By: Jade Gingerich, Elise Gurney, and Dalton Goble
Changing Maryland for the better, especially for people with disabilities, is an ongoing commitment for Jade Gingerich. Jade is the Director of Employment Policy at the Maryland Department of Disabilities. She is also a member of the Center for Advancing Policy on Employment for Youth (CAPE-Youth) National Working Group on Youth Transition, where she engages with other policymakers to discuss and share best practices around supporting youth and young adults with disabilities (Y&YADs) in their transitions to the workforce. In honor of Women’s History Month, Jade sat down for an interview with CAPE-Youth to discuss her leadership in the field of disability employment policy.
Tell us about your career journey and what led you to become the Director of Employment Policy at the Maryland Department of Disabilities.
I met someone who was an actor and ended up volunteering at the Model Secondary School for the Deaf, voicing their musicals, and coordinating a social club for young adults with disabilities. [At the same time I was] working and pursuing my master’s degree in Special Education with a specialization in Transition Services. I was working at the Clearinghouse on Postsecondary Education for Individuals with Disabilities when I saw an ad for Executive Director of the Maryland’s Governor’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities (GCEPD). GCEPD was part of the Governor’s Office for Individuals with Disabilities which was elevated and became the Maryland Department of Disabilities in 2004, and my position was transitioned into the Director of Employment Policy.
What is your favorite part about working in the disability employment policy field?
[My favorite parts] are the sheer variety of the work and being able to support emerging leaders, particularly minorities with disabilities. The barriers that exist are many: transportation, education, housing, healthcare, employer engagement and more. I love the opportunity to collaborate and work across partners for meaningful systems change for all individuals with disabilities. No two days are the same!
What are some of the biggest and most unique obstacles that women with disabilities face?
In addition to the inequalities they face as women in the workplace, women with disabilities have the added layer of misperceptions regarding the skills and abilities of people with disabilities. Moreover, expectations related to gender, such as those regarding childcare and occupational stereotypes, further impede access to education and careers, making women with disabilities more likely to be underemployed.
What has been your biggest career and/or personal achievement?
I am incredibly proud of the theatre company I created and ran for several years for individuals with and without disabilities, in particular the production of the musical “WORKING” by Studs Terkel. It really reflected my personal passion and professional values. In terms of my professional accomplishments, there are many, but of note are co-founding Maryland’s Youth Leadership Forum, co-chairing the workgroup to eliminate subminimum wage in Maryland, and serving as project director for Maryland’s Promoting the Readiness of Minors in Supplemental Security Income (PROMISE) grant, which was a large-scale research initiative to improve the education and employment outcomes of youth and their families that rely on Social Security Income (SSI).
What advice would you give young women about entering the workforce? What advice would you give to women who want to pursue your career?
The only failed job is one from which nothing has been learned. Get as much work experience as possible while in high school and college. Internships are great ways to build your network and your resume. Also understand the difference between being an external advocate who has the freedom to make statements and take any position you want, versus working for the government, where you need to figure out how to make the case and bring well-researched and well-thought-out solutions that satisfy multiple key stakeholders and their limitations, whether by federal law, funding, or other parameters. Don’t expect change to happen fast and be prepared to have to try multiple times, in different ways, before finding the right combination.
What inspires you?
I’m inspired by youth and their ability to embrace diversity of all kinds, particularly those self-advocates who are speaking up and out with pride, embracing and celebrating all facets of their being.
Jade’s push for progress demonstrates her commitment to honoring and embracing diversity, her collaborative leadership style, and her patience in pursuing complex and slow-moving systems change. Her approach serves as a model not just for women, but for all policymakers involved in disability policy. Much of Jade’s work concerns evidence-based practices to improve employment outcomes for people with disabilities across states. For example, Jade’s efforts to remove the various barriers to employment that people with disabilities face – including transportation, housing, and healthcare – align with the “Connecting Activities” component of CAPE-Youth’s evidence-based Guideposts for supporting Y&YADs in their transitions. In addition, her work to eliminate the subminimum wage in Maryland fits into a larger, nationwide movement to promote competitive integrated employment for people with disabilities.
Check here to learn more about the Maryland Department of Disabilities’ mission statement and various programs and services.
