End the Cycle - Disability, Employment, and Poverty

The following video clips were created by End the Cycle of Poverty and Disability. End the Cycle was developed with participation from people with a disability. Their belief is that there is no better person to tell the story of disability than those individuals who experience it first hand.

This first clip provides an overview of End the Cycle and features snippets from each of their videos.

This second clip, Stevie Wills, a performance poet, writer, and public speaker who was born with Cerebral Palsy discusses the importance of employment for individuals with disabilities and how it can help end the cycle of disability and poverty.

Below is a summary of the main points that Stevie discusses in the video.

The ability to earn an income and access paid employment is one of the most important ways for people to break out of poverty.

It is a human right for everyone, yet 80% of women and 50% of men living with a disability are unemployed.

Some reasons for not being employed include, missing out on schooling opportunities, being denied the required training and financial help required to find work or start a business, and finally, perhaps employers don't understand the capabilities of individuals with disabilities.

Stevie believes that inclusion in employment is important because it can empower persons with disabilities to earn a living and support themselves, which is the ultimate for most people, disabled or not.