Immigrants With Disabilities

Challenges Faced

• People with disabilities face increased discrimination, leading to employment and pay gaps.
• Immigrants with disabilities face compounded disadvantages, especially women, those with limited English, or with nonpermanent status.
• Fear of immigration enforcement may prevent immigrant workers from enforcing workplace rights.

Research Focus

• Limited research exists on nonelderly adult immigrants with disabilities.
• This brief focuses on characteristics of this population using 2015-2019 American Community Survey (ACS) data.
• Sample: nonelderly immigrants ages 18-64 (N = 1,422,274).
• Disability defined as having one or more of: ambulatory, cognitive, independent-living, vision, hearing, or self-care difficulty.

Key Findings

• 5.6% of immigrant adults ages 18-64 have a disability, 2.3% have multiple disabilities.
• Main disabilities: ambulatory (2.7%), cognitive (1.9%), and independent-living (1.8%) difficulties.
• Black Latinx immigrants have the highest disability rate (10.2%), Asian adults the lowest (4.2%).
• 35.3% of immigrants with disabilities have limited English proficiency.
• 30.7% of immigrants with disabilities are from Mexico.
• 49.3% of nonelderly immigrants with disabilities have low family incomes (under 200% of the federal poverty level).
• 41.4% of immigrants with disabilities are employed; 30.0% in service occupations.
• 12.7% receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
• 30.3% of noncitizen and 9.5% of naturalized citizens are uninsured; overall, 18.8% are uninsured.

Policy Implications

• Understanding characteristics of working-age immigrants with disabilities is essential to address their needs.
• Strategies include increased access to public services, job quality improvements, and community models for disability inclusion.

Barriers and Exclusion

• Immigrants with disabilities face stigma and socioeconomic disadvantages.
• Noncitizens face systematic exclusion from federal safety net programs due to the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996.
• Green card holders (in the US < 5 years), undocumented immigrants, and temporary visa holders face program restrictions.
• Immigrants with disabilities can qualify for SSI but must meet complex requirements.
• Discrimination, lack of accommodations, and misconceptions exacerbate stress.

SSI Program

• Federal program providing monthly cash assistance to low-income individuals who are 65+, blind, or have disabilities.
• Disability requires medically determinable physical or mental impairment that reduces ability to do "substantial, gainful" activity, is likely to result in death, or is expected to last 12+ months.
• Eligibility requires limited income/resources and meeting other criteria.
• Noncitizens must meet additional immigration-related criteria, including being a “qualified” immigrant.

Prevalence and Disability Type

• 5.6% of immigrants ages 18-64 have a disability; 2.3% have multiple disabilities.
• Lower than US-born immigrants of the same ages (5.6% vs. 11.6%).
• Common disabilities: ambulatory (2.7%), cognitive (1.9%), independent-living (1.8%).

Disability by Age Group

• Older immigrants (50-64) are more likely to have disabilities (10.5%) than younger immigrants (18-34) (2.9%).
• Ambulatory difficulty is most common among older immigrants (6.1%).
• Cognitive difficulty is most common among younger immigrants (1.4%).

Race and Ethnicity

• Black Latinx immigrants have the highest disability rate (10.2%).
• Non-Latinx Asian adults have the lowest disability rate (4.2%).

Citizenship, Origin, and Language

• 55.3% of immigrants with disabilities are naturalized citizens.
• Top origin country: Mexico (30.7%).
• 35.3% have limited English proficiency.
• Spanish is the most common language among those with limited English (69.1%).

Income Characteristics

• 49.3% of immigrants with disabilities have low family incomes (under 200% FPL).
• Naturalized citizens with disabilities are less likely to have low incomes (42.6%) than noncitizens (57.7%).

Employment

• 41.4% of immigrants with disabilities are employed.
• Service occupations are common (30.0%).

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

• 12.7% of immigrants with disabilities receive SSI.
• Naturalized citizens are more likely to receive SSI (16.0%) than noncitizens (8.6%).

Uninsured Rates

• 18.8% of immigrants with disabilities are uninsured.
• Noncitizens are more likely to be uninsured (30.3%) than naturalized citizens (9.5%).

Ensuring Support

• Ensuring immigrants with disabilities have necessary supports to reduce marginalization is crucial.

Health Care

• People with disabilities use health care at higher rates and are more likely to have chronic conditions.
• High uninsured rates among noncitizens with disabilities pose challenges to health care access.

Barriers and Access

• Immigrants face challenges such as administrative burdens, discrimination, language barriers, and immigration concerns.

Addressing Gaps

• Efforts to improve economic supports include removing the five-year bar and increasing outreach for eligible immigrants.

Double Minority Challenge

• The term "double minority challenge" is oversimplified; marginalized identities exacerbate adverse outcomes.
• Black and Latinx immigrants face higher risks of discrimination, detention, and deportation.

Workplace Factors

• Immigrants with disabilities are more likely to be employed than US-born adults with disabilities, possibly due to a lack of access to public supports.
• Immigrants are at increased risk of occupational fatalities and injuries.

Workplace Strategies

• Strategies to mitigate workplace risks include stronger enforcement of workplace protections.
• Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA protect against disability-based discrimination.
• Adequate dissemination of information on EEOC and other organizations is important.
• Other strategies include paid sick leave, health insurance, and expanded workforce development programs (e.g., WIOA).

WIOA

• Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) provides access to training, employment, education, and support services.
• Title I and Title II of WIOA serve immigrants, with Title II serving all people regardless of immigration status.

Data and Methods

• Weighted estimates from 2015-2019 ACS data were used.
• Disability was defined based on reported difficulties: ambulatory, cognitive, independent-living, vision, hearing, and self-care.

Limitations

• The disability measure may not capture the full range or severity of disabilities.
• Cross-sectional analyses limit conclusions about causality.
• There may be measurement error associated with reported receipt of SSI.