A documentary to be broadcast Monday night on WABE tonight will highlight workers with disabilities and the ways in which they can be a critical answer to the shortage of labor in many sectors.
Titled “Breaking Barriers: Embracing Disabilities in the Workforce,” the film highlights how the retirements of boomers, pandemic turmoil and other factors have left many employers struggling to find workers.
“What you hear the most (from workers) is, I don’t know where the opportunities are, while employers say, ‘I can’t find the talent I need.’” said Joan Lynch, chief content and programming officer of nonprofit media organization WorkingNation, which produced the documentary.
With help, people with disabilities can fill the gap, she said. “Fifty-two percent of Gen Z’ers identify as neurodiverse.”
The documentary, which will air at 9 p.m., is timed to be part of National Disability Employment Awareness Month. The film will re-air on Nov. 18.
As also highlighted recently in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the issue is important, not only for the workers and their families, but also for employers and the overall economy.
About 34.1 million Americans above the age of 16 have some disability. Only 8.3 million of them are in the workforce. But that figure is up 38% in a decade, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Employment numbers would likely be higher but for obstacles like lack of transportation or the need for special on-the-job equipment — and for many, what advocates say is a historical reluctance of employers to hire them.
A trailer for the documentary is available online at https://bit.ly/3s6ad4Z.
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