SANTA MARIA, Calif. - As many people struggle to find work, a specific group is finding it extra hard to get a job. There are laws that protect people with disabilities from being discriminated against because they are disabled but many places that help people find work say those with disabilities are the hardest to find jobs for.
Just look at the numbers from the U.S. Labor Department. Just 32% of disabled people in California from ages 21 to 64 have a job. The unemployment rate for the disabled in the country is close to 14%.
Marylu Bell, the branch manager at Select Staffing in Santa Maria says it's fair to say that employers are looking over the disabled intentionally.
"Absolutely. It's the same as if I was out looking for a job. They aren't going to tell me they said no because they found someone younger. They can't. By law they can't make that a factor in how you choose somebody," says Bell.
The poverty rate in the state is 27% percent for those who have a disability. That's about double the poverty rate for those without a disability. That number is 13.6% percent.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission received over 20 complaints regarding workplace discrimination just last year.
