Because understanding intersectionality is critical in creating inclusive and effective policies and practices that reach all people with disabilities, we at the Southeast ADA Center are undertaking a four-part research project to identify the ways in which multiple forms of discrimination can intersect and compound and lead to disparate ADA-related outcomes.
In this paper, we use data from the American Community Survey 2018-2022 for states in the Southeast Region (Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee) to quantify existing differentials in employment rates between people with disabilities and people without disabilities. We further explore these differentials based on other demographic characteristics. To further investigate these disparities, we use statistical modeling to examine how someone’s likelihood of being employed is related to several individual characteristics. Our analysis shows how disparities magnify when marginalized identities spanning gender, race, ethnicity, and disability overlap.
Key Takeaways
- Employment rates for people with disabilities across states in the Southeast region are less than half than those for people without disabilities.
- Employment rates among people with disabilities vary based on race and gender, with Asian men and American Indian and Alaska Native women having the highest and lowest employment rates respectively.
- Employment disparities faced by individuals with disabilities are amplified by specific combinations of gender and race and ethnicity.
Citation: Hyseni,F., Avila-Acosta, M., Goodman, N., Pagano, G., Lawson, S., Whaley, B., Williamson, P., & Blanck, P. (2025). Dismantling Barriers: How Intersectionality Between Race, Disability, and Other Characteristics Affect Employment Outcomes. Burton Blatt Institute Research Brief #1 – January 2025.