In honor of National Disability Employment Awareness month, WalletHub recently released its ranking of best and worst cities in the United States for people with disabilities. Using 31 economic, health care and quality of life indicators, such as wheelchair accessibility and public hospital systems, the ranking included more than 180 cities. There's a lot of room for improvement, as evidenced by the number of cities who topped the list one or more metric but failed to crack the top 20 ranking overall. Laredo, Texas, for example, has the lowest cost of living, lowest cost of a doctor visit and lowest cost of in-home care but comes in at 121 overall. Moreover, out of a possible score of 100, the top-ranked city earned just 58.12 points. Interestingly, those with disabilities earning the most live just a few miles from those earning the least--the median annual earnings in South Burlington, Vermont are $34,639, while Burlington earners net just $7,651. "In our society, there is a high degree of overlap between disability and financial hardship," says Esther Isabelle Wilder, a professor at City University of New York. "Individuals who have disabilities are more likely to be in poverty--about twice as likely as individuals who do not have disabilities--and to be unemployed. Overall, they have less in savings and they are more likely to be in debt." With the average Social Security disability benefit paying out just $1,065 on average, it's no wonder that people with disabilities have a hard time making ends meet. Unfortunately, when it comes to finding a job to pay the bills, many also have a harder time, not necessarily due to their disability but due to unfair hiring practices. Experts contacted by WalletHub to share their insights on the employment disparity among people with disabilities offered a number of suggestions, from increasing tax incentives for employers and enhancing EEOC funding to programs and campaigns aimed at removing stigma or building awareness about people with disabilities. "Greater public awareness of the EEOC's enforcement capabilities relative to the employment provisions of the ADA might reduce discrimination," says Christina Bruhn, an assistant professor at Aurora University School of Social Work, adding, "The need for collaboration and advocacy has not abated. Both persons with disabilities and others who are concerned about equality experience the need to engage in advocacy on levels both small, in day-to-day interactions with those around us, and large, in advocacy for policy change." Read more:

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