The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), signed by President H.W. Bush, set out improve the “overall lifestyle” of the disabled American. While it is hard to define what that lifestyle may be and the components that make up it, the act set out to improve a variety of important factors of everyday life. While the list of coverage is extensive, the paper will focus on the factors that affect the disabled worker and their ability to interact efficiently in the workplace environment. The Americans with Disabilities Act ensures equal and fair employment, workplace accommodations, education and training, transportation, and healthcare. These basic factors of the American lifestyle contribute to the overall efficiency of the workplace. …show more content…
According to the survey, “poverty” is defined as having an annual household income of $15,000 or less. Throughout the years, the figure for annual household income was not adjusted for inflation. Between 1986 and 2004, the poverty rate of the disabled respondents decreased steadily. However, in 2010, the poverty rate increased to 34%. This increase in poverty amongst the disabled can be attributed to the rise of the financial crisis, when poverty amongst the population in whole was 15.1% (US Census Bureau). As with employment rates, the disabled population have been affected greater by the economic crisis, as the gap between disabled and non-disabled respondents living in poverty is 19%, 4.1% greater than the poverty rate of the population as a whole. This means that while prices have nearly doubled between the years of 1986 and 2010 (Bureau of Labor Statistics), 34% of the disabled respondents still live in a household with an income of $15,000 or less per year. Between 1986 and 2010, 17% fewer disabled workers reported household incomes less than $15,000, despite the purchasing power of $15,000 decreasing steadily. This shows that although wages have gone up since 1986, the disabled household does not earn enough to sustain a productive living