How to improve disabled people’s inclusion in our society

Now that I am retired I have had the time to analyze the American labor system with its flawed setup that fails to encourage disabled people to use their abilities so that they can contribute to the country’s development. It is difficult to believe, but with all the physical modifications in U.S. facilities provided for disabled people so that they can work, only 1% of them actually does. Many disabled people do not work because they don’t want the government to remove all of the benefits they are receiving when they become employees. They don’t want to lose the advantages they have when they are students: health insurance, transportation, all personal expenses, housing and free education, etc.

However, if disabled people do decide to work, they will usually receive a salary that regrettably will not always be enough to pay for the various expenses faced when they have a physical limitation such as, health insurance, cost of the necessary items that substitute for the physical disabilities, disability insurance (if it can be obtained and qualified for), etc. Thus, a disabled person becomes uninterested in obtaining a job. This has resulted in many disabled people remaining eternally as students instead of working and becoming a benefit to society.

One of the reasons that encouraged me to write this book was the obligation I feel to defend and promote disabled people’s rights, not only in the United States and in Chile, but all over the world.

It is very sad that of all those who suffer a physical disability, only a few want to work. I feel proud of having been part of that 1% that desired to work and did so. At the same time, I feel outraged with all of those business owners who do not provide the necessary opportunities for disabled people to contribute all we can. If that 1% would increase to 10%, or even more, the additional revenue would be generated from taxes and less tax money spent for support. Another reason why many disabled people are reluctant to work is to avoid discrimination and humiliation problems in the workplace.

When I was working, I longed to have more laws that would assist us. Health is a critical matter. When an individual has a physical disability we are denied any disability insurance because we have a "pre-existing condition". Fortunately, I did not have this problem, because I worked for a healthcare organization and they provided me with health insurance as part of the company’s benefits. However, my 28 years as an employee of a company were no use when I wanted to buy a disability insurance policy or long-term care insurance from an outside company. Hopefully, the current generation will not have trouble with insurance, because of the approval of the law that eliminates pre-existing conditions with all US health insurance companies.

Presently I am now in a situation where I have to spend all the money I have saved to afford the daily help I need for my physical condition, and I am afraid that a day will come when I won’t have a cent left in my account. Probably at that time I would have to turn to the government for help.

The financial uncertainty we have suffered in the last years has had a bearing on the public expense distribution. To deal with this crisis, the government has reduced budgets in all areas, directly or indirectly affecting disabled people in this country. Unfortunately, it will not be only 99% of disabled people who will receive maintenance by the government, but eventually 100%. Social aid institutions will help them, provided that the government has the necessary resources to maintain the entire disabled population who lack their own financial resources to survive.

My suggestion is that the government should promote laws seeking to support those disabled people who opt to work and give them financial help, if necessary, or health benefits according to their income. There is still time for those in charge to take control of these matters in order to help all its citizens, including disabled people.