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Kessler survery finds ADA has not improved quality of life

July 30th, 2010

Many social and economic gaps still exist between the 54 million Americans with disabilities and those without, according to a survey conducted by the Kessler Foundation/National Organization on Disability. The report found that the disabled still lag in key areas such as employment, access to health care and socializing.

The survey shows that more must be done to help people with disabilities get ahead, said Carol Glazer, president of the National Organization on Disability.

“While education has improved considerably, joblessness has not. We as a nation must figure this out,” she said.

Some key findings from the survey:

• 19% of people with disabilities said they did not get the medical care they needed in the past year, with lack of insurance coverage cited as the top reason.

• 21% of disabled working-age Americans had a job in the past year, versus 59% for those without disabilities.

• 17% of people with disabilities have not graduated from high school, compared to 22% in 2000 and 40% in 1986 — the first year the survey was taken.

• 48% of people with disabilities eat out at a restaurant twice a month, compared to 75% of those without disabilities.

• 34% of disabled people say inadequate transportation is a problem, compared to 16% of those without disabilities, a gap that has widened 5 percentage points since 1986.

Read the rest of the article.