Since its inception over 40 years ago, the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) has encouraged banks to serve low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods and populations. Originally signed into law in 1977, the law mandates that banks provide support for communities that are less economically stable through lending, investment and service. People with disabilities make up a significant part of the LMI population, yet the specific needs of this sizable subpopulation are often overlooked. In 2019, more than one quarter (27 percent) of working-age people with disabilities were living below the poverty level, over twice the rate of those without disabilities, and people with disabilities often are excluded from the labor market and economic opportunities.

Vibrant communities are best supported when economic opportunities are inclusive of LMI populations, including people with disabilities. Twenty-nine years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and more than 40 years after the passage of the CRA, there is an opportunity to reexamine the approaches, roles, and responsibilities of regulated financial institutions to proactively address the financial access and economic opportunity needs of people with disabilities.

Target Audiences of the CDICD:

• Financial Institutions
• LMI Persons with Disabilities
• Community-Based Organizations Serving LMI Persons with Disabilities and Their Families
• Community-Based Organizations Serving LMI Populations Generally
• Financial Institution Regulators