The majority of them do not have high school diplomas, are functionally illiterate and are people of color. Indeed, half of all women who are incarcerated in America have a disability. Today there are more than 750,000 people with disabilities behind bars in America. Studies show that when students miss too many days, they get so far behind in class that it can lead to them dropping out of school and entering the school-to-prison pipeline. Moreover, while it is easy to see and understand when someone is deaf and/or blind, frequently “invisible disabilities” such as ADHD and dyslexia are not diagnosed and students do not get the supports they need to achieve.įrustrated, students with undiagnosed or addressed disabilities can act out and become suspended. Due to redlining and other factors, many of them go to highly under-resourced schools that do not have enough special educators. Today there are 1.1 million black students (K-12) with diagnosed disabilities in America however, the deck is stacked against them. African-American civilians with disabilities ages 18-64 living in the community had a job, compared to 73.7 percent of blacks without disabilities. According to the Compendium, just 28.6 percent of U.S. Out of more than three million working-age African Americans with disabilities, barely 934,589 have jobs. There are more than 5.6 million African Americans living with a disability in the U.S. However, with more than 7,500 African Americans with disabilities leaving the workforce last year, it is likely that women of color with disabilities have additional barriers. The 2018 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium Supplement does not have female employment disaggregated by race. Women of Color with Disabilities Continue to Face Additional Barriers This leads to approximately 22.6 percent of women with disabilities living in poverty compared to 14.7 percent of women without disabilities.

This is in line with the rest of the country, with fully one-in-four American adults having a disability just 37 percent of those who are working-age being employed, despite polls showing that most of them want to work. compared to 82.5 percent of working-age women without disabilities. Only 34.6 percent of working-age women with disabilities (3.5 million) are employed in the U.S. Yet 70 percent of working-age Americans with disabilities are outside of the workforce. More than 20.9 million women live with a disability in the U.S., including more than 10.2 million of which are working-age (18-64).įully one-in-five Americans have a disability and studies show that most of them want to work. Just 34.6 Percent of Working-Age Women with Disabilities Are Employed

She is credited for writing the screenplay for the 1970’s film, Georgia, Georgia.Īngelou received several awards throughout her career including two NAACP image awards, a Pulitzer award and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, awarded by former President Barack Obama. Angelou also directed, wrote, produced and starred in various films and television shows. One of her most popular books, “ I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings,” details her own life experiences of growing up in America during segregation and Jim Crow. Some of her most notable poems include Phenomenal Womanand Caged Bird. She eventually branched out into writing poetry as well as autobiographical books. She performed in many Broadway productions in her early career. She began her career as a performer in the 1950’s after receiving a scholarship to the California Labor School where she studied dance and acting. This helped her later when she began working in becoming successful in her career.Īngelou was born Apin St. In the five-year span that she experienced this, her listening, observing and memorizing skills improved and her love of books expanded. “And then I thought I would never speak again, because my voice would kill anyone.”Īngelou had selective mutism, an anxiety disorder that causes a child to not speak due to physical and psychological trauma they endured. “I thought, my voice killed him I killed that man, because I told his name,” she later said. As a result, Angelou became mute for almost five years. Four days later, he was murdered, with the theory that Angelou’s uncles did so. While the boyfriend was found guilty, he was jailed for just one day. She told her brother, who told the rest of their family. After passing away in 2014, Angelou still is widely remembered and honored for her hard work and perseverance over decades.Īs a child, Angelou was sexually abused and raped by her mother’s boyfriend. Most recognized for her literary works, Angelou was and remains among the most influential woman of her time. Maya Angelou was an award-winning author, poet, civil rights activist, college professor and screen writer.

Diversity quotes maya angelou