Employment for Down Syndrome Adults

It is important for the general public to understand that people with Down syndrome are simply people. Beginning with the section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975, and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991; the federal laws were passed that gave people with Down syndrome equal protection.

Everyday individuals with Down syndrome strive to accomplish the same goals as everyone else. They want self-fulfillment, pride in their achievements, and inclusion into the community’s accomplishments and activities. On a daily basis people with Down syndrome venture out into their communities to jobs and schools and strive to reach their full potential.

There are many companies today that agree to employ persons with Down’s in specific parts of their company. There are other places where the entire campus employees people with Down syndrome. Some places even have bus service where they come and pick up the people as well as bring them home.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal for any employer with more than 15 employees to discriminate against qualified individuals. The ADA makes provisions for people with disabilities during the application and hiring process as well as on the job. The ADA also makes it necessary for an employer to make any provisions needed to accommodate a disabled person on the job. The key to the ADA when hiring a person with Down syndrome is that the person must be qualified for the job. There are many jobs in America for which the majority of people with Down syndrome would qualify. Most Down’s people are capable of various blue-collar jobs and cannot be refused a job that they are capable of doing and qualified for simply because they have Down syndrome.

According to the Down Syndrome Association, only 1 in 5 adults of working age with Down syndrome are currently in a paid employment position. Only 20% of adults ages 18-60 are holding down paid employment. This may sound like a decent statistic until it is pointed out that this 20% is four times less than the general population of 18-60 year old people. The association is currently working to draw attention to the fact that far too many capable adults are being over looked for employment because of their mental disabilities.

Young adults today leave school with the same hopes and dreams of getting a job that a regular student leaves school with. The association is working to ensure that those who want to work are afforded the opportunity. Research has shown that employers who have employees with Down syndrome on their staff report benefits such as improved staff morale, improved staff attendance, reduced staff turnover, and an improved corporate image. The Down Syndrome Association is working to even out the playing field and to give the people with Down syndrome the same opportunities in the workforce as the rest of the general population.

The majority of adults with Down syndrome will never get the chance to prove that they are capable of contributing to the nation’s economy. With appropriate training and support, people with Down syndrome can and do make an important contribution to the workplace.

There are many things that you, the parent, of a Down Syndrome child, can do to help your child. Visit medopedia.com to learn about down syndrome speech treatment.