1 The Disability Squeeze: The Extra Costs of Living with Blindness or Low Vision in the U.S.

1 The Disability Squeeze: The Extra Costs of Living with Blindness or Low Vision in the U.S.

Zachary A. Morris, Ph.D. | Arielle M. Silverman, Ph.D. | Sarahelizabeth J. Baguhn, Ph.D. | Sarah Malaier, M.A. | Chung Ho Philip So, B.A.

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American Foundation for the Blind

2024

People who are blind or have low vision (BLV), like other people with disabilities, often must spend money out-of-pocket for needed disability-related goods and services, such as assistive technologies, prescription drugs, or accessible transportation services. These expenses can weigh heavily on finances and force people to choose between paying for these necessary goods and services or other essential items like food and housing. Often BLV people cannot afford needed disability-related goods and services, creating unmet needs that can make it more difficult to work and engage in community life. In this brief, we call the financial predicament that arises from needing to purchase disability-related goods and services the disability squeeze. We view this squeeze as constraining the full participation of people with disabilities in two primary ways – by reducing disposable income and by creating unmet needs. The squeeze stems from the societal failure to accommodate disabled people and remove the financial barriers that impede their full and equal social participation. We present new data on this problem from a nationally representative survey, the Survey of Disability-Related Goods and Services, fielded in June 2023, which included 288 BLV people. Key findings include that among BLV people: 80% reported out-of-pocket costs representing, on average, 27% of household income. 68% reported at least one disability-related unmet need. 75% of those out of work reported an unmet need versus 57% of those in paid work. 25% reported cutting back on food costs because of their disability-related costs. 26% reported going into debt because of disability-related costs. 39% reported challenges making ends meet because of disability-related costs.