What's the Paradox of Employing People with Disabilities in US Agriculture?

Author: Pavel Kuljuk
Published: 2025/02/01
Publication Type: Opinion Piece, Editorial
Topic: United States Employment - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: This paper explores why disabled individuals in U.S. agriculture are more likely to become farm owners than employees, highlighting the need for economic incentives to boost employment.

Why it matters: This paper provides an insightful analysis into the paradoxical employment dynamics of disabled individuals in U.S. agriculture, where they are more likely to become farm owners than hired workers. Despite supportive government initiatives like AgrAbility and federal laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, which offer legal protections and accommodations, the economic incentives for employers remain insufficient. The paper suggests that without direct financial benefits for hiring disabled workers, such as cost reductions on adapted equipment, employers lack motivation to employ them, leading to a situation where only those with significant resources can afford to make accommodations. This economic disincentive highlights the need for policy changes that could make hiring disabled workers financially advantageous, potentially increasing employment opportunities in agriculture for this group - Disabled World (DW).

Introduction

In US agriculture, disabled people are more likely to become bosses than hired workers. But this happens for a bad reason. Despite great help from the government and society, employing disabled people is not really profitable for businessmen.

Main Item

Disability is not an obstacle to living in rural areas or even farming in the United States. However, do people with disabilities take full advantage of these opportunities? It is unlikely! About 13 million people with disabilities live in rural America. (1) Almost 19% of farmers, or 395,000 people, are disabled. 9% of agricultural workers, or 134,000 people, are disabled.(2)

At first glance, these seem like big numbers. But the secret is not in the numbers, but in the ratio of these numbers. As we can see, the share of disabled farmers is almost 2 times greater than the share of disabled agricultural workers. Incredible! But disabled people more often become owners of their own agricultural business than are hired to work in an agricultural business. But this is a paradox. There are usually more workers than businessmen. This is the rule of economics. But in the case of disabled people in agriculture, this rule does not work. Because the process of hiring disabled people to work in agriculture is very difficult. What is the essence of this situation? Let's try to find out.

Support for people with disabilities in U.S. agriculture has a long history. The first program was created in 1966. It was the Vermont Rural and Farm Family Vocational Rehabilitation Program.(3) This program was followed by other programs, including the well-known AgrAbility.(4) This program helps people with disabilities obtain paid employment in agricultural production and gain access to appropriate assistive technology needed for work and daily living. The program includes a special service, "The Toolbox".(5) This is a searchable database of data for assistive agricultural technology, including farm tools, equipment, machinery, and buildings for farmers and ranchers with disabilities.

In addition to such global programs, there are many small but bright initiatives aimed at helping people with disabilities. For example, in the United States, there are farms whose management pays special attention to people with disabilities and even specifically recruits people with disabilities to work. Among such farms are Mandy's Farm in New Mexico, Smile Farms in New York City, and A Farm Less Ordinary in Virginia. (6) There are other initiatives.

In addition to these initiatives, federal laws also guarantee employment assistance to people with disabilities. Details of these laws are available on the website of the Office of Disability Employment Policy. (7) The website also states,

"There are five important federal laws that protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination in employment and the job application process: Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, Civil Service Reform Act."

Thanks to the current laws, people with disabilities have excellent opportunities to get a job. For example, people with disabilities can be appointed to Federal jobs non-competitively through a process called Schedule A.(8) This can be done, including when applying for federal jobs related to agriculture.

But... As we can see, the structure of employment of disabled people in US agriculture is not typical. Although a lot of assistance has been provided to disabled people for a long time. What is the problem? The problem is not in the assistance. The problem is for whom this assistance is provided. Assistance is provided to disabled people. But disabled people looking for work are only one party concluding an employment agreement. The second party is employers. And there are problems with this group of people. Employers do not have sufficient economic interest in hiring a disabled person. Current laws only give businessmen the right not to harm the business when employing disabled people. That is, a businessman may not hire a disabled person if it is not economically feasible. Here is how it is stated on the website of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. There is a special paragraph "Reasonable Accommodation and Undue Hardship",

"When job applicants or employees request job modifications, the disability laws require employers in the private, federal, and state and local government sectors to provide reasonable accommodations (changes to the ways things are usually done) to employees and job applicants who have or had an impairment that substantially limits a major life activity, unless doing so would cause undue hardship for the employer. A reasonable accommodation can help a person with a disability apply for a job, perform the duties of a job, or enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment.

Some possible reasonable accommodations could be making the workplace accessible for wheelchair users, providing a reader or interpreter for someone who is blind or hearing impaired, making a schedule change, granting telework, allowing leave for disability-related treatment or symptoms, or reassignment to a vacant position where reasonable accommodation is not possible in the current job.

An employer doesn't have to provide an accommodation if doing so would cause undue hardship to the business. Undue hardship means that the accommodation would be too difficult or too expensive to provide, in light of the employer's size, financial resources, and the needs of the business. An employer may not refuse to provide an accommodation, however, just because it involves some cost. An employer does not have to provide the accommodation the employee or job applicant wants, as long as it provides an effective reasonable accommodation. If more than one accommodation effectively meets the disability-related needs, the employer may choose which one to provide."(9)

It would be great to create an economic incentive to employ disabled people at the legislative level. Employing disabled people should become a profitable business. A specific example might look like this. A tractor adapted for use by a disabled person should cost less than a tractor not adapted for a disabled person. A farmer, wanting to save money, will buy a tractor for a disabled person and hire a disabled person to operate this tractor.

Of course, this is a simplified scheme for the interest of business. But this is a scheme that business understands. If you want to save several tens of thousands of dollars on buying a tractor, hire a disabled person! But in real life, everything is the other way around. If a businessman is kind, he will spend several tens of thousands of dollars to adapt a tractor for a disabled person. But only those businessmen who, in addition to a kind heart, have a lot of money can do this! But if money and kind hearts are not needed to employ disabled people, then employment will be much easier. Isn't that so?

References

1) https://nasdonline.org/1823/d001767/farming-and-ranching-with-a-disability.html

2) https://www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2019/april/disabilities-in-the-u-s-farm-population

3) https://nasdonline.org/1823/d001767/farming-and-ranching-with-a-disability.html

4) http://www.agrability.org/

5) http://www.agrability.org/toolbox/

6) https://ambrook.com/research/culture/growers-developmentally-disabled

7) https://www.dol.gov/agencies/odep/publications/fact-sheets/employment-laws-disability-and-discrimination

8) https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/disability-employment/

9) https://www.eeoc.gov/disability-discrimination-and-employment-decisions

Author Credentials:
Pavel Kuljuk's articles and poems are published in Australia, North America, and Europe. In recent years, he has been constantly collaborating with Australian Rural & Regional News (Australia), Red Hook Daily Catch and OpEd News (USA), and Disabled World (Canada). Kuliuk's individual publications are in Forbes (Kazakhstan), Rural 21 (Germany), London Loves Business (UK), Karrep (India), RealClearDefense (RCD), Change Links, Daily Caller (USA), and many others. Explore for comprehensive insights into his background, expertise, and accomplishments.

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Citing Information and Page References

Disabled World (DW) is a comprehensive online resource providing information and news related to disabilities, assistive technologies, and accessibility. Founded in 2004 our website covers a wide range of topics, including disability rights, healthcare, education, employment, and independent living, with the goal of supporting the disability community and their families.

Cite This Page (APA): Kuljuk, P. (2025, February 1). What's the Paradox of Employing People with Disabilities in US Agriculture?. Disabled World (DW). Retrieved February 9, 2025 from www.disabled-world.com/disability/employment/usa/agriculture.php

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