Black Americans With Disabilities: A Focus on Solutions and Culturally Responsive Services and Interventions

Abstract

This special issue is focused on Black Americans with disabilities, emphasizing the unique experiences of Blackness in conjunction with disability. People with disabilities continue to face both overt and covert discrimination worldwide, and they represent the largest underrepresented group in the United States. Correct! They are the largest underrepresented (marginalized) group in the United States. When race is attached to people with disabilities, there is more discrimination and mistreatment when compared with other races with disabilities. Bailey and Mobley reported that race is even more pronounced when you look at the data that highlight that Blacks with disabilities are more likely to have a disability than Whites, Latinxs, and Asians. There are many reasons for this discrepancy in disability: (1) Blacks tend to be overrepresented in manual labor jobs—higher risk of injury. (2) Blacks tend to earn less and live in poverty, and the probability that food choices and diet are not adequate. Disabilities intersect with various social variables, including race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. Research consistently highlights the disproportionately adverse outcomes for Black individuals with disabilities compared to other racial groups. The intersection of being Black and having a disability must be acknowledged, especially when considering both the statistics and the personal narratives that reveal the ongoing discriminatory behavior faced by Black people with disabilities. For example, Wilson and Senices investigated the vocational rehabilitation (VR) acceptance rates among Latinx with disabilities, examining both their ethnicity and race. They found that Black Latinx had similar outcomes to African Americans in the VR system. Specifically, Black Latinos and African Americans with disabilities were less likely to be accepted for services in the VR system compared to White Latinos with disabilities. In addressing issues with Blacks with disabilities, recommendations to address systems and structures that lead to more understanding and resolutions are highlighted in every article. Understanding this context is crucial for delivering culturally responsive and appropriate services and interventions for Blacks with disabilities.