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"Disability can be both a cause and consequence of economic insecurity. It is a cause because disability or illness can lead to job loss and reduced earnings, barriers to education and skills development, significant additional expenses, and many other challenges that can lead to economic hardship." This article depicts statistical data of people bearing disabilities and their employment rate. It shares how disabled Americans should have the same opportunities as a normal work applicant. This article also describes some barriers that can be present with disabled workers.

"Yet the intersection of disability and poverty is too rarely discussed. In fact, despite the fact that 1 in 5 Americans live with disabilities, the U.S. Census Bureau's annual report detailing income, poverty, and health insurance coverage did not even include poverty rates for people with disabilities until recently. It does now, and the most recent available data put the poverty rate for working-age people with disabilities at 34.5 percent in 2013, compared with 12.2 percent for those without disabilities." This article explains how Senator, Tom Harkin, speaks about immense the unemployment rate between the disabled and the non-disabled. The comparison between the "haves" is and the "have nots" is a difference of tens of millions of people. It describes how the disabled have problems financially which lead to no health care and are in need of aid from the government. However, Senator Harken speaks about program and policies that are helping the disabled for finding jobs, food, and more.

This article talks about how disabled persons have a less chance for getting a job.

"Independent experts see substantial evidence that disability insurance increasingly serves as a safety net for people who cannot find jobs - people, that is, who might still have the ability to perform at least some kinds of work." Some families depend on their disability checks to survive. This means that not only do the vast majority of people in the disability program not return to work, but this also results in more stress on taxes so the government can provide these people that are in the disability program with their monthly checks.

This article analyzes alternate reasons to why there is a rise in disability - not just that people are pretending. However, the article states that the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco says that it is "easier to qualify, as claims increasingly are judges on subjective criteria."

"The difference also is important because the disability program is running out of money. The government projects that the disability fund will not be able to meet all claims in full by 2016. Those financial problems are relatively easy to fix if the growth of disability is being driven by demographics, because those trends are leveling off. But if the program is attracting a broader constituency, then demand for benefits could grow more rapidly, requiring larger changes."   I think that the lines between welfare and disability insurance are blurred. People that can't get jobs due to their medical problems, turn to disability programs so they can classify themselves as having so. Sometimes, this has to do with education and that it's hard to find jobs that aren't physical with lower education, and it's easier to qualify for disability insurance because there are no set qualifications. I think that people turn to it when they can't work their jobs they have anymore, can't qualify for other ones, and are in pain so they just classify themselves as disabled. 

"Workers with disabilities have more to worry about on the job than those without disabilities. They earn less than their similarly educated colleagues without disabilities, and this gap widens as they climb the educational ladder, potentially creating a disincentive to climb higher." This article talks about the inequality between people without disabilities and people with disabilities. It provides statistics on the comparison of unemployment, college degrees, and salaries between the disabled and people without disabilities as well.

"But the vast majority of cases are those with limited intellectual capacity - generally an IQ of about 75 or less - and limitations in handling basic life skills, such as counting money or taking public transportation. About 28 percent of working-age adults with intellectual disabilities have never held a job. Even those who do find jobs often end up working only part time and get lower pay than workers without disabilities, the study found." This article is about adults with intellectual disabilities in the work force. Many people with disabilities can't count money for themselves, or take public transportation. They can't look for jobs, and need people to help. Companies also have to be willing to hire these people.

"About 28 percent of working-age adults with intellectual disabilities have never held a job. Even those who do find jobs often end up working only part time and get lower pay than workers without disabilities, the study found. On the positive side, 62 percent of disabled people who work in a competitive setting have been there three years or more, showing they can work and stay with it." This article talks about how the disabled have a small chance at getting a job. The article states that 28% of disabled people never hold jobs because people don't give opportunities to people with disabilities.

"JOFFE-WALT: Well, it's definitely not easy. It can be a long arduous process to apply for disability the first time, the second time. And this is part of the problem with the programs growing. As more and more people apply for disability, there's a growing backlog of applications. It can take two years to move through an appeal for a disability claim. You hear stories of people dying while they're waiting. And while you're waiting, for the most part you can't work, so you're not making income. And then in the end, of course, there's no guarantee that you will get back on the program." People are applying to get assistance for disabilities however there is a growing line. While waiting, the disabled cannot make any income.

"22 years after the enactment of the Americans With Disabilities Act, we have an unemployment rate among people with disabilities approaching 67, almost two-thirds" This article discusses how the unemployment rate of those with disabilities is astonishingly more than that of non-disabled people. Senator Tom Harkin talks about how the "haves" should take responsibility for the unemployment rate of the "have-nots." He also mentions the reason for his concern is that after the Americans With Disabilities Act there should not be this much of a gap between the unemployment rate of disabled and non-disabled people.

"All told, the federal government spent nearly $250 billion in 2011 paying more than 23 million Americans some type of disability claim. That's about 7% of the overall population, and 16% of the workforce." This article is mainly about the rise of disability and why it is happening. It provides information about the amount of people receiving disability claims, when money for these claims may run out, what actions will be taken when it does, and the influence of the recession on the amount of people with a disability to work.

This article describes the rapid growth of disability claims and payments despite many advances in medicine and technologies in other fields. The article also contains statistical examples of how this is affecting the economy. 

"Retired Master Cpl. Paul Franklin, who lost both legs in in Afghanistan, says every year he has to prove to Veterans Affairs that he still has no legs and needs a wheelchair. Now, he's waging a fight against the department on behalf of all veterans." I think that there are many people who somewhat over exaggerate their disabilities and other symptoms just like the judge in the "Unfit for Work" article, because here you have a judge who doesn't complain about her blood pressure and diabetes, unlike the whiney man in court, who makes the biggest fuss about having the same exact symptoms. Then there are those people who make a fuss about their symptoms because they really do have a severe disability. Paul Franklin, who is a veteran from Afghanistan, lost both of his legs in combat. Now you have Paul who is back in the United States of America, trying to convince the government that he lost both of his legs and that probably needs a disability check, due to his severe injury. I think that the topic for disabled people in present day and ancient times wouldn't compare. I say this, because in ancient Rome, if a child was born with a disability, they often put it down, because they probably didn't know how to handle it, or if they did, they might've not hand the time and money to take care of it forever. If we were to do something like this today, it would be out of nature and against are morals, because we have the technology, knowledge, and resources to fix most disabilities, or rather put that disabled person in a better position. Therefore, our actions seen in the United States hardly compare to what they did back in ancient Rome.

"The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a landmark federal law that protects the rights of people with disabilities by eliminating barriers to their participation in many aspects of living and working in America." This article describes the truth about the ADA. The ADA does not require businesses to hire unqualified individuals with disabilities; however, it ensures that there is no discrimination against them in the hiring process. This act does not make it easier for an individual with a disability to get a job than one that does not have a disability, it simply makes sure that they are not discriminated against.

"After decades of campaigning and lobbying, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990, and ensured the equal treatment and equal access of people with disabilities to employment opportunities and to public accommodations. The ADA intended to prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability in: employment, services rendered by state and local governments, places of public accommodation, transportation, and telecommunications services." This article is a timeline of rights people with disabilities have gained since the 1800s, it also highlights the social and economic barrier they faced and still have to face. The paragraph is about 1990 when the ADA was passed and equal treatment was finally ensured.

"Joffe-Walt's six-month investigation into America's disability program found a record-high 14 million Americans receiving disability checks in a system rife with fraud and dependency-inducing abuse that costs taxpayers $260 billion a year-more than food stamps and welfare combined." This article is very Conservative sided and talks of how disability costs america hundreds of millions each year. It also provides interesting facts about how much disability costs compared to other handout services the government pays for.

Independent experts, however, see substantial evidence that disability insurance increasingly serves as a safety net for people who cannot find jobs - people, that is, who might still have the ability to perform at least some kinds of work. The lines for disability insurance is growing rapidly. It's becoming increasingly harder for people who have disabilities to get the insurance that they need. These lines are growing larger because people get the insurance even if they don't need it. People fake disabilities if they can't find jobs and because of that people who actually need the insurance can't get it.

"Independent experts, however, see substantial evidence that disability insurance increasingly serves as a safety net for people who cannot find jobs - people, that is, who might still have the ability to perform at least some kinds of work." This article discusses how the percentage of Americans that enroll to receive federal disability payments is increasing rapidly. Some use the insurance as a safety net to provide for their financial needs when they are potentially able to participate in work. The government is losing money from the increase in those requiring disability insurance and the economy is suffering from a drop in the work force participation.

"Over half of the people on disability are either anxious or their back hurts - join the club. Who doesn't get a little anxious for work and their back hurts? " In this article by the Washington Post, disability insurance is scrutinized to determine how people are abusing and misusing it. Ever since the "baby boomers" hit their 40s and 50s, the cost of disability insurance peaked over the monetary income funding the program. Is it worth it to keep paying "injured" workers?

"The following table presents unedited data (including corrections, if any) on disabled worker beneficiaries paid from Social Security's Disability Insurance Trust Fund. In particular, unedited award data may contain duplicate cases." This website has a graph which shows the number of people on the disability program.

"But even if the 53-year-old Ohio man learned of a job he could do with herniated discs, he said, the government disability program feels like "a blanket covering you, and to walk out from it…at my age, it's a little intimidating."" The article outlines how a former truck driver named James Ottesen is trying to cope with his disability, and how he wishes to not live off of government welfare money. This shows that the "Haves" should and do care for the "Have-Nots" in America, but the "Have-Nots" would rather support themselves rather than accepting free money. Additionally, Ottesen describes how walking away from government protection is very difficult with his disabilities and age, and that he would like to prove that while his body may be broken with herniated discs, his mind is still as sharp as ever.

Please note that this article should be accessed from a google search, for the link above does not present the full article.

"The Social Security Administration has often cited a figure that disability fraud amounts to less than 1% of cases." This article talks about how Rand Paul could be effected by his remarks about disability misuse. However the more helpful part of the article for this project is how it also gives very helpful facts about how disability is not as abused as everyone believes it is.

" The states with the highest percentage of people age 18-64 on disability in the U.S. are West Virginia (where the number is nearly 1 in 10), Arkansas, Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi, Maine, Tennessee, South Carolina and Missouri." This article shows what states in what regions of the country have the highest rates of people with disabilities, and it also explains what the government is doing to help those with disabilities. It, in addition to these two things, explains in detail how the people with more money and more intellectual awareness have a responsibility to help the less fortunate ones.

"5 percent of the potential work force is more or less permanently out of action. That's not good." This article tells the reader about how the amount of disability claims in the USA is increasing and the causes and effects of this. Also, it tells about how the disability program is losing money and how it must be changed in the near future (2016).

"In the last 15 years the number of people in the U.S. receiving payments from the federal government for disability has nearly doubled" This article covers the startling growth of Americans who cannot work because of disabilities.

"Americans, on average, are getting older, and old people are less healthy. Also, as more women have entered the labor force, the share of female workers with health problems has climbed closer to the male average." This article is about how it is easier to qualify for disability insurance. It talks about how Americans are not working and using disability claims when they can actually do some work.