MILLENNIALS
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AT
LADD
SERVING A NEW GENERATION
I
t is the end of 2015, and while sadly we may not have
the hover boards that Back to the Future promised us,
it has still been a big year. 2015 marked LADD’s 40th
anniversary serving the Cincinnati community, meaning
that LADD was founded before the generation known
as ‘millennials’ was even born. Age gap or not, millennials
are making their mark on LADD, just as LADD works to
best serve the new generation.
In a 2014 article, the Brookings Institute
identified some key facts about millennials. By
2025, millennials will make up as much as 75%
of the workforce in the United States. By 2020,
as many as 1 in 3 adult Americans will be
a millennial.
Additionally, surveys show that the new generation has
slightly different values. One difference of note: the
generation is significantly less money motivated than
others; millennials want to make money, certainly, but
they want to do so with work that is meaningful to them,
even if that hurts their bank accounts.
For millennials with disabilities, the last few decades
have brought rapid change. David Robinson, Executive
Director of LADD, notes that “there are so many more
opportunities available than 30 years ago.” When
LADD was founded, the industry was just starting
to look at more options, and people with disabilities
started becoming more empowered to make choices for
themselves.” Now, millennials with disabilities fully expect
the same education as their peers and the opportunity to
pursue a fulfilling career. )