Originally published in TEACH Magazine, May/June 2021 Issue
By Lisa J. Lamb
It is expensive to be disabled in America… and to live independently. I should know because I myself am a disabled American. Associated costs of living with a physical disability that are not covered by insurance include home and vehicle modifications, furniture, and adaptive devices. To make a home wheelchair accessible can cost anywhere from $40,000 to $100,000; vehicle modifications range from around $10,000 to $90,000.
At the same time, 1 out every 3 non-institutionalized persons with disabilities (PWD) in the United States live in households at or below the poverty line, and only 37 percent of PWD are in the workforce. The expense of PWD living on their own is further exacerbated when they cannot get a job. Many are capable of work and want to work, but negative attitudes and the perceptions of employers are major obstacles to obtaining a job, earning an income, and living independently.
I feel that teachers, through a Critical Disability pedagogy, can help to better prepare their students with physical disabilities to face these issues, and other unique financial challenges, as they enter adulthood. It certainly would’ve helped me.
Lisa J. Lamb is a veteran teacher of 21 years and former high school administrator. She is currently completing her PhD at North Carolina State University. She lives in Angier, NC, with her husband, and they have three grown children.
