People with disabilities experienced an unemployment rate nearly 74 percent higher than the rate for people with no disabilities for the first quarter of 2012. The rate now stands at 14.6 percent, compared to 8.4 percent for people with no disabilities.

The findings are from Allsup, a provider of Social Security disability representation and Medicare plan selection services. Allsup has been conducting this quarterly study since the first quarter of 2009.

"People with disabilities often face a much greater challenge in securing employment," said Paul Gada, personal financial planning director for the Allsup Disability Life Planning Center. "Their health condition may make it difficult to continue to work for extended periods, or it worsens so they are forced out of the labor market entirely."