Last week, the Office of the New York State Comptroller issued an encouraging report indicating labor force participation for working-age individuals with disabilities rose 4.6 percentage points between 2019 and 2024. This is welcome news, and I am glad to see initiatives aimed at increasing participation from the disability community have made an impact. However, more work is needed if we are going to make New York a national leader in supporting and employing these incredible individuals.

According to the report, the national average workforce participation rate for those 16 years and older with a disability jumped more than 5 percentage points during the period measured in the comptroller’s report, and overall, New York’s workforce participation rate for those with disabilities, 28.8%, trailed the national average of 32.3%. While it is great to see New York make some progress, we must continue looking for ways to ensure all New Yorkers have a fair chance to achieve their career-oriented goals.

Outside of the obvious intrinsic value of supporting the disability community, there are tremendous benefits to improving its workforce participation. One study found companies that “actively employ and support people with disabilities” earned more revenue, profit and net income than industry peers. They were also measured to be 25% more productive per employee than other companies without similar initiatives.

As such, the members of the Assembly Minority Conference have been fierce advocates for the disability community. We have introduced legislation that would help boost the wages of aids working with people with developmental disabilities (A.172, Angelino); increase tuition rates for Special Act and 853 Schools (A.2413, Ra); establish programs for students interested in working with the disability community (A.6507, Tannousis); review state policies related to transportation (A.6372, Palmesano); and ensure a residential transition conference is held when an individual with disabilities will be transferred from one program to another (A.8982, Giglio).

Personally, I was proud to support Oswego Industries Inc., which is a tremendous asset and resource for the community, to find ways to mitigate challenges to the disability community during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are also fortunate to have The Arc of Oswego County, another incredible organization full of dedicated and compassionate individuals who understand the needs of all New Yorkers, supporting this mission. Partnerships like these help strengthen the resilience of our communities and our workforce, and I am looking forward to continuing to find new ways to bolster these important public-private connections.

There is much to celebrate this week, and any progress is better than none. But there is still a lot of room to grow. We must continue to advocate for a stronger, more inclusive workforce. We must fight for the economic security and prosperity of all New Yorkers, and we must do it with compassion and vigor. I look forward to building on the successes enumerated in the comptroller’s report, and together, we will make New York’s workforce stronger and more productive than ever.