Twenty Years After ADA, Disabled Americans Still Living with Inequality

Twenty years after the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, Americans with disabilities still lag behind on key indicators such as employment, income and education, according to a report released by Harris Interactive and commissioned by the Kessler Foundation and the National Organization on Disability.

The 2010 Gap Survey of Americans with Disabilities found that:

• Of all working-age people with disabilities, only 21 percent say that they are employed, compared to 59 percent of people without disabilities, a gap of 38 percentage points.
• People with disabilities are still much more likely to be living in poverty.
• People with disabilities are less likely than those without disabilities to socialize with friends, relatives or neighbors, once again suggesting that there are significant barriers to participation in leisure activities for this population.
• The second-largest gap between people with and without disabilities is regarding Internet access. Eighty-five percent of adults without disabilities access the Internet, whereas only 54 percent of adults with disabilities report the same, a gap of 31 percentage points.

This report was shared at a recent MCF Member-Initiated Briefing entitled “The Americans With Disabilities Act at 20: Looking Back, Looking Ahead to Building a More Inclusive Community.” Further information on the findings of this survey and others can be found at 2010disabilitysurveys.org.

Considering Collaboration? Check Out Grantcraft’s New Report First.

While the full force of the economic downturn reaches nonprofits, many are being encouraged by funders, the public and the news media alike to consider opportunities to save money by collaborating on programs and sharing resources for back office operations.

Likewise, many in the grantmaking field are doing similar soul-searching to increase the efficiency of their giving, and also to avoid being perceived as disingenuous by the very nonprofits they may be asking to make sacrifices.

As one foundation president quoted in Grantcraft’s report on collaboration stated:

“Funders are asking nonprofits to do so much more in hard times — like merge or even go out of business. But how many foundations are doing the same? It’s the credibility issue; you know, we need to walk our talk.”

Fortunately for grantmakers exploring opportunities to collaborate, Grantcraft’s new guide titled “Funder Collaboratives: Why and How Funders Work Together” offers insights from the field on how grantmaking organizations can pool their resources to give more effectively and produce better outcomes in the communities they work.

Highlights include:

• How to design a collaborative to achieve project goals
• Questions to answer before beginning a collaborative
• Benefits and challenges of funder collaboratives
• Three case studies

Grantcraft’s guide on collaboration can be downloaded for free at grantcraft.org.

Join the conversation: Grantmakers, what strategies for collaboration and resource sharing are you considering? If you are actively engaged in a collaboration, what tips do you have for other grantmaking organizations who are considering doing the same?

-Cary Lenore Walski, MCF web communications associate