There is so much more work to do for disability rights. To those who may wonder “what else is there?” See below. https://twitter.com/aclu/status/1287373101462958080

1) Those who receive SSI benefits cannot keep more than 2k in their bank accounts at any given time. In most places in the US, 2k is barely enough to scrape by per month. This rule makes it so that disabled people cannot save money for the future without facing consequences.

2) Speaking of income, the max a single disabled person can receive from SSI is $783/month. A married couple in which both individuals are disabled can receive $1175/month. Both are not enough to cover rent in most places let alone total living expenses.

3) Disabled people still face a lot of issues in marriage equality. For example, depending on the income of one’s spouse, a disabled person could lose their SSI benefits entirely or see a decrease in them. This is problematic for multiple reasons.

3 cont.) Many people on disability are dependent on not only the monetary aspect of it, but the Medicaid they receive too. There are so many disabilities in the world that require extensive, frequent medical care that would be too expensive without Medicaid.

3 cont.) This is why marriage isn’t truly equal yet. Disabled people need Medicaid, but if their spouse makes too much money, that is taken away. Money does not equal good or inexpensive insurance for complex medical needs. Marriage should not take away necessities for life.

3 cont.) If SSI is revoked or lessened at marriage, it takes away/lowers financial independence from a disabled person. While many married couples do decide to share funds and such, it should be the choice of the couple to decide this.

4) Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, disabled people are considered an exemption from being paid federal minimum wage (7.25/hr). Workplaces can acquire a certificate that shows a perosn’s disability makes them less productive than abled workers which justifies lower pay

4 cont.) Less than 10 states have recognized/legalized that disabled people deserve to be paid the same minimum wage as everyone else. Maryland is one of them.

4 cont.) To put this into a perspective, I am disabled. I work at a grocery store in which I can do most tasks but there are a few I cannot do that one could argue makes me “less productive” than my coworkers. This could happen to me if I wasn’t in Maryland.

5) While the ADA is so important for disabled people, it can be expanded on. I am a visually impaired person, so I can’t speak for all disabilities, but I have faced ableism for my entire life in multiple forms.

6) Ableism is extremely prominent in k-12 and higher education. In my opinion, it stems from teachers and professors being uneducated on disabled students. When I was young, my school wanted to put me into the special ed program because it would’ve been less work for them.

7) Ableism, whether you realize it or not, is present in the design and structures of many buildings/areas. For example, on my college campus I have fallen down steps multiple times because there aren’t strips on the steps to indicate where each step ends and begins.

7 cont.) Some buildings have these strips on the steps while others don’t. There are bathrooms in my school that don’t have stalls big enough for those with wheelchairs. Buildings do not have clear signs for what they are.

7 cont.) This exists on my small college campus alone. It’s a bigger problem in larger spaces.

8) I am concluding this thread of information here. Please be mindful that disability rights have a long ways to go.

Sources:
https://www.ssa.gov/oact/cola/SSIamts.html
https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/blog/2010/04/how-much-cash-or-money-can-i-h.html#
https://www.disabilitysecrets.com/resources/will-marriage-affect-my-disability-benefits-social-securi
https://www.ncsl.org/blog/2019/08/28/states-weigh-options-on-subminimum-wages-for-workers-with-disabilities.aspx

Edit to 1): money AND certain assets over 2k can cause a disabled person to lose benefits with SSI.