Living with a Disability

 

You might know . . .

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was intended to prohibit discrimination and to ensure equal opportunity under the law for persons with disabilities.

But maybe you’ve never thought about . . .

The civil rights of persons with disabilities are still alarmingly contested. Persons living with disabilities are victims of abuse and crime at higher rates and are unemployed at higher rates than the nondisabled. Assumptions built into the architecture of our buildings and the structure of our society prevent persons with disabilities from being able to participate. There is no single social or fiscal program that covers care for persons living with disabilities, so families are often strained by having to create a patchwork of care.

“Every one of us is different in some way, but for those of us who are more different, we have to put more effort into convincing the less different that we can do the same things they can, just differently.”

Marlee Matlin

Persons with disabilities suffer violent victimization at 3 times the rate of persons without disabilities. Individuals with cognitive disabilities experience the most violent victimization among persons with disabilities.

Source: US Department of Justice

 

60% of students with disabilities report experiencing regular bullying, compared with 25% of all students.

Source: The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability

 

The rate of unemployment of persons with disabilities has actually increased after the passage of the ADA.

 

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Spend a day or two shadowing a person living with a disability. Make note of unmet accessibility needs. Then advocate for better accessibility in your community.
• Get involved with the Institute for Human Centered Design and push for the adoption of universal design in your community spaces.
• Advocate for universal health care and universal basic income, both of which would provide a much-needed safety net for persons with disabilities.

Children with disabilities are 2.9 times more likely to experience sexual violence than their peers.

Source: The Arc’s National Center on Criminal Justice and Disability

 

REFLECTION & JOURNAL SPACE

• Do you think of ability and disability in utilitarian terms, meaning those who produce less are valued less? If so, how can you reframe that thinking to see value in neuro- and physical diversity?
• Are persons with disabilities represented in your workplace? (Remember, not all disability is visible.) If not, what institutional barriers are in place?