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Imagine an unlikely partnership between federal agencies, private sector partners, universities and nonprofits, collectively championing the rights of taxpayers with disabilities.
Now, what at first seemed improbable has become reality. Over the past six years, the National Disability Institute's Real Economic Impact Tour has established a groundbreaking federal/private model for promoting tax education and financial well-being to Americans with disabilities nationwide.
Thanks to key sponsors like Bank of America, AT&T, Walmart, Acorda Therapeutics, Inc. and others, we've delivered funding and asset-building programs to cities in all 50 states. Since 2005, our partnerships with the IRS and 100 community-based organizations have resulted in free tax filing assistance for more than 650,000 taxpayers with disabilities - representing more than $600 million in returns and more than $120 million in saved preparer fees.
Yet, while we're pleased to celebrate the above milestones as part of the 20th Anniversary of the ADA, we know there's much work ahead to ensure that ALL Americans with disabilities have access to the economic mainstream. Especially considering the following:
- 37 million Americans live in poverty, and 13 million are children less than 18 years of age
- 38 million Americans subsist on food stamps
- 50 million Americans, in any given month, are on Medicaid
- 57 percent of unemployed Americans receive unemployment compensation compared to 40 percent before the recession
- 61 percent is the increase in homelessness in America since December 2007
- 40 percent of Americans accessing food shelters and pantries are people on Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)
- 65 percent of Americans experiencing long-term poverty (greater than a year) are persons with disabilities
The above 65 percent translates into more than 54 million Americans clearly, NOT a niche market. In fact, it's a market larger than the United States' African-American, Latino and Gay markets combined; a market that wields 17 times the spending power of tweens 8-12 years old. It's a market not to be ignored.
As we move forward into the next decade, it's our collective charge to increase the focus on this very market by building additional partnerships among our private and public sectors; partnerships that will advance sustainable economic growth for Americans with disabilities. To achieve this, however, we must move out of traditional comfort zones and forge new, and sometimes non-traditional, relationships.
A daunting task, perhaps, but together we can do it. We must begin with a dedicated, impassioned call-to-action by all public and private sector partners to eliminate poverty and create communities of economic and emotional wellness for all. After all, 54 million Americans with disabilities and their families are counting on us.
This post was contributed by Dr. Johnette Hartnett, Director of Strategic Partnership Development and Research for The National Disability Institute and Director of The Real Economic Impact Tour.