As part of Roosevelt’s New Deal, Social Security was first enacted in 1935 during the Great Depression. The law was designed to be a form of social insurance for the elderly, and it soon expanded to include those who are disabled. 

There are two different kinds of social security: Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). They are often both referred to as “social security,” but have very different roles and eligibility metrics. People who are disabled can sometimes qualify for both, but not always. 

SSI is based on need and is funded through regular taxes. The amount a person receives per month is determined by Congress, with some states adding additional funds. No work history is required to receive this benefit.

SSDI is based on a special payroll tax and is (usually) only available for people who have paid into the system. This means that those who have not had jobs that have paid into social security are not (usually) eligible for SSDI but might be eligible for SSI. With SSDI, the amount of money a person receives per month depends on the amount of money they paid into the system. SSDI converts to retirement benefits after the person in question achieves retirement age. 

Medicare and Medicaid, two government-funded health insurance plans, were added to social security by Lyndon B. Johnson in 1965. Medicare is mostly for people over the age of 65, and Medicaid is mostly for adults and children who are impoverished and/or disabled. There are several important exceptions to the Medicare rule on age, especially for people with certain disabilities. Additionally, after being on SSDI for 24 months, a person is qualified to be on Medicare no matter their age. 

Part of CIDI’s Work ACCESS project is researching the impact of Medicare and Medicaid providing only medically necessary Durable Medical Equipment (DME), which ignores vocationally necessary DME. Watch this space to learn the outcomes of the research, and how it might affect the meaningful employment of people with disabilities. 

The Americans with Disabilities Act, also called the ADA, is one of the most important pieces of civil rights legislation for Americans with disabilities to date. It prevents discrimination based on disability, just like previous legislation banned discrimination based on gender, race, religion, and age. There are five titles that lay out specific protections, but the first two have the most relevancy to CIDI’s mission:

Title I - Employment

This part of the ADA prevents most employers from discriminating against a qualified candidate with a disability. This includes the application process, hiring, promotions, training, and anything else to do with employment. 

This portion also requires employers to provide reasonable accommodations to employees with disabilities. A reasonable accommodation is a change in the way things are done so that a person with a disability can accomplish a task. Accommodations can look like special equipment, scheduling changes, and remote/telework options, but each person with a disability might require different accommodations. 

Employers are not required to provide accommodations that would prove to be an undue hardship to the company. Additionally, the person with a disability must be able to perform the essential functions of the job at the appropriate level. 

CIDI specializes in research on workplace accommodations, and how they can help people with disabilities retain meaningful employment. Want to learn more? Check out our research page. 

Title II - State and Local Government and Public Transit

This provision makes sure that all government entities in the United States provide equal opportunity to access governmental programs for people with disabilities. This includes things like: 

• Making public transit accessible
• Giving everyone the opportunity to vote
• Allowing service animals into public buildings
• Making sure that public information is available for everyone, like CIDI did working with the CDC Foundation during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In April of 2024, there was an update to Title II of the ADA. Essentially, public entities have a limited amount of time to make their websites accessible to comply with the law. At CIDI, we are the experts in accessible web content and can help your organization become compliant. If you want to learn more, you can watch a recent CIDI webinar about the Title II update here. 

In 2004, George W. Bush signed into law the Assistive Technology (AT) Act, which authorized funding for 56 AT programs for all fifty states, Puerto Rico, Washington DC, and four territories. 

There are four main provisions for these programs: 

• Demonstrate various AT for people to compare and contrast different devices with the assistance of a professional
• Loan AT Devices to people with disabilities who want to explore the AT before investing in a purchase
• Reutilize AT by supporting the reuse of assistive technology that is no longer needed by its original owner.
• AT State Financing activities to support the acquisition of AT at low or no cost. 

Did you know? CIDI houses the Georgia AT Act program! Any resident of the state of Georgia can utilize the program. To learn more about Tools for Life or request a demonstration, visit their website. Or, if you don’t live in Georgia, check out the state directory of AT programs.