South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin

June 2020

Celebrating 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act

On July 26, the United States will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We took this opportunity to recognize workers with disabilities as an invaluable segment of the labor force both nationally and here in South Dakota.

President George H.W. Bush signed the Americans with ADA into law on July 26, 1990. The ADA prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations, commercial facilities, telecommunications, and state and local government services.

The statistics below, specific to a workforce perspective, are from the American Community Survey, 2018 (most current data available).

		Nationally, there are 40.6 million people with a disability, or 12.6% of the noninstitutionalized population.
		There are 104,562 South Dakotans with a disability, or 12.1% of the noninstitutionalized population.

		There are 7.6 million people in our nation aged 18 to 64 years with a disability who are employed.
		South Dakota has 29,037 people in that age group with a disability who are employed.

		Nationally, those with a cognitive difficulty make up the largest portion of the employed disabled, at 2.5 million. The second largest group is those with an ambulatory difficulty, at nearly 2.4 million.
		That ranking is inversed in South Dakota, with 8,988 having an ambulatory difficulty, and 8,913 having a cognitive difficulty.

Other disability categories for which employment data is available include:

Hearing difficulties
Vision difficulties
Self-care difficulties
Independent living difficulties

From a workforce development perspective, consider these important metrics.

		There are more than 957,300 people in the United States with a disability who are unemployed. Remember, to meet the definition of unemployed, individuals must be available for work.
		South Dakotans with a disability who are unemployed number 2,338.

The table below shows the breakdown of those South Dakotans unemployed by type of disability.

South Dakota Unemployed with a Disability by Type of Disability
With a disability:	2,338
With a hearing difficulty	348
With a vision difficulty	962
With a cognitive difficulty	690
With an ambulatory difficulty	639
With a self-care difficulty	402
With an independent living difficulty	363
Source: American Community Survey, U.S. Census Bureau, 2018.

		Among United States population 25 and older who have a disability, the largest portion (33.8 percent) are high school graduates (or have the equivalent education). An additional 28.4 percent have some college or an associate degree, and 17.8 percent have a bachelor’s degree.
		Among South Dakotans 25 and older with a disability, an even higher portion (39.0 percent) have a high school diploma or equivalent. Another 29.8 percent have some college or an associate degree, and 19.3 percent have a bachelor’s degree.

For more statistics on this important demographic, please contact us.

Employers, please visit the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation website for helpful resources on employing those with disabilities.

Department and other resources for individuals with disabilities are also available on the website.

Marcia Hultman

Cabinet Secretary

South Dakota e-Labor Bulletin

June 2020

Celebrating 30 years of the Americans with Disabilities Act