Best Disabled States

From US News:

“10 Best States for Disability Employment”

This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, signed by former President George H.W. Bush in 1990 to outlaw discrimination based on disability. Still, people with disabilities are far more likely than nondisabled people to be unemployed. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey in 2017, people with disabilities were about 2.5 times as likely to be unemployed than people without disabilities. Multiple 2020 presidential candidates have voiced their dedication to improving outcomes for the more than 61 million Americans with disabilities. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat, recently released her plans to protect the rights of individuals with disabilities, including in the workplace.  According to U.S. News' 2019 Best States rankings, some states are doing better than others at lowering the disability employment gap. The ranking is based on an analysis of each state's gap in the unemployment rate. That gap is calculated as the ratio of people in the labor force with a disability over people in the labor force without a disability. The ranking is part of U.S. News' larger Best States for Equality ranking, which includes additional factors such as education, race and gender equality. Alaska ranks No. 1 for its low disability employment gap, but Alaskans with disabilities are still 1.9 times more likely to face unemployment as those who are not disabled. Nevada, Mississippi, New Mexico, Arkansas, West Virginia, California, Texas, South Carolina and Alabama round out the top 10 states.

Best States Overall Rank

1.  Alaska

2.  Nevada

3. Mississippi

4. New Mexico

 5. Arkansas

6. West Virginia

7. California

8. Texas

 9. South Carolina

 10. Alabama

In Maine, residents with disabilities are 3.4 times as likely to be unemployed, according to the ranking. It's joined at the bottom of the list by Connecticut, Missouri, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Colorado, Wisconsin, Utah, Nebraska and Delaware.

^ It does surprise me that 6 of the 10 best states for the disabled are in the South. I just remember how hard it was when I lived in Virginia for a disabled person. I would really like to see the disabled treated the same as both other disabled people and other non-disabled people regardless of where they live. It has been 30 years since the ADA and not a whole lot has been done even though it is enshrined in the law. ^

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/articles/the-10-best-states-for-disability-employment