Trying to Bridge the Economic Divide.

• Position: PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES - Brief article

"Twenty-eight years after the signing into law of the Americans with Disabilities Act, there remain persistent barriers to economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities, one-third of whom live below the poverty line," says Michael Morris, executive director of the National Disability Institute, Washington, D.C.

"Equal opportunity must include options to build the knowledge and skills necessary to make informed financial decisions; access to financial education and coaching; affordable and accessible financial services and products; inclusion in career pathways; and the ability to save and build assets."

Findings from an NDI report found that:

* Among adults ages 18-64, one in nine have a disability and, of those, one in three are employed.

* People with disabilities are twice as likely to have income less than $35,000, leading to a high rate...