21% of adults with disabilities have less than a high school diploma, 34% have only a high school diploma or equivalent, and 70% want to work. Businesses throughout the United States are facing a tight labor market and a growing need for skilled workers. At the same time millions of U.S. adults have foundational skill gasps in areas such as literacy or numeracy and this issue is especially acute among Americans with disabilities, who are twice as likely as their non-disabled peers to have less than a high school education.
We need to ensure that these individuals have access to skill-building opportunities, including resources necessary to address their disabilities, will improve their career prospects and earnings.
Upskilling Adult Learners with Disabilities offers outlines and a case study on how closer collaboration among adult education, workforce development, and vocational rehabilitation partners can advance effective practices and programs for workers with foundational skill needs and disabilities.
