NCIL - The National Council on Independent Living

Breaking Down Barriers: Connecting People With Disabilities To Economic Opportunity

One of the untold stories in America is the relationship between poverty and disability. Working-age Americans with moderate disabilities are almost 30 percent more likely to live in poverty than Americans without disabilities. Americans with significant disabilities are 225 percent more likely to live in poverty. The barriers that separate people with disabilities from economic opportunity are some of the same barriers that divide the Two Americas. John Edwards believes in One America, where every person has the chance to live up to his or her potential. Edwards has announced a series of proposals to break down the barriers to opportunity at school, at work and at home. [Census Bureau, 2007]

Education is America's sturdiest ladder of opportunity, but for many of the more than 5 million school-age children with disabilities, that ladder is missing several rungs. Edwards supports a steady path toward fully funding the federal share of special education costs and will enforce the right to receive a free and appropriate education in schools that are fully accessible – starting with quality early childhood education that is inclusive of all children, regardless of disability or their learning style, and continuing with individualized education programs when requested and classroom materials and technology that are accessible to all students. [Census Bureau, 2007]

Edwards' Breaking Down Barriers initiative will help high school and college students with disabilities find internships and mentors so they can gain work experience and skills, and receive educational guidance while obtaining valuable skills and contacts for finding a job after graduation.

Only 69 percent of people with disabilities say they have an adequate way to get to a job. Edwards will invest in accessible mass transit and improve mobility for people with disabilities in rural areas by encouraging automakers to make an affordable vehicle that meets the needs of people who use mobility devices like wheelchairs, increasing funding for and oversight of paratransit services and working with states to waive fees for electronic toll collection passes (e.g., EZ-PASS) for low-income Americans with disabilities. [NOD, 2004]

Three out of four working-age Americans with disabilities don't have a full-time job and those with jobs face too many discriminatory obstacles in the workplace. The percentage of federal employees with disabilities has not increased in 20 years. The government should lead the way to full inclusion in the workplace by meeting the goal of Executive Order 13163 – 100,000 qualified individuals with disabilities in the federal workforce. Edwards will actively recruit people with disabilities and support telecommuting and flexible work schedules. He will also partner with the business community to combat attitudes that operate as barriers to employment. Finally, Edwards' initiative to create one million stepping stone jobs to help individuals move into permanent work will provide new employment opportunities for people with disabilities. [EEOC, 2004]

Securing the rights of people with disabilities to live independently with the services and supports they need is essential to guaranteeing equal opportunity. Edwards has proposed a Living with Dignity initiative to reform Medicaid and Medicare to enable people to choose home-based care in their own communities, including rural areas. His initiative to create 1 million new Section 8 affordable housing vouchers will enable thousands of people with disabilities to live in accessible, integrated housing – with a portion of the vouchers benefiting people making the transition from institutional care to independent living.

Chapel Hill, North Carolina — On the eve of the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Senator John Edwards called for Congress to pass new legislation strengthening the ADA. At the same time, Edwards’ campaign announced that he had been endorsed by several prominent leaders in the disability rights movement.

“As we prepare to celebrate the 17th anniversary of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act, we must reclaim the ADA. Hostile, conservative judges have put new barriers in front of Americans with disabilities who seeking nothing more than the right to work and live with dignity,” said Edwards. “Congress should pass the ADA Restoration Act to ensure that the law remains consistent with Congress’ original intent and restore civil rights protections to people with epilepsy, depression, diabetes, cancer and other conditions.”

Edwards has long supported initiatives to break down the barriers that separate people from disabilities from opportunity in America, including:

Enforcing the right of every child to receive a free and appropriate education in schools that are fully accessible.
Creating new internship and mentoring programs that break down barriers for young people making the transition from school to work.
Providing accessible transportation so people with disabilities have a way to get to work.
Making the federal government a model employer to lead the way toward a fully-inclusive American workplace.
Securing the rights of people with disabilities to live independently with the services and supports they need, which is essential to guaranteeing equal opportunity.

Edwards is also committed to including closed captions on all campaign television advertisements and is in the process of captioning all videos on JohnEdwards.com. The campaign's Web site is designed to be accessible to all visitors.

"Many people with disabilities live in poverty because they are denied full and equal opportunities in education and employment. Their transportation needs are ignored. They also face discriminatory and dehumanizing inequities in health care," said Laurie McCray, New Hampshire parent advocate. "I am confident that as president, John Edwards will be a strong and compassionate advocate for people with disabilities so they can have successful and meaningful lives."

California Democratic Party Disabilities Caucus Chair August J.P. Longo said, “Senator Edwards never forgetting to include people with disabilities in his speeches and platform tells us that he will not forget us in his Administration.”

“During the days when ADA was being considered I wrote to Senators and Representatives regarding this important legislation. Now as we celebrate the anniversary of the ADA I can say that I did that. That is the type of action that John Edwards inspires all of us to take” said Jon Raiss, Michigan Democratic Party Disabilities Caucus Chair.

Jon Raiss, Michigan Democratic Party Disabilities Caucus Chair
Laurie McCray, New Hampshire Parent Advocate
August J.P. Longo, California Democratic Party Disabilities Caucus Chair and President of FDR Democratic Club
Ed Smith, Former Democratic National Committee Member
Deb Cotter, National Disability Rights Advocate
Steve Sfekas, Co-Chair of 2006 Maryland Governor’s Transition Group on Disabilities