Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility

Introduction to DEIA 

1. Diversity: The representation and valuing of varied identities and perspectives by honoring lived experiences of communities

2. Equity: Intentional distribution of access and resources to eliminate barriers in our society

3. Inclusion: The creation of a culture of belonging that prioritizes the contribution and participation of all people involved in an organization

4. Accessibility: Full and independent access for all people to employment, facilities, services, and information through intentional design, accommodations, and respect

Access to work environment

Youth apprentices with disabilities living in rural areas may face a host of physical and geographic barriers to participation in apprenticeships. Due to proximity to meaningful employment, scarcity of businesses, and even inaccessible buildings, participating in the rural registered apprenticeship (RA) workforce for youth with disabilities is more challenging than in urban areas. Physical infrastructure in rural areas generally progresses slower than urban areas. For example, rural places of employment may have lower-quality electricity or water systems. While this is a barrier to all in apprenticeship participation, it is exacerbated for youth with disabilities. Without adequate systems in place to provide transportation, physical space between homes/place of living and apprenticeship sites becomes a barrier to accessing job opportunities. 

RAs operate on Universal Design (UD) Principles which are helping bridge the gap in accessibility. UD principles operate on the assumption of inclusivity at the start as opposed to making changes along the way. The principles seek to support a diverse range of abilities, ages, languages, reading levels, learning preferences, and cultures to actively encourage the success of all people. To achieve UD, there needs to be collaboration from employers, the community, apprentices, state agencies, federal funding, and any other person responsible for the success of the RA. A good apprenticeship will prioritize UD at the forefront and not ignore it until there is someone at the site who needs accommodations; there should be infrastructure already in place.     

Belonging for people with disabilities in the workplace

Though youth with disabilities make up about 6.3% of the United States population, there are still areas of discrimination and stigmatization that exist in the workplace. A systematic review of workplace ableism for young people with disabilities indicates there are many factors that affect ableism such as type of disability, gender, education level, and employer knowledge of disability. This type of ableism impacts youth via pay discrimination, lack of accommodations and exclusion, job turnover, and under/unemployment. The factors all contribute to lower self-concept and well-being for youth with disabilities. There are gaps in the research as it relates to systems that support youth with disabilities to challenge ableism. Stigmatization minimizes youth with disabilities’ experiences in their communities. Work may be the only pathway to community integration for some people who have higher support needs in the home or in other areas of daily living. Social-emotional development and growth can be hindered by lack of acceptance in work spaces. Inclusive apprenticeships are a tangible pathway to formalize and provide safeguards for youth with disabilities to access their workforce, especially in rural areas where the number of workplaces are limited. 

Representation of people with disabilities in the apprenticeship site

Due to the aforementioned ableist and inaccessible structures, there is a lack of representation of people with disabilities in the workplace. This contributes to a lack of belonging and social exclusion in the workplace. Rural communities are more likely to experience negative social determinants of health like lack of access to care, under-resourced education systems, and lower socio-economic status. These factors contribute to the heightened prevalence of disability in a given rural community. As we know, people with disabilities are less likely to be employed; therefore, rural communities have disproportionate rates of disconnection for youth with disabilities. Heightened disconnection leads to lack of participation in the workforce and consequently lack of disability representation in the labor force. 

It is important to make the distinction between inclusion and integration at the site. A work environment can be inclusive and make space for youth with disabilities to access the site via technological assistance, Braille, augmentative communication devices, and other accommodations, but this does not mean that the youth are integrated in the patchwork of the apprenticeship community. Other peers/coworkers may exclude or fail to acknowledge the perspective of youth with disabilities or write them off as unable to complete a given task because they have a disability. Rural apprenticeships must operate to be inclusive, and also integrate youth with disabilities into the apprenticeship environment to enhance their sense of belonging. Belonging not only improves the individual social/emotional growth, but also tends to increase retention and completion of apprenticeships. It is also important for youth voices to be heard in the process of creating and evaluating apprenticeships. Integrating youth voice into future iterations of youth apprenticeships will reinforce representation and participation.

Providing wraparound services and supports to youth apprentices with disabilities 

An area of belonging that needs improvement is the provision for wraparound services for youth with disabilities pursuing an apprenticeship. Wraparound services such as job shadowing, employability training, mentorship/peer support, and social security insurance (SSI) and other public and private benefit programs, will help youth with disabilities find and sustain meaningful employment and a viable career pathway. These services are an incentive to pursue an apprenticeship and become members of the workforce around them. In turn, there are more robust apprenticeships with a diverse group of apprentices to feel supported and integrated into their community. 

Continued Improvement: Data on rural apprenticeships 

To date, there is lack of data regarding rural apprenticeships for youth with disabilities including but not limited to participation, retention, and completion rates. Rural apprenticeships, in general, are not reported and documented to the same degree as urban apprenticeships or they simply do not exist to be reported on. More information and transparency on what exists in rural settings would be helpful for navigating the apprentice system for VRs. RYAD is working to reduce this gap in information and knowledge. Continued improvement in this area is necessary to support the widest range of youth with disabilities seeking jobs across urban and rural areas in the United States.

Intersectionality

Ableism does not affect apprentices in isolation. Apprentices come to RAs with a variety of identities that affect the way in which they interact with the world and its structures.  Jobs for the Future research from 2010 to 2020 shows many inequities along intersecting identities that contribute to discrimination in the workplace. 

• Race: Black youth are misrepresented in RAs; the percent of Black youth apprentices is nearly eight times less than the percent of White youth in RAs across the United States. Also, Black youth apprentices are most likely to work as construction laborers whereas Latinx and White youth apprentices are more likely to work as electricians. Additionally, Black apprentices are earning $7 less per hour to White apprentices and $8 less per hour to Latinx apprentices.
• Gender: Registered youth apprentices are primarily male-identifying. In 2020, about 90% of youth apprentices identified as male and about 10% female. Female-identifying apprentices are more likely to be in RAs with care-taking positions such as, a pharmacy technician or certified nursing assistant in comparison to their male-identifying peers who are more likely to do physical labor in jobs like an electrician or plumber. Men are earning approximately $13 more an hour to their women coworkers.

Overall, women and people of color are lacking representation in apprenticeships which would be exacerbated in rural areas. The available data does not represent other marginalized groups such as LGTBQIA+-identifying and Indigenous people. Data needs to be expanded to represent these groups and provide resources to create safe and inclusive workplaces along intersections of disability, race, ethnicity, and gender identity. It is also worth noting that young people experience discrimination on the basis of age and the youth apprentices may experience this type of ageism in their apprenticeship. Further information in this area could create policies and procedures to eliminate these biases.

10 Strategies for Inclusive Apprenticeships

The primary goal of inclusive apprenticeships is to have high-quality program design that centers thinking about how every component (i.e. recruitment, application, training, work-base activities) is designed for all apprentices to interact, benefit, and succeed within the program regardless of disability status. Below are strategies that can help achieve this goal. Learn more here.