www.iowaworkforce.org    

  Iowa Workforce Access
150 Des Moines Street
Des Moines, IA 50309
Telephone: (515) 281- 9045
FAX: (515) 281- 9096
Email: access@iwd.state.ia.us

Iowa Employment & Disability
  Creating A Stronger Workforce for Iowa

Nearly one-fifth of Iowa's population is identified as having a disability, and 9% of these individuals have a disability that greatly affects their presence in the workforce.  Iowa enjoys a relatively low unemployment rate, yet people with a disability hover at an unemployment rate of nearly 40%. The Governor’s 21st Century Workforce Council report indicated 87,000 Iowans with disabilities are either unemployed or underemployed, and cited the group as a "largely untapped reservoir of workers".  It should be noted that individuals with reported, diagnosed, and visible disabilities comprise only a small portion of Iowans with disabilities.  Employment is a key component in building assets for Iowans with disabilities. Finding new, inventive ways to include people with disabilities in the workforce benefits both employers and Iowans.

For a copy of the 2009 report from the University of Iowa's Center on Developmental Disabilities on Asset Development click here.

The workforce partners have developed information and resources designed to facilitate the matching of Iowans with disabilities and employers.   One of these unique resources is the Disability Program Navigator.

IWD Is Member Of
 America's Workforce Network.

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