SourceAmerica Opens 4-Day Conference as 60 Self-Advocates Press Congress on Disability Jobs
Updated
Updated · PR Newswire · Sep 14
SourceAmerica Opens 4-Day Conference as 60 Self-Advocates Press Congress on Disability Jobs
1 articles · Updated · PR Newswire · Sep 14
Summary
Washington, D.C., hosts SourceAmerica’s Sept. 14-17 Grassroots Advocacy Conference, where about 60 self-advocates with disabilities, veterans and nonprofit leaders are meeting lawmakers to push for more employment through the AbilityOne Program.
The lobbying effort targets a wide employment gap: 22.8% of people with disabilities were employed in 2025, versus 65.2% of people without disabilities, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics data cited by SourceAmerica.
FY25 results are central to the pitch: SourceAmerica said its network paid $822 million in wages on AbilityOne contracts, saved an estimated $191 million a year in federal benefit costs and generated a $2.66 return for every $1 spent administering the program.
Capitol Hill events also include a disability employment fair tied to America250 and Made in America products; SourceAmerica said 91% of AbilityOne products in its network are wholly made in America and 98% meet U.S. sourcing rules.
How can a federal disability employment program boasting massive economic returns survive recent whistleblower allegations and foreign manufacturing scandals?
Can a program claiming strict American-made compliance overcome recent audits revealing foreign products infiltrating federal buying platforms?