Web Resources on Asset Development for Persons with
Disabilities
The Real Economic Impact Tour (REI Tour) is a national initiative designed to assist
low-income people with disabilities by providing them with
asset-building strategies. The REI Tour offers free tax preparation and
filing assistance to qualified individuals. During 2008, the REI
Tour partners prepared over 90,000 tax returns in 62 cities, resulting
in refunds of over $81 million dollars to persons with
disabilities. The REI Tour will take place in 84 cities in
2009.
A paper titled Advancing Self-Sufficiency for Medicaid
Beneficiaries: Meeting the Challenges of the Olmstead
Integration Mandate by Michael Morris, director of the National Disability
Institute, discusses the unique challenges faced by Medicaid recipients
when they try to become economically self-sufficient and reside within
their community. The report identifies strategies that can be used
to allow individuals with disabilities to produce, preserve, and grow
their assets.
The IRS Stakeholder
Partnerships Education and Communication (SPEC) program’s goal is to assist low-income taxpayers
in meeting their tax obligations, and to provide information regarding
the availability of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
The Work Incentives Planning and
Assistance projects are sponsored by the Social Security
Administration. There are 104 projects funded
throughout the country to provide SSA beneficiaries with disabilities
assistance on job placement, benefits planning, and career development
so that SSA beneficiaries can make informed decisions regarding
employment options. A similar program designed for residents of
California is Disability Benefits 101.
Money Smart is an FDIC curriculum developed for use by youth
and adults to teach financial literacy to those individuals that are
considered to be outside of the mainstream financial market.
America
Saves is another similar financial
literacy program. A similar program designed for residents of New York
is Credit Where
Credit is Due.
Nonprofit organizations that
provide technical assistance and conduct research in the area of Asset
Development for individuals with low incomes, including persons with
disabilities, include the National
Disability Institute, the Burton Blatt Institute,
the Center for Community Economic Development and
Disabilities, the New American Foundation, the
Corporation for Enterprise
Development, and the World Institute on Disability.
Posted October 29, 2008
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