People with disabilities encounter a wide range of out-of-pocket expenses. These expenses can weigh heavily on household finances and increase the risk of poverty; adults with disabilities experience greater difficulty meeting monthly expenses, saving for the future and making ends meet.
National Disability Institute, in partnership with the Stony Brook University School of Social Welfare and the University of Tennessee College of Social Work, has released “The Extra Costs of Living with a Disability in the U.S. — Resetting the Policy Table” to catalog and quantify these costs, and explain their policy implications.
Researchers estimate that households containing an adult with a work-disability require, on average, 28 percent more income (or an additional $17,690 a year for a household at the median income level) to obtain the same standard of living as a comparable household without a member with a disability.
The research proves that these extra costs exist. The question remains, what can we, as a country, do – through policy and practice – to address this inequality?
This research was supported by a grant from the FINRA Investor Education Foundation. The FINRA Investor Education Foundation, established in 2003 by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, Inc., empowers underserved Americans with the knowledge, skills, and tools to make sound financial decisions throughout life. For details, visit www.finrafoundation.org.
