The Handicapped Poor in America

In The Working Poor, David Shipler relates the plight of the invisible poor in America, sharing the stories of laborers across 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 one’s worth is often judged by one’s economic 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 are 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 difficult

because definitions of disability differ. Some may argue that depression is not a disability

because not only is it difficult to prove that an individual is afflicted with it, but it is also

questionable whether it is the cause of their unemployment. Asthma may not be considered

a disability for a child in the suburbs, who, with the help of an inhaler, may play soccer

without suffering, but chronic, untreated asthma can be debilitating for a child living in

poverty and, according to the American Lung Association, “can be a life-threatening disease

if not properly managed.”

The government defines disability as having a “physical or m...

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