October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month — a time to celebrate the talents, aspirations, and dignity of people with disabilities in the workforce. Across Indiana, individuals with autism, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other challenges are ready, eager, and highly capable of meaningful work — if we as a society continue to clear away unnecessary barriers.
This year, a different headline captured my attention: President Trump’s claim that Tylenol use during pregnancy may cause autism. At first glance, that announcement has nothing to do with employment. Yet both issues are tied together by one central question:
How do we see people with disabilities?
Do we regard them as full, contributing citizens with gifts and potential? Or do we allow stigma and misinformation to reduce them to problems to be solved?
The Truth About Disability Employment
The numbers tell us the story. In 2024, the employment-population ratio for people with disabilities was 22.7%, compared with 65.5% for those without disabilities (bls.gov). In Indiana, that means thousands of capable Hoosiers remain sidelined — not by lack of ability, but by systemic barriers.
Nationally, the unemployment rate among people with disabilities was 7.5% in 2024, more than double that of workers without disabilitie (bls.gov). The good news? Over the last decade, we’ve seen a slow upward trend: in 2009, only 30% of working-age people with disabilities were employed. By 2024, that number had climbed to 38% (dol.gov).
Here in Indiana, we see hope. Employers are beginning to recognize what we at The Arc have always known: inclusion works. Inclusive workplaces are stronger, more creative, and more resilient. Supported employment programs, job coaches, and partnerships are making a difference. But the gaps remain wide — especially for people with autism, intellectual disabilities, and those transitioning out of school.
For our state to thrive, we must expand incentives for inclusive hiring, strengthen transportation and training supports, and challenge employers to open their doors wider. When a young person with autism gets hired in Indiana, it is not a charity case. It is justice. It is belonging.
The Distraction of Misinformation
Which brings me back to the Tylenol claim. In September, Trump and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced that acetaminophen use in pregnancy may be linked to autism (hhs.gov). The FDA is now reviewing label warnings.
But leading medical organizations are clear: no causal link has been confirmed (fda.gov) (abcnews.go.com). Experts warn that these claims cherry-pick data, oversimplify complex science, and risk doing more harm than good (northwestern.edu). The World Health Organization has stated plainly that several studies have found no convincing relationship (pbs.or).
Why does this matter for Disability Employment Month? Because narratives matter. And when powerful figures imply that autism is the tragic result of a mother’s Tylenol use, we reinforce harmful ideas: that autism is something to fear, prevent, or blame on parents — instead of a human variation to understand, support, and include.
This is not new. Decades ago, mothers were blamed as “refrigerator moms” who supposedly caused autism by not being affectionate enough. Today’s Tylenol claim echoes that same harmful instinct to blame, to pathologize, to reduce people to causes rather than contributors.
Meanwhile, real needs — like inclusive education, accessible transportation, and meaningful jobs — risk being drowned out by headlines about a drug that millions take safely every year.
What Story Will We Tell in Indiana?
This is why I see these two issues as inseparable. We cannot champion employment and inclusion on one hand while allowing misinformation to stigmatize the very people we claim to celebrate on the other.
So this October, I challenge us — in Indiana and beyond — to ask:
- What story will we tell about people with disabilities?
- Will we repeat myths that diminish, or will we amplify truths that affirm?
- Will we let distraction pull us away from investing in opportunity, or will we focus on inclusion, employment, and dignity?
At The Arc of Indiana, we choose the latter. We choose to see the gifts of every Hoosier. We choose to fight for opportunities, to partner with employers, and to equip families and self-advocates for success.
Call to Action
- If you are an employer in Indiana, consider opening your doors wider — commit to hiring people with disabilities this month and every month.
- If you are a community leader, speak truth when misinformation arises. Push back against fear.
- If you are a family member, know you are not alone. Together, we can shift culture from blame to belonging.
In the end, the real question is not about Tylenol. The real question is this:
Will Indiana choose to see people with disabilities as a problem to prevent — or as people to employ, embrace, and celebrate?
This Disability Employment Awareness Month, let’s choose wisely.
Marya Patrice Sherron is a dedicated advocate, a proud mother of two incredible children with disabilities, and a valued member of The Arc of Indiana’s Board of Directors.
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