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Emma Reust Jen Todd English 9 8 October 2009 Disability and Poverty Most people who are living in poverty have one or more disabilities. Many people are not aware that disabled people make up such a huge percentage of people living in poverty. According to Why Taking Disability into Account is Essential to Reducing Income Poverty and Expanding Economic Inclusion by Shawn Fremstad, People with disabilities account for a larger share of those experiencing income poverty than people in any single minority or ethnic group (or, in fact, all minority ethnic and racial groups combined). There are many factors that contribute to people with disabilities living in poverty. If we are ever going to fix this problem, we need to understand and recognize all these factors. A twenty-year-old worker has a three in ten chance of becoming disabled before reaching the age of 65. Of those with disabilities, 28.8% are living in poverty. Living in poverty can limit access to health care which can make it easier to become disabled. Once you are in this situation, it is nearly impossible to get out of it. It is extremely hard to find a well-paying job if you have a disability. Government assistance doesnt give you enough money to let you build savings or to improve your economic status. Many non-working adults with a disability (20.1%) do not look for work because they fear losing their health insurance or Medicaid. Social Security attempts to encourage people to return to work but if they do they may lose their insurance or Medicaid while looking for a job.

Reust,2 Many people with disabilities require daily medication, routine visits to the doctor, or regular treatment with other therapies. All of these are very expensive if not covered by insurance or Medicaid. This situation discourages people with disabilities from searching for jobs and keeps them well below the poverty line. Social Security Disability Insurance pays a monthly check to people who have worked a certain amount of time and then cannot work because of a disability. The problem is that the amount that they pay is not enough to live above the poverty line. A qualifying disability is defined in the following way: you cannot do the work that you did before, you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition and your disability has lasted or is expected to last for one year or to result in death. People who fit this definition are stuck depending on SSDI for their monthly income. They are then trapped in poverty for however long their disability lasts. One of the ways that we can reduce the number of people living in poverty with a disability is to end poverty all together, although that seems impossible. Disability and poverty is a never ending spiral. If you live in poverty you are more at risk of an injury that may result in a disability. If you have a disability you are more likely to live in poverty because of all the expenses that come with having a disability or because they are physically unable to work because of a disability. Another way that we could reduce the number of people living in poverty with a disability is to change the way the system works. The way that SSDI, SSI and other Government assistance for people with disables works is to pay them a certain amount of money every month. The minimum amount paid is not enough to live above the poverty line. If a person who is getting benefits from the Government tries to get a job they will lose all the benefits that they are

Reust,3 getting. The value of the benefits that a person receives is sometimes more than the monthly income amount. A way that we could fix this problem would be to allow people to make a livable income above the poverty level and receive health benefits from the Government at the sometime. There are many factors that make it difficult to have a disability and make enough money to live above the poverty line. The Government makes it difficult to work and take good care of yourself at the same time. If you have a disability and are living in poverty it is nearly impossible to get out of it.

Reust,4 Works Cited "Being American: The Way Out of Poverty." World Institute on Disability . N.p., n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2009. <http://www.wid.org/programs/california-work-incentives-initiative/ public-policyactivities/being-american-the-way-out-of-poverty>.

"The Confluence of Poverty and Disability." Housingforall.org. Dan Atkins & Christie Guisti, n.d. Web. 8 Oct. 2009. <http://www.housingforall.org/rop0304%20poverty%20and%20disability.pdf>.

"Disability Planner." Social Security Online. Social Security Online, 1 Apr. 2009. Web. 7 Oct. 2009. <http://www.ssa.gov/dibplan/index.htm>.

"Federal Policies Keep People with Disabilities in a 'Poverty Trap,' say Cornell Experts in Urging Major Reforms." Cornell University News Service. N.p., 31 Aug. 2005. Web. 8 Oct. 2009. <http://www.news.cornell.edu/stories/Aug05/disability.poverty.ssl.html>.

"Half in Ten Why Taking Disability into Account is Essential to Reducing Income Poverty and Expanding Economic Inclusion." Center for Economic and Policy Research. Shawn Fremstad, Sept. 2009. Web. 8 Oct. 2009. <http://www.cepr.net/documents/publications/ poverty-disability2009-09.pdf>.