Although these percentages are not shown in the graphic, those without any disability and those only somewhat disabled have similar rates of employment: 88% of the first group and 82% of the second have jobs. But only 31% of those with severe disability are employed. These data go far in explaining why the nearly a third of the severely disabled (aged 25 to 64) live in poverty.
Average earnings of these groups follow the pattern. The more disabled, the lower the income.
"Severe disability" stands for a range of limitations on the ability of the individual to function in society. The type of disability from which an individual suffers affects employment potential and earnings. Those who have speech impairments, for instances, are less employable than those with sight impairments. The table on the following page provides a closer look at the conditions that impact on the severely disabled.
Disability Status, Employment, and Annual Earnings of Individuals 21 to 64 Years of Age, 1997
| Severe Disability Status | % Employed | Mean Annual Earnings |
| Needed assistance to move around inside | 9.3 | 8,122 |
| Impaired by mental retardation | 31.5 | 8,191 |
| Speech impaired | 24.1 | 10,712 |
| Severe difficulty walking | 22.5 | 18,222 |
| Sight impaired | 29.9 | 19,714 |
| Used a wheelchair | 22.2 | 28,307 |
| Hearing impaired | 46.5 | 31,889 |
Someone who cannot hear well but is aided by a hearing aid (or is able to read lips) is less likely to encounter barriers to employment than someone who has difficulty communicating verbally. The table shows the supreme importance of mental and communications skills and the ability of the person to move on his or her own without assistance. Someone able to move about in a wheelchair is much, much better off than someone who needs another person to move around indoors — at least as measured in employment and earnings.
Since the passage in 1990 of the American's with Disabilities Act, more has been done to facilitate the integration of disabled persons into the workplace. And these efforts are having an impact. The rates of employment among the disabled, shown in the graph and table, are still relatively low, but they are higher than they were just 4 years earlier. In 1994, 26% of severely disabled people were employed compared with 31% in 1997.
Progress is being made. Some worry that the economic vigor of the late 1990s was the motor behind increasing employment rates among disabled persons. The fear is that as the economy cools the recently hired disabled person will be the first to be laid off. However, with the aid of new high tech tools and equipment and changing attitudes about what disabled people are capable of doing the prospects for better integration of those with disabilities is at least fair.
Source: U.S. Bureau of the Census, Americans with Disabilities: 1997, Table 4, Disability Status, Employment, and Annual Rate of Earnings: Individuals 21 to 64 Years Old: 1997," February 2001, available online at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/sipp/disab97/ds97t4.html.
1 A person with a severe disability is one who is unable to perform one or more activities of daily life, or who uses an assistive device to get around, or who needs assistance from another person to perform basic activities.
2 The terms arthritis and rheumatism are often used interchangeably to describe conditions involving stiff, swollen, and inflamed joints. In actuality, each of these is a form of disease that falls into the larger category called rheumatic diseases. These diseases share similar symptoms and can leave their sufferers crippled. The causes of rheumatic diseases are not known but treatments to ease the pain they cause and reduce their crippling effects are available.
3 For the period 1977 through 1988 the range covered is 3 years to 21 years of age. From 1989 through 2000 that range changed to all children 6 to 21 years of age.
4 Detailed population figures for the period 1977-2000 are not available so data for the period 1980-2000 were used for this measure.
5 This quote is from a paper published in late 1992 by the Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. See source notes for a full citation.
6 The Social Security Administration regularly denies disability claims. In 2001, 691,300 new claims were awards. This was 46.1% of all claims received. Between 1970 and 2001 the average annual percent of claims awarded was 42.2%.
7 In 1990 the American with Disabilities Act was passed.
8 This statement by Judge Morley White appeared in an article by Louis Uchitelle on the swelling roles of disability beneficiaries. See the source note for a full citation.
9 Of all workers on disability benefits in 2000, 75% had a high school degree or less education.
10 General population figures are for the year 2000 and include all persons 25 years old or older.
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