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Survey tells you which American cities are most, least disability friendly

Rebecca Barnabi
wheelchair in office
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October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month.

The average monthly Social Security disability benefit pays only $1,231.80.

The personal finance website WalletHub released its report 2022’s Best & Worst Cities for People with Disabilities.

WalletHub compared more than 180 American cities across 34 key indicators of disability-friendliness to determine the best place to live with a disability. Data includes wheelchair-accessible facilities per capita, rate of workers with disabilities and quality of public health systems.

The survey revealed that Minneapolis is the friendliest toward people with disabilities, followed by Pittsburg, St. Louis, Columbia, Md. and Huntington Beach, Calif.

Scottsdale, Ariz. is no. 6 and Virginia Beach is no. 9.

The worst cities for people with disabilities are Gulfport, Miss., followed by Mobile, Ala., Tallahassee, Winston-Salem, N.C. and Montgomery, Ala.

According to WalletHub’s data, at 19.60 percent, Lewiston, Maine, Huntington, W.Va. and Fort Smith, Ark. have the highest share of people with disabilities living in the area. This percentage is 3.6 times higher than Irvine, Calif., which has the lowest share at 5.40 percent.

The lowest share of people with disabilities living in poverty is in Overland Park, Kansas with 8.16 percent, which is 5.1 times lower than in Rochester, N.Y. where the share is the highest at 41.81 percent.

The highest median annual earnings for people with disabilities is $41,361 in Fremont, Calif., 4.5 times higher than in Burlington, Vermont where the median is the lowest at $9,160.

The United States adopted the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) nearly 30 years ago. WalletHub asked experts what 21st century improvements, if any, should be made to ADA.

According to Dr. Michelle R. Haney, Director of Autism/ABA Program, and Professor of Psychology and Department Chair at Berry College, people with disabilities should be asked this question, but she considers herself an ally.

“It is my understanding that the ADA is complex and confusing for many businesses to understand what they are required to do, and enforcement of the ADA is quite poor. Thus, there are barriers to entering buildings, accessing bathrooms, etc. that violate ADA but the businesses rarely faced any consequences for failure to comply,” Haney said.

Experts provided comments on what local policies and programs have proven effective and increased inclusion and quality of life for Americans with disabilities.

“The Chicago model of approving plans for new buildings in advance for accessibility instead of relying on the enforcement of accessibility through lawsuits after the building has been erected has been successful,” Associate Professor at Seton Hall University School of Law Doron Dorfman said. “The mayor’s office for people with disabilities in New York City is also very robust.”

Haney said project SEARCH and ThinkCollege.

“These are great programs to support the development of young people with intellectual disabilities as they transition from high school to the community,” Haney said.

How can access to health care become more accessible for Americans with disabilities?

“At a minimum, medical offices and buildings must be ADA-compliant. For example, it is very difficult for disabled women to find OBGYN providers who have accessible exam tables. Most medical offices are often too narrow for wheelchairs. Many health care providers have stopped requiring masks in their waiting rooms, and some doctors refuse to wear masks even while treating high-risk patients. State departments of health should emphasize the need to mask in all settings in which the ADA applies. Medical racism and sexism intersect with medical ableism to render health care fraught with challenges for disabled people, especially disabled women of color,” MacFarlane said.

Haney said that Americans with disabilities must be allowed to understand and have a choice in medical care.

“Info should be explained to them in their primary mode of communication and a manner that they can understand if that is an issue. Decisions should not be made about people without their input to the greatest extent possible. Support for mental and behavioral health for adults not just children is critical. Often empirically supported supports like Applied Behavior Analysis, to support defining goals and acquiring skills leading to independence and self-determination, are not covered by insurance for adults…Better psychiatric care is critical,” Haney said.

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca Barnabi

Rebecca J. Barnabi is the national editor of Augusta Free Press. A graduate of the University of Mary Washington, she began her journalism career at The Fredericksburg Free-Lance Star. In 2013, she was awarded first place for feature writing in the Maryland, Delaware, District of Columbia Awards Program, and was honored by the Virginia School Boards Association’s 2019 Media Honor Roll Program for her coverage of Waynesboro Schools. Her background in newspapers includes writing about features, local government, education and the arts.