The Urgency for the Disability Workforce

Hello, my wonderful reader thank you once again for choosing to spend a little time with me on your Wednesday. I get asked every so often what do you do for a living? In today’s post, I want to provide a glimpse into that. The following are my remarks that were released as part of the event that was held on May 4, 2022, by the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities (NJCDD.) I hope you enjoyed and I can’t wait to read your comments.

“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” Proverbs 18:21 NIV

 NOTE NJCDD Did not sponsor this post or any other work on this website. The statement featured is the opinion of the author prior to editing on the date of release. You can find a full copy of the report mentioned at the bottom of this post. 

Greetings and warmest regards, Thank you all for making time to discuss this very prevalent issue affecting the most underserved and underrepresented population in New Jersey and the nation at large. My name is Kevin Nuñez I am fortunate to be the current Vice-Chair of the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities. I’m a 34-year-old Puerto Rican male living with Cerebral Palsy.

It is a well-known statistic that one in four Americans are diagnosed with some form of developmental disability, this is roughly 25% of our population. Our population is willing and able to pay their share in taxes and become contributing members of their local communities. All we need are solid opportunities. The reality is the Employment First policy that was passed a decade ago did not become a call to action but instead a slogan for stakeholders. The intent was there but the execution was not. The outline steps proposed in his plan are prudent and cost-effective.

Too often have individuals like myself been threatened with the $2,000 asset limit, as we reached the end of educational entitlement. Recently legislation was passed to enhance New Jersey’s WorrkAbility to eliminate the unearned income caps and age requirements. It is common sense measures like these that would create the chances for this population to not only succeed on a temporary basis but thrive in a long term. However, if individuals and families do not know about these programs as they reach the critical age, then the tireless work of the advocates and legislators would be for nothing. education and sustainability are the keys to American progression. 

If we invest in the individual and what their needs are to maintain competitive employment the disability system would not be so overwhelmed, the reverberation would be that those who can work could help support those who need more intense support and cannot. one hand has to wash the other it’s that simple.  The employment first initiative is derived from the idea of person first. 

In closing, I would like to leave you with this,  “promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty” This comes directly from the US Constitution. The same one that begins with “ We the people”  PEOPLE with disabilities just want the same opportunities as every other American. Thank you for your time and have a good day.