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The State of
the Union for Americans with Disabilities
from the National
Organization on Disability <http://www.nod.org>,
January 2003
For more articles visit
www.bridges4kids.org.
America's 54
million citizens with disabilities are determined to
participate fully and equally in national and community life.
But
significant participation gaps between Americans with and
without
disabilities persist in employment, income levels, education,
community activities, political and religious life, access to
housing, transportation and healthcare, and emergency
preparedness. Closing these gaps - both through the work of
people with disabilities and the involvement of others
in our society, including the government -- is America's
Disability Agenda.
Who feels the tightening economy most? Those who have the
least
income; people with disabilities are twice as likely to live
in
poverty as other Americans. Who feels the squeeze of increased
unemployment rates first? Those with the lowest rates of
employment
and the most vulnerable jobs. Only one-third of Americans with
disabilities are working full or part time, and many lack job
security. Who will be the most vulnerable when terrorists next
strike? Those who have mobility, sensory, mental or
psychiatric
disabilities, who may be less prepared for an emergency and
may encounter barriers to evacuation. Finally, if a war
does break out in the Middle East, a large number of U.S.
forces may, like their counterparts in the Gulf War,
return with disabilities, needing their government's and
society's support to rebuild their lives.
In his January 28 State of the Union Address, President George
W.
Bush will address many issues of importance to this country.
We hope
the President will use this opportunity to focus public
attention on
topics that are in the minds of America's disability community
--
roughly one- fifth of this nation's population -- and share
with the
country a commitment to improve their lives. The
nonpartisan appeal of maximizing the participation and
contribution of people with disabilities is compelling.
Beyond the President and his administration, we look to
government
leaders at all levels to recognize and advance efforts that
will
benefit their constituents who have disabilities. Every member
of the
newly elected Congress, as well as each official at the state,
regional, and local levels, has a constituency, roughly 20
percent of
whom have disabilities. When civic leaders understand the
issues that touch our lives and are dedicated to their
constituents, Americans with disabilities benefit.
The disabilities that Americans live with run a wide gamut,
including
mental, physical, and sensory conditions. These conditions
vary in
degrees of severity, and can be caused by any number of
factors,
including genetics, illness, age, violence, and accidents.
Their
common definition is that they in some way limit a person's
ability to
participate fully in one or more major life activities. No one
should
dismiss disability issues as irrelevant, for anyone can
join the disability community in an instant.
The year 2002 was a difficult year for the nation as a
whole and the disability community in particular. While the
security
concerns initiated by the terrorist attacks of the previous
fall, the
war on terrorism, and heightened international tensions
preoccupied
much of the nation, the recession and record budget shortfalls
in many
states have strained certain sectors of society. Particularly
hurt by
the recent economic difficulties have been people with
disabilities, many of whom rely on services that have
been scaled back or cut entirely from recent budgets. At
the beginning of 2003 this is an urgent concern.
EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS: A NEW NATIONAL PRIORITY
All Americans learned the importance of emergency preparedness
in the
wake of September 11, and the nation has worked for the past
16 months
to become better prepared
-- not only for terrorist attacks, but for any emergency
that might arise. No population segment needs to make such
preparations more than people with disabilities. Our survival
is
contingent upon making plans and preparations that accommodate
the
needs of our varied disabilities. The most important planning
is done
for the buildings, facilities and communities where people go
about
their daily lives.
According to a late 2001 Harris Poll survey released by the
National
Organization on Disability (N.O.D.), 58 percent of people with
disabilities do not know whom to contact about emergency plans
for
their community in the event of a terrorist attack or other
man-made
or natural crisis. Sixty-one percent have not made plans to
quickly
and safely evacuate their home. Among those who are employed
full or
part time, 50 percent say no plans have been made to safely
evacuate their workplace.
These percentages are notably higher than for those without
disabilities. While the country as a whole has much catching
up to do
in order to be prepared for emergencies, people with
disabilities and
emergency preparedness officials at all levels need to focus
on this
issue.
Intense national planning for emergencies is needed. This
requires
the enthusiastic cooperation of the government, business, and
communities. People with disabilities should not only be
considered
as beneficiaries of emergency preparedness plans devised by
others-they also belong in the planning meetings, contributing
their
unique perspectives, insights and experiences, so the
resulting
plans will be the best for all Americans. People with
disabilities must be included in community preparedness
committees across the nation and at the highest levels of
government planning.
EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES START PRODUCTIVE LIVES
Throughout the world, America is regarded as the land of
opportunity.
Opportunity begins with education. Unfortunately, young people
with
disabilities are more than twice as likely to drop out of high
school,
and only half as likely to complete college as other American
youths. Education for students with disabilities is a
critical priority. Students with special needs deserve the
chance to develop their skills and their minds so they can
be prepared for the workforce of the future. In the first
decade of the new millennium, America should dramatically
increase opportunities for students with disabilities.
Tremendous progress has been made in "mainstreaming"
students with disabilities since the Individuals with
Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) was first introduced nearly three decades
ago.
IDEA reauthorization is on the agenda of the 108th Congress as
it
convenes and we look to our legislators to assure this
important
legislation continues to maximize students' opportunities.
Mainstreaming is a win/win situation that increases
opportunities for
those students, and interacting also acclimates other students
to
their peers who have disabilities. Youngsters who have friends
and
acquaintances with disabilities learn to see beyond the
disability and to focus on the whole person. They grow up
expecting to interact with diverse people in the
workforce and in their communities, dissolving prejudices
and stereotypes in the process.
LOW EMPLOYMENT LEVELS IMPACT MANY ASPECTS OF LIFE
The slowing economy was a significant issue before
September 11, 2001, and people with disabilities were at a
disadvantage. Lower rates of employment, and lower earnings
among
those who are employed, limit many people's opportunities.
This
situation has become more critical since September 11, 2001.
Only 32 percent of Americans with disabilities of working
age are employed full or part time. That number is in
contrast to 81 percent of Americans without disabilities,
according to the comprehensive N.O.D./Harris Survey of
Americans with Disabilities. It is a national tragedy that,
a dozen years after the passage of the Americans with
Disabilities Act, which promised to remove barriers to
employment, the vast majority of Americans with
disabilities remain unemployed. This is not by choice; two
out of three who are not employed say they would prefer to
be working. Any efforts that lead to their becoming
employed are good investments that will benefit these
individuals, the workforce, and the economy.
Too often, even when people with disabilities find jobs,
they are low-level, low-paying jobs. Yet it is well documented
that
employers find workers with disabilities excel at many levels.
President Bush made a commitment to greater employment for
people with
disabilities in the New Freedom Initiative (see below). Last
year, in
our State of the Union 2002, we called on the President and
Congress
to keep employment a priority, and to lead an effort toward
the
national goal of 50 percent employment in the next decade.
While this
goal may be difficult to achieve, the economic benefit to the
nation would be considerable.
It is not surprising, given the lower rate of employment
for people with disabilities, that a notable income gap exists
between
those with and without disabilities. People who have
disabilities are
roughly three times as likely to live in poverty, with 29
percent
having annual household incomes below the poverty level.
Conversely,
people with disabilities are less than half as likely to live
in
households that earn more than $50,000 annually. This
income gap contributes to and compounds the disadvantages
that people with disabilities face in all aspects of life.
With every passing year, newer and often increasingly
affordable
technology makes it easier, or makes it possible, for people
with
disabilities to expand their independence. Technological
advances
from the Internet, to screen reading and voice recognition
software,
to wireless phone technology, to advances that can enhance
people's
ability to sense and move and even prolong life, make this
a promising era for people with disabilities. This
can be a time of boundless possibilities for people with
disabilities, if such technologies are made available so
that people can use them to maximize their potential as
students, workers, and community members. The more that
governments on all levels and corporations invest in these
tools for the disability community, the more they can
increase independence and facilitate full participation in
and contribution to American life.
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES FEEL ISOLATION IN THEIR
COMMUNITIES
It is in the communities of America that people with
disabilities go
about their lives, and where progress is realized. The N.O.D./Harris
Survey of Community Participation finds that people with
disabilities
feel more isolated from their communities, participate in
fewer
community activities, and are less satisfied with their
community participation than their counterparts who do not
have disabilities. At a time when community budgets
are being cut, the quality of life for citizens with
disabilities is further threatened.
Thirty-five percent of people with disabilities say they
are not at all involved with their communities or local
organizations,
compared to 21 percent of their non-disabled counterparts.
They feel
more isolated from others and more left out than those without
disabilities.
While people with disabilities need to be more assertive
and reach out, mayors and other community leaders have a
responsibility to make sure their communities are livable
places for
all their residents, including those with disabilities. Many
community leaders are demonstrating commitment because they
recognize
that close to 20 percent of their citizens have disabilities.
Most
members of the community live with or know relatives and
friends with
disabilities.
Access to faith and religious life is important for many
Americans.
Yet there is a serious gap in the levels of religious
participation
between people with and without disabilities. All
congregations
should wish to make a sincere commitment to be welcoming to
people
with disabilities. To do so, they must commit to identifying
and
removing barriers of architecture, communications and
attitudes that prevent people with disabilities from
having a full life of faith.
ACCESS TO HOUSING , TRANSPORTATION AND HEALTH CARE FREE PEOPLE
TO BE
PRODUCTIVE
Living independently is the goal of most Americans with
disabilities,
but several challenges must be met to achieve that
independence.
People who have disabilities often have insufficient access to
affordable housing, transportation, and health care, which
prevents
them from being productive citizens and fully participating in
the
lives of their communities.
Many Americans with disabilities, faced with both
underemployment and
accessibility needs, are desperate for suitable, affordable
housing.
We call on the states and communities to increase the
production of
affordable, accessible housing units for those who need them.
Thirty percent of people with disabilities cite
insufficient access to transportation as a problem -- three
times the
rate of the non-disabled. This gap affects many other areas of
participation by people with disabilities, and creates a
"catch-22"
situation: How can one have a job if one cannot get to it? How
can one
afford transportation if one does not have a job? There is an
urgent
need for more and better disability-friendly transportation in
the cities and towns of America.
Health care is also less accessible to Americans with
disabilities,
who often are the citizens needing it most. Due in large part
to their
limited employment and reduced discretionary income, people
with
disabilities are more than twice as likely to delay needed
health care
because they cannot afford it. People with disabilities are
disproportionately affected by changes in policies in
Medicare, Medicaid, and prescription drug benefits.
The current trend toward cost-sharing by employees for
medical care is a particular burden for lower income
employees, many of whom have disabilities. There is a
critical need at this time for further legislation
to protect people with disabilities who need medical
treatment and to aid them in getting their medications. No
one has a greater stake in the national dialogue now under
way about health care issues than people with disabilities,
virtually all of whom are directly impacted.
When concerns about housing, transportation and healthcare are
diminished, Americans with disabilities are freed to focus on
participating in and contributing to the lives of their
communities
and their nation.
A BREAKTHROUGH FOR VOTER RIGHTS
Many years of hard work and intense debate resulted in a
groundbreaking vote reform law that Congress passed and the
President
signed last fall. The Help America Vote Act of 2002 will
benefit
voters and potential voters with disabilities. This bill will
move us
dramatically toward our goals of increased registration, voter
turnout, and polling place and voting machine accessibility
for
America's disability community. In addition to improving
the voting system in ways that will be appreciated by all
voters, this legislation mandates and provides funding for
accessibility for millions of American voters who have
disabilities.
Important provisions in the bill that will benefit the
disability
community include: requiring at least one voting machine that
is
accessible to people with disabilities at each polling place;
providing funding to buy and retire punch-card and lever
voting
machines in favor of more user- friendly ones; earmarking $100
million
to make polling places accessible for voters with
disabilities;
funding research for new voting technologies; and funding
state protection and advocacy systems' work to help
individuals register to vote, access polling places, and
cast votes.
This bill, in the tradition of other civil rights laws,
will only succeed if it is properly funded and effectively
enforced.
It is our hope that jurisdictions will move faster than the
law
mandates. Installation of an accessible voting machine at each
polling place, for example, is not required until 2006, but
nothing is
gained by delay, except the deferment of people's right to
vote.
None of the barriers that have kept citizens with
disabilities from voting should be allowed to remain by the
time of the 2004 Presidential election. The disability
community calls on the government at all levels to ensure
these obstacles are removed.
LEGISLATION SECURES AND ADVANCES OUR RIGHTS
President George H.W. Bush, father of the current
President, pledged his support for the Americans with
Disabilities Act
(ADA) when he was a candidate in 1988. Polls showed he was
aided in
his bid for the presidency by the support of many in the
disability
community, and he rewarded them for their support by signing
the
landmark legislation on July 26, 1990.
Now more than 12 years old, the ADA has firmly established the
civil
rights of Americans with disabilities, and it has proven
popular with
the nation. A Harris Poll study commissioned by the National
Organization on Disability in the summer of 2002 found that 77
percent
of Americans were familiar with the law, and of those, 93
percent said
they approve of and support it.
However, even while public awareness and support for the
ADA are at record levels, several Supreme Court cases in
the past year have been seen as weakening it. Congressman
Steny Hoyer
and others have raised the question of whether the ADA needs
to be
reviewed and strengthened. If its authors' clear
intention-making the
nation a better and fairer place for those with disabilities
to
live-is not being honored, legislative action to preserve
and protect our civil rights law is indeed needed.
The first Bush Administration helped the ADA become the law of
the
land. We now look to the second Bush Administration to speak
out
against anything that weakens the law, and to rededicate the
Justice
Department to its effective enforcement. Our country's
strength
depends upon it.
We urge the President and state governors to nominate, and our
legislators to approve, judges and other officials who have
demonstrated a dedication to enforcing the ADA and to
promoting,
rather than questioning, the rights of individuals with
disabilities.
In his second week in office, President Bush sent a strong
message of
support for America's Disability Agenda by announcing the New
Freedom
Initiative. Coming a decade after his father signed the
Americans
with Disabilities Act, the New Freedom Initiative lays out an
ambitious agenda for progress. The New Freedom Initiative
holds much
promise. But to be truly successful, and to be a hallmark
of this Administration, the New Freedom Initiative's goals
must be shared with the nation and implemented
legislatively. Interrupted by the aftermath of September 11
and an economic recession, the New Freedom Initiative has
had only limited impact to date.
The issues that the New Freedom Initiative addresses remain
pressing
ones, and we look to the President to advance them in the
second half
of his term. This month's proposal in the FY 2004 budget of
$1.75
billion to help people with disabilities transition from
institutions
to community living is one example of a major project that can
make
the New Freedom Initiative a noteworthy advance.
FULFILLING AMERICA'S DISABILITY AGENDA TO CLOSE THE GAPS
A clear majority of people with disabilities, 63 percent,
say that life has improved for the disability community in the
past
decade. But when asked about their own life satisfaction, only
33
percent say they are very satisfied with their life in
general-half as
many as among those without disabilities. There is much room
for
improvement, and the disability community looks to the
President and his Administration, the Congress, and
all those in a position of community leadership to work
proactively and productively with us to ensure that people
with disabilities are participating fully in national and
community life.
America is in many ways the world leader in access,
opportunity, and
inclusion of people with disabilities. Much progress has been
made,
and many walls of exclusion have been leveled. People with
disabilities celebrate the progress of this nation, and remain
dedicated to the vision of a day when all people, no matter
how they
are born or what conditions they acquire, will be full and
equal
participants in American life. Moving America's disability
agenda forward will enhance the State of the Union for all
Americans, both with and without disabilities.
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