Remarks by Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo at the National Disability Leadership Summit

Welcome to the Commerce Department’s first-ever National Disability Leadership Summit. Thank you to the American Association of People with Disabilities for partnering with our Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships for this event.

I’m proud that our Department has a broad approach to accessibility that includes physical and digital accessibility, reasonable accommodation, and language access. We also recognize that people with disabilities are an integral part of our Department’s diverse and inclusive workforce.

It’s been 34 years since Americans with Disabilities Act became the law of the land. And thanks to the work of disability advocates, including many in this room, we’ve made tremendous progress towards meeting the ADA’s goals of accessibility and inclusion. But there’s more to be done. The pandemic had a disproportionate impact on people with disabilities, who are still far less likely to be employed than those without a disability.

Thanks to the Biden-Harris Administration’s Investing in America agenda, we at the Commerce Department are making historic investments in everything from high-speed Internet to advanced manufacturing and climate resilience. These investments are creating hundreds of thousands of good-paying, high-quality jobs that have the potential to change lives.

To meet our goals, we need to harness the talents of all our country’s workers. Because here’s the truth: if we don’t invest in America’s workforce, we will not succeed. It’s a simple question of math. We have to fill those jobs, and we won’t be able to do that without growing our workforce, including workers with disabilities.

Tearing down barriers for people with disabilities isn’t just the right thing to do – it’s the right thing for our economy. Research suggests that GDP could increase by up to $25 billion if just an additional 1% of people with disabilities joined the labor force.

At the Commerce Department, we’re working to ensure that all Americans have access to the job training and skills they need to succeed. But we can’t do it alone. The private sector, educational institutions, and advocacy groups all have a role to play to support accessibility and inclusion. And we need you. You know the needs of the disability community better than anyone. That’s what today is all about.

By forming and fostering meaningful partnerships, we can ensure that people with disabilities have the opportunities they deserve to thrive in the 21st century economy. Please continue to work with us at the Commerce Department to uplift our communities and meet their most pressing needs. I wish you a successful summit, and I’m eager to see all that we can accomplish together.