Nothing about us without us

The daily experience of living with a disability is an exercise in problem solving. It requires planning every activity and goal to identify the barriers and come up with solutions. Living with a disability requires constant prioritization in use of energy, time and money. Many areas of public policy disproportionately impact people with disabilities. Policies made without disability input can have serious unintended consequences.

Now more than ever, policy makers can benefit from the knowledge and expertise of people with disabilities. Strategies for disability-related programs and services are practical, effective and yield an impact where it’s needed most.

Budget cuts.  In responding to major budget challenges, policy makers should consider that many people with disabilities rely on basic “safety net” services in order to live in the community. One-half of working-age adults living in poverty are people with disabilities. Two-thirds of those in chronic poverty (36 months or more) are people with disabilities.[1]

Employment.  The way out of poverty is employment. Work limitations due to disability affect thousands of Washingtonians who are of working age. Work brings dignity, self-respect and responsibility. Yet only 38% of working-age, non-institutionalized people with disabilities in this state are working at all, and only 24% have full-time, full-year employment. [2]

Education. Education is the great equalizer, for people with disabilities as much as for every other group struggling to overcome barriers to participation in the American Dream.   People with disabilities continue to face barriers in K-12 and higher education. More than 30% of working-age adults with disabilities in the state have no more that a high school diploma or equivalent, and only 14% have a bachelor’s degree or more, compared to 33% for those without a disability, and this discrepancy applies across all types of disabilities.[3]

Access. The Americans with Disabilities Act became law more than 20 years ago, and our state has mandated access and prohibited discrimination against people with disabilities even longer. Nonetheless, barriers to access for public services persist. Out of eight protected classes, disability accounted for 47% of complaints about discrimination in places of public accommodation. Disability was also the most prevalent basis for discrimination complaints in housing and real estate and in employment.[4]

Transportation. While buses now are usually wheelchair accessible, many people with disabilities can no longer access the community due to route cutbacks. That means no access to jobs, shopping, medical appointments, church, and visits with friends and family. People with disabilities are 40% of the people in this country who have trouble getting the transportation they need, and 54% of those who never leave their homes.[5]

Health Care. Many people with disabilities have long depended on Medicare, Medicaid, and other publicly funded health care programs. It is unknown what impact health care reform and managed care have on access to services for people who have high needs? Compared to their non-disabled peers, people with disabilities are 4 times more likely to report their health to be fair/poor and 2.5 times more likely to have unmet health care needs. . $400 billion is spent annually on disability-related health expenditures.[6]

Aging of population. The number of seniors – many of whom develop age-related disabilities – is growing, and with it the need to ensure that services and supports are available. In this state 26% of those between the ages of 65 and 74, and 52% of those 75 and older are people with disabilities.[7]