Excerpt from: Huffington Post (click for full article)
A recent series that aired on National Public Radio (NPR) stations across the U.S. on Planet Money, This American Life, and All Things Considered ("Unfit for Work: The Startling Rise of Disability in America" and "Trends With Benefits") paints a misleading and often inaccurate picture of the Social Security programs that serve as a vital lifeline for millions of Americans with severe disabilities.
The Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), which I had the honor of chairing for the past 3 years, has released a statement responding to the series, signed by over 120 organizations, and joined by other major national coalitions, including the Coalition on Human Needs, the Children's Leadership Council, and the SSI Coalition for Children and Families.
As series reporter Chana Joffe-Walt noted in the final segment, "there is no question these programs play a really important role in the lives of lots of people," going on to say, "the fact that these programs do support so many Americans and growing numbers of Americans makes it all the more important to actually look at them and say, what are they doing, how are they designed, are they functioning well, what role are they playing?" I could not agree more. However, taken as a whole, the series may have left many listeners with an incomplete and misinformed impression of the Social Security programs and the vital role they play in the lives of people with disabilities.
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