Poverty and Disability: Addressing the Challenge of Inequality

an article by Carolyn Hughes (Vanderbilt University, Nashville, USA) published in Career Development and Transition for Exceptional Individuals Volume 36 Number 1 (May 2013)

Abstract

Living in poverty increases the likelihood that students with disabilities will experience poor post-school outcomes, including unemployment, underemployment, and limited postsecondary education.

The effects of the intersection of poverty and disability persist into adulthood where the employment rate for adults with disabilities is only one fourth that of individuals without disabilities.

For close to 50 years, federal legislation has attempted to address the educational and economic disparities faced by students with disabilities and those growing up in poverty.

In keeping with the focus of the civil rights movement and the Occupy Wall Street protests on the social and economic inequalities prevalent in the United States, policy directly addressing educational inequities is recommended to improve the daily lives and postschool outcomes of students with disabilities and those who are living in poverty.

Data for the UK can be found at the Office for Disability Issues at the DWP

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