Ableism and Financial Wellness
People with disabilities face many challenges in succeeding in society due to ableism and discrimination. This of course has an impact on their mental health, self worth, and finances.
Ableism is rampant in many areas of culture. All people are expected to function in the same way in order to be viewed as worthy or productive. The idea that all people need to operate, move, and think in the same way limits what we are able to achieve together. When we make room for all people and provide an environment where everyone can be successful, we open ourselves up to new ideas and a better understanding of humanity.
Disabled people are severely underestimated. Many, many face discrimination due to assupmtions about their abilities, productivity, and intelligence. In the workplace, these assumptions can lead to difficulty finding employment, lower earnings, being passed up for promotions, and lowered self worth. It is even legal in the United States for some organizations to pay disablied employees less than minimum wage. Severely less - pennies per hour. This type of discrimination and inequity keeps people poor and reliant on social services. It also takes away opportunities for all of us to grow.
There are many issues facing disabled workers’ financial wellness. Ableistic assumptions about their competence results in fewer job and promotion opportunities. When a group of people is excluded from gainful employment it limits their chances of saving, investing, and accessing other benefits of financial wellness. When disabled people are excluded from the job market, businesses and organizations miss out on new ways of thinking and clientele they have not thought of serving.
This also impacts a person’s feelings about themselves. Our money and our self worth can be so tied together. This is no different for the disabiled community. When someone is constantly told they are only worth low pay - sometimes lower than the national minimum - they might start to believe they are not worth as much as other people. This creates a mental health crisis for people often leading to trauma, depression, and anxiety.
“Crip Tax” - Someone with a disability may also feel financial strain because their daily lives are more expensive and more logistically complex than a typical or able bodied person’s. Medical equipment, medicine, and treatment can all be very expensive, even with good insurance which a disabled person is less likely to have because of limited employment opportunities. Taking time off for treatment and to care for one’s self can also be costly - again this applies even more to hourly workers or those with lower paying positions. The logistics of getting to and from work and accessing disability benefits are time consuming and energy sucking. These are all things that able bodied persons do not have to spend time or money on. A system that tells people that they are worth less and does not offer them access to needed benefits is a system that keeps people poor and stressed out.
Employers and disability rights advocates can assist in addressing this inequity by learning about our own ableistic biases and working to change them. Becoming aware of the experiences and obstacles those with disabilities might face can open awareness to how we might be making their lives more challenging. Remembering that we do not know someone’s story is also important. When we avoid judging or making assumptions about others and their abilities, we become better able to see strategies to help everyone thrive. We can also work for social and political change. Removing hurdles that stand between a disabled person and financial wellness can help close the wage gap and end the poverty trap.