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Training the Disabled Workforce Essay

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Disabled workforce has been another untapped resource, particularly since their talents have often been underestimated. The stigma played a key role for them to enroll in separate courses from their peers in secondary schools that merely prepares them for lower paying jobs. Such practices not only limited their access to higher quality education, but opportunities to prove prospective employers that they are competent in handling knowledge-based jobs. Such miscalculations are causing employers and business leaders to disregard many of disabled Americans that are actually capable of working in high growth markets, thus, solving the skill shortage crisis. “Nearly 13 percent or more than 22 million working age adults in the United States have …show more content…

Students, with intellectual disabilities, often do not get the type of assistance they need to not only earn necessary credentials, but to improve their abilities to interact with peers, which is critical when they enter the workforce.
Fortunately, an increasing percentage of secondary schools are integrating them into classrooms with their non-disabled counterparts, which at the same time, boosts their self-esteem. “Disabled students spent 80% or more of the school day in regular classrooms, up from about a third in 1990, according to the U.S. Department of Education” (Tomsho 2007). In many secondary schools, disabled students usually attend separate classes from their non-disabled counterpart, but administrators are recognizing the counter productivity of such structure. However, disabled students may still get excluded from obtaining certain “knowledge-based” courses, which will limit their opportunities to train for certain lucrative careers. “In high school, many students with disabilities are excluded from general science classrooms, making the transition from high school to college science courses more challenging” (Lamb 2004). Many teachers may not be qualified to handle such integration since handling disabled students require specialized skills, while not alienating their non-disabled students. Also, lower-income schools may not be able to afford hiring qualified teachers assistants that

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