A new report from the United States Department of Labor issued last Tuesday, June 21 showed that for working-age persons with disabilities, rates of employment and labor-force participation are rising. The numbers for both metrics increased between 2014 and 2015 after steady dips following the economic recession.

For instance, disabled men who are between the ages of 16 and 64 saw their employment-to-population ratio decline to an average of 28.1% in 2014, down from 31.7% in 2009. For their non-disabled counterparts, the same measure plunged in 2010 and has climbed each year after that. Cornell University and University of Texas at Austin economist Richard Burkhauser said that even though 2015 showed positive developments for employment and labor-force participation among the disabled, there is still a long-term trend of decreasing employment for those with disabilities.

Employees should be protected from employers who violate their rights or discriminate against them for having a disability. If you feel you were discriminated against because of your disability, get in touch with an attorney at The Melton Law Firm by calling our office at (512) 330-0017. We may be able to help you fight for compensation against disability discrimination.

As of Monday, June 6, Texas has 12 cities with populations of more than 100,000 that have instituted legislation that establishes protection for residents or city employees based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The newest addition to this list is the city of Mesquite.

For more than ten years, Dallas, Fort Worth, and Austin have held ordinances that protect members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transsexual community from discrimination in employment, housing choices, and public spaces like restaurants and public transportation. Of Texas’ major cities, it is Houston that does not want to budge. On November 3, 2015, 61% of voters in Houston voted against a measure that established discrimination protection for LGBT residents. LGBT employees in Houston are now protected by a nondiscrimination measure only via an executive order. Fort Worth was the first city in Texas to institute protection for all individuals based on sexual orientation in 2000, which it expanded to include gender identity in 2009.

If you have faced discrimination on the basis of gender or sexual orientation, the attorneys at The Melton Law Firm may be able to help you receive compensation. Contact us at (512) 330-0017 to discuss your personal situation.