1. You are here: AUCD Home
  2. Resources
  3. Trainees & Early Career Professionals
  4. Kessler Foundation to Release First Survey Soliciting Perspectives of Supervisors of Employees with Disabilities

Kessler Foundation to Release First Survey Soliciting Perspectives of Supervisors of Employees with Disabilities

September 12, 2017

According to the 2015 Kessler Foundation National Employment and Disability Survey, the first nationally representative survey to examine the workplace experiences of Americans with disabilities, nearly 69% of American adults with disabilities are "striving to work." Respondents were found taking at least one of the following actions: working, seeking a better position or more hours, actively job-hunting, networking with family and friends, or getting the necessary rehabilitation, education, and/or job training to prepare for employment.

The results dispelled many common myths about people with disabilities in the workplace. This survey, conducted by the University of New Hampshire, was based on the responses of 3,013 individuals with disabilities, aged 18 to 64. While many reported encountering barriers, they often reported overcoming those barriers to achieve success in the workplace.

This year, Kessler Foundation is extending its innovative employment research with a new survey that focuses on the experiences of supervisors of employees with disabilities. The 2017 Kessler Foundation National Employment & Disability Survey: Supervisor Perspectives, which will be released during National Disability Employment Awareness Month on October 10, 2017, on Capitol Hill.

The survey, the first to solicit the viewpoint of supervisors, will help identify practices that support inclusion in the workplace, and highlight specific areas that need to be addressed. To raise awareness of the survey's findings, Foundation activities during the month of October will reinforce the value and talent that people with disabilities add to our workplaces and communities, and affirm our commitment to efforts that support inclusivity.

Tune in to the free NTIDE Lunch & Learn Webinar on November 3 to hear the experts discuss the results of the 2017 Survey in depth. Visit this website to register, or view the Lunch & Learn archives.  

To join the conversation, use the hashtags and #KF_Survey2017 and #nTIDElearn on Twitter and Instagram.