Some traditional barriers to employment have gone away. An increase in the number of people working from home since COVID-19, means people with disabilities don’t need to go to an office. They don’t have to find transportation. They often have the accommodations they need at home and often more flexible schedules. This gives people with disabilities more chances to find work.
In 2021, 19.1% of persons with a disability were employed,
up from 17.9% in 2020.
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics (February 2022)
Along with these opportunities come questions about how to best manage their money.
Answers to Financial Questions
When someone gets a job, there are a lot of financial decisions. It is a good idea to learn how to manage money. It starts with getting information from trustworthy sources.
Help from the Department of Labor
The Department of Labor has created a toolkit that gives information and practical strategies for finances throughout the different phases of the career lifecycle.
The website states that, "We all need clear and accurate information to secure our financial well-being.” This toolkit provides a map to navigating money planning, no matter where you are in your employment journey. The information is broken down based on the lifecycle of a person’s career.
Topic Areas Include:
Promising (Financial) Practices
Following are more resources on financial literacy gathered from the Promising Practices website.
Your Money, Your Goals
This is a training resource from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that can help a new worker make financial goals and smart choices. There's a toolkit, training videos, companion guides, booklets to teach people about money. Another resource is Financial Literacy for High Schoolers - which includes a full curriculum module. Learn more at Your Money, Your Goals.
Practical Money Skills
Although the Practical Money Skills website provides financial education for anyone, they have a series of lessons for people with disabilities called Financial Lessons for Special Needs Students. These modules show how to navigate different financial situations, like budgeting, shopping, independent living, banking, and protecting their money. Each of the lessons includes a teacher's guide, student activities, PowerPoints, and presentations. Find out more at Practical Money Skills.
Consumer Credit Money Tools
The American Consumer Credit Counseling organization features a variety of resources for financial education. Their website states, "When it comes to money matters, knowledge is power. Financial literacy – understanding how personal finances work – is the first step toward taking control of your financial situation. And accessing all the resources available to you is the key to improving your financial future.”
Designed to help people to gain information about managing their money, their free financial education resources can guide new hires in many aspects of financial literacy. Check out the wide variety of resources at ConsumerCredit.com.