Most people wonder, at some point in their lives, why there are so many poverty stricken people in the world. When we envision the impoverished, most picture someone unclean, unintelligent, maybe a drunk or a gambler. However, not many people realize how many of these impoverished people are living with a disability. There may not be a way to completely eliminate poverty, but one way that could contribute to a decrease in poverty is to start acknowledging the disabled people of America as being useful contributors to the workforce. In order to help decrease poverty levels in the United States, we as Americans, must help people with disabilities to better be able to contribute to society. Remember, disability is NOT inability.
This paper will examine first why disabled people in poverty is a problem. Next, it will discuss how this problem can be fixed and show how the government is not taking these necessary steps to reduce poverty among the disabled. Finally it will show how the proposed steps will help to reduce the number of disabled people in poverty if they are taken.
People with disabilities are more likely to be unemployed and under the federal poverty levels than people without disabilities. Disabled people belong to those most vulnerable, poor and excluded; and they have less assets and means to escape from poverty. In addition, “The UN Compendium, in reference to the internal consistency of survey results…goes as far as to say that ‘in many respects, the disability rate is a socioeconomic indicator, a type of poverty index, or index of development…’”. (Elwan 11) Essentially, this means that because of the preconceived notions of employers about hiring disabled workers, the social factor, disabled people tend to not get jobs, the economic factor, thus creating the socioeconomic indicator mentioned. Therefore this makes it impossible for the disabled to obtain the money and or assets needed to help them survive as well as staying out of poverty.
Social barriers are one of the main problems disabled people face. Ann Elwan, of the Social Protection Unit at The World Bank, found through her research on the economic consequences of disability, “A survey by the International Center for the Disabled concluded that ‘job discrimination remains one of the most persistent barriers to the increased employment of disabled people.’ All of these constraints can affect access to education and employment opportunities, reducing the opportunities for income enhancement as well as social participation.” (11, 27)
People who are in poverty have a greater risk of becoming disabled, or worsening their impairment if already disabled. This requires that they will need more assistance as it will be more difficult for them to find jobs due to lack of training; which in turn forces them to sink lower into the poverty levels.
(Atkins 7)
The above graph shows how disabilities and poverty are trapped together in a seemingly never-ending circle. Even though not all disabled persons live in poverty, this graph is important because, “disability is both a fundamental cause and consequence of income poverty…income poverty can limit access to health care and preventative services, and increase the likelihood that one lives and works in an environment that may negatively impact health [cause disability].” (Fremstad 1) This, along with the diagram, shows that even if one is not disabled when they enter poverty they are more likely to become disabled in poverty than they would otherwise, which would make it harder for them to find a way out of poverty given the current government programs.
The federal government should better accommodate disabled people by using some of the money set aside for disabilities as a part of President Obama’s stimulus package. This money could be used to increase the amount of income provided for those who are dependent on SSI (supplemental security insurance) and SSDI(social security disability insurance), and also by paying for the accommodations needed for disabled people to remain in the labor market. With better accommodations from the government and continued community support the disabled population will have a better chance of staying out of poverty.
The U.S. federal government is not funding all of the accommodations needed for disabled people to remain a part of the labor force. Also, the federal government is not supplying enough to those who are so severely disabled that they must depend solely on the SSI and/or SSDI income that is provided. Ann Elwan states that, “In developed countries, official programs vary in the amount and kind of assistance provided, but do not appear to result in incomes for disabled people commensurate with nondisabled peers.”(15)
Families that have at least one member who is disabled are more likely to be in poverty than those without a disabled member. “Census 2000 data indicate that 20.9 million families (28.9% of all American families) had at least one member with a disability. The data also indicate that 12.8% of families with disabled members are living in poverty, compared with 7.7% of families without disabled members.” (Meyer 1) In these situations there is at least one less person making an income and as the following evidence from Mr. Steve Gold shows; SSI (Supplemental Security Income) and SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) do not provide enough income to keep those disabled out of poverty.
“There are 3 million disabled people between 18 and 64 who receive SSI only. The monthly SSI federal payment averaged $469 a month — 43% BELOW the federal poverty level. If a person were lucky enough to live in one of the 30 states that provide both the SSI federal payment and a state optional and mandatory supplementation [SSDI] to the federal SSI payment, then their total monthly benefits are about $603 a month and still 26% BELOW the poverty level.” (Gold 1)
While President George H. W. Bush put the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) into effect in July, 1990, intending to, “remove barriers to employment by banning discrimination and mandating employer provided job accommodations.” (DeLeire 693) The intended effect was unfortunately not met as, “the ADA may have had the unintended consequence of harming the intended beneficiaries of the act by increasing the costs of employing disabled workers—leading to lower employment and deterring the hiring of disabled workers.” (DeLeire 693-694) DeLiere writes in a study published by The Journal of Human Resources that the, “study shows that employment rates for disabled men fell after the enactment of the ADA relative to the employment rates of nondisabled men.” (694) The following table shows statistics of employment versus poverty, comparing disabled Americans with nondisabled Americans.
(Stapleton 703)
If the U.S. federal government increases funding to the SSI and SSDI programs, along with funding the accommodations needed to allow the disabled to remain employed it will help to decrease the amount of disabled people in poverty. While Ann Elwan states that, “parental (especially maternal) education, awareness and access to information, dietary and food preparation habits, and the general level and coverage of primary health care have been found to have a greater (preventive) effect than any specific intervention” (22) in opposition to this plan’s intent, she also states that, “Much of the literature on policies for the disabled in developed countries focuses on the adequacy of existing income support programs,” (vi) which is in alignment with this plan in the sense that both are stating changes need to be made to the current policies in place. She also goes as far as saying, “There is an awareness that, even with the most diligent efforts of voluntary organizations, specialized ad hoc services are not reaching enough of the disabled people in poorer communities.” (25) Once again this aligns with the proposed plan that with increase funding more people will be helped.
We’ve established through discussion of evidence, that in order to help decrease poverty levels in the United States, we as Americans must help people with disabilities to better be able to contribute to society. We have proven that with increased funding from Obama’s stimulus package towards the SSI and SSDI programs, along with funding for accommodations already required by the ADA in regards to discrimination in the workplace, we will be able to decrease poverty in the United States; at least in the disabled population.
Being disabled is a hard thing to overcome. Many do not realize that they can still live a relatively normal life despite their disability. With education and training a lot of disabled people have become doctors, lawyers, and so much more. However, without the support of their communities, helping them realize their capabilities, they would not have come so far. This is why continued community support, along with the increased funding, will be beneficial to the decrease in numbers of disabled Americans in poverty.
Works Cited
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