The Handicapped Poor in America Essay -- Disabled Poverty

In The Working Poor, David Shipler relates the plight of the invisible low-down in America, sharing the stories of laborers crosswise the nation who work but cannot get a firm grip on the slippery surface of the American dream. Shipler also touches on, but does not fully explore, the even thornier path of the disabled, impoverished individual in America. Although a relatively large segment of the population (10-20 percent of the United States population is disabled), the disabled poor encounter setbacks in their struggle to succeed in a world where ones worth is often judged by ones stinting and educational attainment. A blind and impoverished woman from Eastern Europe directly states that the disabled poor depend on everyone no one wants us. We argon like garbage that everyone wants to get rid of (Wolfensohn 1). Far from the thoughts of many in the social hierarchy, including the healthy working poor, the disabled poor face numerous obstacles in their path towards a stable income above the poverty line.Addressing the problem of helping disabled individuals through legislation becomes difficultbecause definitions of disability differ. Some may contest that depression is not a disabilitybecause not only is it difficult to prove that an individual is afflicted with it, but it is alsoquestionable whether it is the cause of their unemployment. bronchial asthma may not be considereda disability for a child in the suburbs, who, with the help of an inhaler, may play soccerwithout suffering, but chronic, untreated asthma can be debilitating for a child living inpoverty and, according to the American Lung Association, can be a life-threatening maladyif not properly managed.The government defines disability as having a physical or m... ... U.S. Census Bureau American Fact Finder. Sex by epoch by Disability by Employment Statusfor the Civilian Noninstitutionalized Population 5 Years and Over.ds_name=ACS_2003_EST_G00_&-redoLog=false&-mt_name=ACS_2003_EST_G2000_P059. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. nestling Health USA 2003..U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Disability Among Women on AFDC AnIssue Revisited. 1993. .U.S. Department of Labor. The United States Department of Labor Homepage, Secretaryof State Elaine L. Chao. .The University of wise Mexico Center for Development and Disability..