In a recent article for Forbes Magazine, "How ESG And Impact Investing Can Redefine Disability, Social Inequality And Be a Lynchpin To A World of Innovation" author, Jonathan Kaufman, eloquently communicates the desirable intersection of investors' dollars and innovation.

The figurative bridge, or more appropriately, the wheelchair accessible ramp, is to guide investors to create global change via the disability space. This mission is our lifeblood at Mobility Trust. The top priority of our investment fund is to fully integrate the physically disabled community, giving them access to the world. We believe all humans are a valuable resource and when given the tools needed for success, everyone benefits. 

 The disabled population is large, growing, and left behind in many parameters. The CDC reports 61 million adults in the US are living with a disability, that's 1 in 4 people in America.  According to the 2018 Disability Status Report by Cornell University, only 35.9 percent of handicapped people between the ages 18-64 were employed while 76.6 percent of able-bodied people in the same cohort were employed. In Persons With Disabilities as an Unrecognized Health Disparity Population by American Journal of Public Health 2015 (AJPH), the journal reports that on virtually all measures of social determinants people with disability fare poorly: living with a disability is associated with the likelihood of not having a high school education (13% vs 9.5%), a lower likelihood for employment (21% vs 59%), a greater likelihood of having an annual household income less than $15,000 (34% vs 15%) and inadequate transportation (34% vs 16%).

These inadequacies are where we need to focus investment dollars in order to create change. Kaufman, calls for investors to embrace the importance of investing in the disabled community. Realizing the implications of including this population are enormous, and outcomes will profit generations to come. Jonathan Kaufman, born with Cerebral Palsy, is a former Policy Advisor to the White House on Diversity and Disability, a professional speaker, anthropologist, psychotherapist, professor, executive coach, and policy architect. His passion for diversity and inclusion is supplemented by his business consulting career.  For more information on Kaufman and his services click here.

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