve the full inclusion of all New Yorkers with disabilities. In 2014, the Governor signed Executive Order 136 establishing the Employment First Commission to increase the employment rate of individuals with disabilities by 5 percent, and decrease the poverty rate by 5 percent. In partnership with Disability:IN (NY), this action ignited the engagement of forty business champions, raised awareness of Employment First to 40,000 New York State vendors, and initiated the EmployAbility Pledge as a mechanism for businesses to publicly display commitment to this vision. Currently, only 19.9 percent of people with disabilities are employed, compared to 68.4 percent of individuals without disabilities. Of those employed, 23 percent are employed full-time, compared to 59 percent of their peers without disabilities. An increasing percentage of those unemployed are identifying as neurodiverse, which includes individuals with autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and other diverse conditions where there is a focus on the positive aspect of variation and strengths over weaknesses. The Governor will expand partnerships with the business community to promote the benefits of employing individuals with disabilities, including those with neurodiverse talents and abilities in the workforce of today and tomorrow, while providing tools to develop inclusive environments that support the diversity of all employees.