Disabilities shouldn't keep you in poverty
My ideas for fixing this
It feels like there are (2) worlds sometimes, the world of those without disabilities where opportunities seem endless; and the world of those with disabilities, where it may be all you can do to survive. As a disabled veteran business owner and father to a young man who is, at times, significantly negatively impacted by his disabilities, I feel like I have a leg in both realities.
I’m seeing tech companies trying to bridge this divide by finding ways to connect families with existing resources. I’m not a tech entrepreneur, but this is exactly what I’m trying to do with True North Disability Planning and the ABCs of Disability Planning podcast. And although I think this is absolutely necessary and will have a positive impact on the families working with us, it doesn’t change what I see as the fundamental problem.
If your disability makes it difficult for you to earn a living, setting aside for a moment how incredibly challenging it can be to be hired to begin with, there is very little available to give you a “reasonable” quality of life. What do I mean by “reasonable”? The ability to buy groceries, to live in a home that is comfortable and accommodating, and a community that accepts and cherishes you for who you are. I would argue this is what most of us want.
For many, my son included, your only income will be some form of Social Security. Generally, this will mean Supplemental Security Income (SSI). In 2023, if you’re single, not blind, and qualify for the full Federal amount you will receive $914/mth. Raise your hand if you are paying more than this for your rent or mortgage. Never mind trying to buy groceries. On a bright(ish) note, in most states, you will automatically qualify for Medicaid when you are approved for SSI. So as long as you can find providers willing to accept Medicaid, your “basic” healthcare costs may be covered.
With planning, you may be able to receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) even if you haven’t earned enough work credits. If you can prove to the Social Security Administration your disability occurred before you turned 22, you may qualify for the Disabled Adult Child benefit. This means you can receive 50% of your parent’s benefit, whichever parent has a higher benefit when they retire or become disabled. This increases to 75% when they die.
According to Bankrate, the average social security check in 2022 was $1,550.48/mth. Assuming your parents were average, you would receive $775.24/mth in SSDI, and $158.76/mth in SSI in 2023 (again, assuming you qualify for the full Federal benefit). 24 months after starting to receive SSDI you will automatically be enrolled in Medicare. You can keep your Medicaid, provided you continue to meet the asset limit ($2,000 in most states).
I ask you, could you live on this? Yes, there are housing subsidies and vouchers, but many states are not accepting new applicants because they don’t have the money to fund their programs. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is available to help offset your food costs, but by design, it won’t pay for all of your groceries. And it doesn’t cover things like toiletries.
Residential facilities may be an option for you if you have an intellectual or developmental disability (IDD), but there’s no guarantee they’ll have a room available when you need it. And most states have waiting lists of ten years or more to receive services, assuming you qualify. Add to that the challenge agencies and families alike are having to find qualified staff. As I write this it’s been six months since we moved my son over to work with an agency. He hasn’t received any support yet, and it’s unclear when he will.
This is the problem I feel needs to be solved. We need to provide individuals whose disabilities preclude them from working with a livable income. Instead of following the example of states like Georgia which are adding work requirements to qualify for Medicaid, we should be improving our country’s social safety nets. Yes, in a “perfect” world everyone would have work. But that is not now, nor will it ever be, the world we live in.
The uncomfortable reality is there are some people whose disabilities make it unprofitable for an employer to hire them. I feel this number will increase as more and more manual labor becomes automated. According to livingcost.org, it costs a single person $2,112/mth to live in the United States. I believe the best solution for this minority is an untaxed universal basic income equal to 150% of the Federal Poverty Level ($1,698.75/mth) and adjusted for inflation. Get rid of SSI, it’s outlived its usefulness.
I don’t want my son, or anyone else, to rely on a universal basic income. It’s my hope that the Metaverse will help level the playing field because virtual and augmented reality can be built to accommodate those with disabilities. We’re on the ground floor, the rules haven’t been set in stone yet. Now is the time to innovate and design with disabilities in mind.
We need to get our schools and provider agencies into the 21st century. Let’s stop teaching kids how to tell time on an analog clock and how to count money. Instead, let’s teach them how to use smartphones and interact with technology. Direct Support Professionals who are comfortable using technology need to be the rule, not the exception. We need to be more open to substituting technology for people to help our children live independently.
I recognize how much of a shift this will require, I understand it’s not something that is going to happen overnight. I’ll be the first to admit that although I would consider myself “comfortable” with technology, I’m certainly not anywhere close to using it to its full potential. We need the younger generations to show us the way. We need to stop doing things the way they’ve always been done, or we run the risk of missing out on an amazing opportunity.