Washington, D.C., Sept. 22, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, National Disability Institute (NDI) released the new report, Financial Inequality: Disability, Race and Poverty in America, during a breakout session at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 2017 Annual Legislative Conference. This groundbreaking report explores the prevalence of disability by race, the changing rate of disability by age and race and the impact of race and disability on educational attainment, employment, banking status, health insurance, medical debt and food insecurity.
“Twenty-seven years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, too many working-age adults across the spectrum of disabilities remain challenged and below the bottom rung of the economic ladder. These challenges are further compounded by the intersectionality of disability and race,” Michael Morris, Executive Director, National Disability Institute, said. “Our goal, with this report, is to attract long overdue attention to the needs of people of color with disabilities. Together, we can build a roadmap to greater financial inclusion and capability.”
“While we’ve known for a while that people with disabilities experience economic hardship at rates far above the national average, the data analysis in this report shows us that this challenge is significantly greater for African Americans,” Naomi Camper, Managing Director, Office of Nonprofit Engagement, JPMorgan Chase, said. “At JPMorgan Chase, we believe that the private sector has both a responsibility and an essential role to play in solving societal challenges, but doing so requires understanding the true scope and scale of a problem, which is we why are proud to support this groundbreaking research.”
Report highlights include:
· African Americans are more likely to have a disability than any other demographic group (14 percent);
· Nearly 40 percent of African Americans with disabilities live in poverty, as compared with 24 percent of non-Hispanic Whites;
· African Americans with a disability are more than two times more likely to not have graduated high school than African Americans without disabilities (25 percent v 11 percent);
· Only one in four African Americans with disabilities are employed, as compared to African Americans without disabilities who are employed (25 percent v 70 percent); and
· Two-thirds of African American families with a disability are unbanked or underbanked.
National Disability Institute released the report findings today during a breakout session at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation Annual Legislative Conference at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Mr. Morris, and researcher and co-author Nanette Goodman, presented the report highlights.
A distinguished panel discussed the findings of the report and gave recommendations. Panelists included Kelvin Boston, Author and Financial Journalist, Moneywise Foundation; Tawara Goode, Director of the Georgetown University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities; Marvin Owens, Jr., Senior Director, NAACP Economic Department; Elaine Hungenberg, Senior Vice President, Office of Innovation, Research and Assessment, Operation HOPE; and Kareem Dale, Director and Senior Counsel, Discover Financial Services, Former Special Assistant to President Obama and Associate Director of Office of Public Engagement.
A digital copy of Financial Inequality: Disability, Race and Poverty in America is available for download in the Resources section of the NDI website. Photographs of the event are available upon request.
The research and report were made possible through the generous support of JPMorgan Chase.
About National Disability Institute
National Disability Institute (NDI) is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to building a better economic future for people with disabilities. The first national organization committed exclusively to championing economic empowerment, financial education, asset development and financial stability for all persons with disabilities, NDI affects change through public education, policy development, training, technical assistance and innovative initiatives. NDI and its Real Economic Impact (REI) Network have helped more than 2.3 million people with disabilities receive nearly $2.3 billion in tax refunds and credits. To learn more, visit www.realeconomicimpact.org. Engage with NDI on Facebook: RealEconImpact or follow NDI on Twitter: @RealEconImpact. Take the pledge to DISABLE POVERTY at www.disablepoverty.org.
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