Workforce Participation, Shortages, and The Latinos with IDD in Oregon

Introduction

UNIDOS U.S. estimates that 30% of the U.S. workforce will be Latino by 2050 (UNIDOS U.S., “Monthly Report, June 2014”). In its 2023 report to the Joint Means and Ways Subcommitte, Oregon Department of Human Services (“ODHS”) stated “community employment is a goal for everyone” (ODHS, “ODHS Presentation to the 2024 Joint Ways and Means Subcommitte on Human Service”, 2023, p.15). However, Latinos, and individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDD), are historically underrepresented in Oregon’s workforce. This report seeks to illuminate why this is the case, and provide recommendations for a solution.

Challenges Identified:

1. Latinos Are Underrepresented In ODDS Provision Of Employment Services

• Latinos account for 14% of Oregon’s population. Yet, they are underrepresented: according to ODHS’ 2023 report, 5.4% of individuals enrolled in ODDS are Latino. They also scored 2nd-lowest in ODDS’ disproportionality metric. (ODHS, “ODHS Presentation…”).

2. Cultural Barriers Provoke Decreased Engagement                                        

• 28% of individuals with IDD have never held a job and unemployment is triple that of people without IDD. Latinos with IDD experience notable hindrances to entering the workforce, including linguistic challenges, cultural barriers, and differing perceptions of IDD in the Latino community. (CBCIDD, “Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and employment”).

3. Rates Of Disengagment May Be Higher Than Reported

• The Kuni Foundation argues that “Research on the prevalence of IDD among adults is outdated and an inadequate foundation for assessing baseline conditions or making policy”. If using 25-year-old calculation methods, “the Larson method”, 26,600 Oregonian adults live with IDD. The report proceeds to quote a 2015 Ohio study that suggests an updated calculation method. Extrapolating it to Oregon suggests a total population of adults with IDD of 138,000. (Kuni Foundation, “Housing Needs for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities”, Page iii).
• Which is correct? In 2023, ODDS reported it serves 22,905 adults. Using the smaller figure, Oregon serves about 88% of adults with IDD. Extrapolating from the Ohio study, which is less established, it is 17%. This is closer to the Residential Information Systems Project’s estimate of  22% being of individuals with IDD ‘known’ by their state agency. (RISP, “People with IDD in the United States”, 2019).
• We also believe that uncertainty about eligibility due to immigration status, language barriers, cultural attitudes to retaining people within IDD within the home, a focus on care within the family, and lack of similar services in Latin countries, are responsible for higher rates of disengagement among Latinos, and probably more than reported. ODDS can increase overall engagement rates by reaching underserved Latino populations.

4. Greater Engagement Is Necessary To Meet Demographic Shifts

• Latinos are the fastest-growing ethnic group in Oregon. A continued disproportionality of Latino engagement over the following decades will lower ODDS overall engagement rates as demographics shift. In 1980, 2% of people in Oregon identified as Hispanic or Latino; today, 14% do. In Portland alone, “the Hispanic/Latino population segment is expected to add another 665,000 people by 2060, the largest increase in a race or ethnic population. Whites will grow by another 285,000 followed by another 250,000 Asians”. (Oregon Government, “2060 Growth Forecast”).  ODDS must improve culturally competent support to new Latino populations to maintain and improve population engagement metrics and Service Equity.
• According to ODHS’ “Lane and Brown Settlement Report”, in 2022, ODDS provided Employment Services to 7,000 people. (ODHS, “Lane v. Brown Settlement Agreement Report”, 2022) In the same year, 1,356 were found to be in “Competitive Integrated Employment”. This leaves significant scope for improvements in two areas. The first is raising the number of Latinos engaged with ODDS overall, and therefore, Employment Services; the second is the conversion from engagement with Employment Services, such as Vocational Rehab, and entering employment, which this project could help close.

5. Culturally Competent Services Are Required To Engage More Latinos

• Culturally competent content and resources are necessary to maximize the efficiency of ODDS Latino engagement, such as the Model Employer Program, Healthier Oregon, and Language Support in Employment Services. In 1980, 2.5% of Oregonians spoke Spanish at home. (Axios Portland, “Portland is becoming more multilingual”, 2023). Today, 8% do so. In Multnomah, Oregon’s most diverse county, 11% of residents speak Spanish at home, almost 400% more than the next largest linguistic group, Vietnamese. (State of Oregon Employment Department, “Languages spoken in Multnomah County”). We acknowledge that ODDS provides translations of posters, social media pages, websites, and more; this is greater support than many other states. That said, given low Latino engagement compared to other ethnicities, we believe cultural competency can be more easily achieved if content for this platform is first written in Spanish, and includes linguistic idiosyncrasies, cultural references, and champions from within the Latino community.
• Not all Latinos can speak Spanish and some face discrimination for being unable to do so. (Pew Research Center, Latinos’ Views and Experiences With the Spanish Language”, 2023). We will investigate if the site should also be in English to fully-serve the community. We do believe more Spanish language content is necessary to promote Service Equity and inclusion, particularly amongst a cultural group with poor dispropritionality metrics and a growing immigrant population who may speak only Spanish. For instance, the “I Work We Succeed” campaign appears to only feature case studies in English. However, we will thoroughly examine if the site should be bilingual through working with Latino cultural advisors and other stakeholders.

Recommendations

We recommend public health providers in Oregon, and beyond to produce:

• Research to:
  • Understand the impact of immigration and immigration status on Latino  engagement.
  • Analyze Latino engagement with Employment Services compared to other ethnicities.
  • Understand regional needs and capacity.
  • Make quantitative and qualitivate data analysis.
  • Engage stakeholders.
  • Benchmark capacity against other states.
  • Discover knowledge gaps to create appropriate content towards.
  • Understand how to maximize site accessibility, and cultural competency.
• A website with guides on entering the workforce, finding a job, and linked opportunities.
• An FAQ section answering uncertainties on elgibility for services per immigration status, how to access services, etc
• Success stories of individuals who have successfully entered the workforce.
• A database of friendly employers willing and ready to hire Latinos with IDD.
• A Facebook and Instagram page promoting the site’s content on social media, including paid advertising campaigns and stakeholder partnerships to drive site engagagment.

Summary

To achieve health equity, its essential for public health bodies in Oregon to consider the effects of demographic changes, particularly when it comes to individuals with IDD. Our research shows that Latinos in Oregon face systematic barriers to receiving appropriate care. We propose this is similar in many other states, and urge a reconsideration of the resources and support available to this group.

Please get in touch with feedback on this briefing, or change suggestions based on your lived experience of the issues mentioned. We are open to ideas on how to advance health equity for everyone, and in this case, particularly Latinos with IDD.