The Tennessee Disability Scorecard, created in 2022 by the Tennessee Disability Coalition, evaluates how effectively the state supports people with disabilities. Since the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) over 30 years ago, the United States has made great strides toward creating a country inclusive of all its citizens. However, a great number of roadblocks still diminish opportunities for full inclusion for Americans with disabilities.
For example, people living with disabilities in the United States have disproportionately high unemployment rates, higher rates of food and housing insecurity and are more likely to live in poverty than those without disabilities.
In Tennessee, these barriers are even higher, with higher poverty rates and lower rates of employment when compared to national averages for people with disabilities. These inequalities are both the cause and the function of perhaps the greatest barrier facing individuals with disabilities: it is very expensive to live with a disability in our state and country.
In fact, the cost of living with a disability in the United States requires 28% more income to achieve a comparable quality of life as those without disabilities. In Tennessee, that necessity is a staggering 51% greater income to live as well as the neighbors. In terms of average median income for the state of Tennessee, this equates to an additional $28,596 per year.
These costs limit opportunities for economic and social mobility for individuals with disabilities and ultimately diminishes quality of life. Tennesseans with disabilities are not fully included until we account for the causes and impacts of this barrier.
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