In late November of 2021, President Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, promising to “invest in communities that have too often been left behind.” For individuals with disabilities, that statement holds some heavy promises. Seniors and those with disabilities are some of the most neglected groups within our communities.
System overload
Our current social services system gives individual states the responsibility to “cap” how many disability claims they can manage, and then create a wait-list when that cap is reached. As of 2017, there were a total of 707,378 people in the U.S. on this wait-list. These include seniors, those with disabilities, and those with chronic conditions.
An article published in 2019 by the Kaiser Family Foundation reported the average time an individual with a disability spends on a wait-list is 30 months. Individuals with intellectual disabilities and seniors were amongst the longest average wait times, of 66 months and 64 months respectively.
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (or the Jobs Act for short) is aiming to decrease that. By pledging 400 billion dollars toward community and home-based services, the Jobs Act aims to expand eligibility for coverage, decrease the strain on large institutions and compensate family members for caring for their elderly or disabled loved ones at home. During a talk with Congress in April of 2021, President Biden stated that 800,000 people on the wait-list could start receiving services immediately upon the act passing.
Related: President Biden's Infrastructure Plan: What's in it for Accessibility?
More money for infrastructure
An additional goal of the Jobs Act is to repair infrastructure which will provide individuals with disabilities more independence and autonomy outside of their homes. This includes renovating inaccessible buildings and creating ADA-compliant public transportation options. According to the Bureau of Transportation, 3.6 million Americans do not leave their homes due to a mobility-limiting disability.
Of those 3.6 million, nearly half are of working age, between 18-64 years old. Accessible transportation would provide nearly 2 million working-age individuals the opportunity to safely commute to workplaces such as offices or warehouses in their community. Additionally, the Jobs Act promises resources for renovating old and inaccessible buildings. The funding provided could allow communities to renovate inaccessible buildings which were previously exempt from the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) law for “reasonable accommodations” due to the cost or amount of work required for compliance.
While most coverage of the Jobs Act emphasizes the “1.5 million jobs per year for 10 years” promise, a quick dive into the subcomponents of this act shows good promise for expanding accessibility for individuals with disabilities. This is an opportunity for the government to pick back up on some unfulfilled promises from the ADA. The hope is that our country can catch up on our miles long wait-list of those seeking services.
Additionally, accessible public transit will be widely expanded, especially into the more rural areas, limiting the number of individuals who are forcibly homebound by their communities. And lastly, the remaining offices, schools, community centers, and more which may have slipped through loopholes of reasonable accommodations, will be held to a higher standard.
It goes without saying that America’s reputation as the “land of opportunity” should mean equal opportunity for all, and with the passing of the Jobs Act that may finally become true.
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