peers. Similarly, 21.3% of individuals with a disability have not completed high school, whereas only 10% of individuals without disabilities have not finished high school (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2015). More specifically, people with disability experience labor market disadvantage and have low labor force participation rates, high unemployment rates, and poor work conditions (Fortune et al., 2022). Individuals with disability often experience social isolation. Society’s difficulty in accepting and accommodating those with intellectual, physical, and other differences is combined with challenges that accompany some intellectual and or mental health disabilities (e.g., communication, understanding, and navigating social experiences). Studies show that people with a disability experienced loneliness, low perceived social support, and social isolation at significantly higher rates than people without a disability (Emerson et al., 2021). Effect sizes were significantly greater for loneliness. Regardless of race and ethnicity, individuals with disabilities are significantly more likely to live in poverty than those without disabilities. Figure 3 shows how the percentage of disabilities increases with age.
Evidence-Based Practice : Disabled workers, and especially disabled women, face a myriad of unique barriers, including masculine and able-bodied employment practices (e.g., performative expectations) and exclusionary physical spaces (e.g., access, location of required facilities), that exclude them from full employment participation. Note: F rom “I see you but you don’t see me: The “two-way mirror effect” of gender and disability in employment,” by Bend, G., et al., 2021 . Gender in Management: An International Journal. Today, those with physical, developmental, mental health, and other disability are more likely to experience inclusive practices within educational, work, and social institutions (CDC, 2020). Despite this increased inclusivity, many with a disability still face discriminatory practices within those same institutions. Although there is protective legislation in the schools guaranteed by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and within society by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, those with disability are more likely not to finish high school and are more likely to be underemployed or unemployed than their typically developing
Figure 3. Percentage of people in the U.S. with a disability as of 2019, by age
Note . From “Share of people with a disability in the U.S. as of 2019 by age,” by Elflein, 2022. (https://www.statista.com/statistics/793952/disability- in-the-us-by-age/). Statista. Creative Commons License. People with disabilities face several barriers to accessing healthcare including the following (CDC, 2020): ● One in three persons do not have a primary healthcare provider. (Age group: 18–44 years.) ● One in three people have an unmet healthcare need because of cost in the past year. (Age group: 18–44 years.) ● One in four people did not have a routine check-up in the past year. (Age group: 45–64 years.)
people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who are blind or have vision impairments, and people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Providers that work with disabled individuals realize there are other relevant factors. Data shows that only roughly half of physicians “strongly” agreed that they would welcome patients with disability into their practices (Iezzoni et al., 2021). More than four-fifths of physicians reported that people with significant disabilities have a “worse” quality of life than people without disabilities. Only two-fifths reported feeling “very confident” in their ability to provide the same quality of care to people with disability that they provide to people without disabilities (Iezzoni et al., 2021); this reveals a sobering reality about provider variables that impact healthcare in this country for disabled individuals. First, these results show that practitioners do not welcome individuals with disabilities into their practices. Second, they also reveal that providers are not immune to adopting stereotypes about disabled individuals. Finally, this data highlights that training for practitioners is well below what is needed to service a country with increasing rates of disabled individuals. Without appropriate training and awareness, healthcare providers hold incorrect assumptions and stereotypes about people with disabilities, which can affect every aspect of care and result in inadequate and inappropriate care. Counseling training programs need to incorporate more training about disability, including disability cultural competence. While graduate training in disabilities can help enhance this population's knowledge and awareness, life experience and exposure have also been shown to predict competence and working with disabled individuals. Derocher et al. (2020) found that disability-related life experience significantly predicted all three domains of disability competence in counselor training.
Disabled individuals face a multitude of barriers when it comes to seeking healthcare. Consider a few of the physical barriers that exist for individuals with physical disabilities. Health services and activities are often located far away from most people’s homes or in areas not serviced by accessible transport options (Disability and Health, 2021). Stairs at the entrance to buildings or services and activities on floors without elevator access are inaccessible. Communication difficulties have long been reported by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Barriers to health services for individuals with hearing impairments are limited availability of written material or sign language interpreters at health services. People who are deaf often have significant difficulty communicating effectively with their healthcare providers and receiving healthcare information and instructions. The lack of interpreters impedes effective communication, which is a disincentive to seeking care. For those with individual impairments, health information or prescriptions may not be provided in accessible formats, including Braille or large print, which presents a barrier for people with vision impairment. Individuals with disabilities also face barriers to healthcare due to factors resulting from the provider. Lack of disability knowledge is a leading barrier to care, according to women with disabilities and those with diverse disabilities, including
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