John Edwards for President-Breaking Down Barriers: Connecting People With Disabilities To Economic Opportunity

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]

Including Every Child in One School System

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]

Breaking Down Transition Barriers

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.

Ramping Up Accessible Transportation

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]

Opening up the Workplace, Starting with the Federal Government

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]

Supporting Independent Living with Dignity

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.