If you were to ask someone about the most marginalized groups in American society today, they may list immigrants, people of color, or women.  While not wrong in this answer, there is a single group in America that is marginalized yet, fail to receive the same recognition as many other groups.

People with disabilities face challenges throughout society which often go unnoticed by the world at large.  There is an overall lack of communication or concern over their struggles, as the media consistently sees other issues as needing to take precedence.  Take for example, the issue of employment.  In a day and age where people riot out on the streets for the equal pay of all genders, no one takes notice about the lack of employment opportunities for those with disabilities.  The employment rate for working-age people with a disability is only about 10%, compared to a rate of 83% for everyone else.  Yet, even with this glaring difference, time and time again, disability issues get steamrolled in the media.

The lack of representation of disability issues stems from a lack of knowledge that these issues exist.  Take, for example, the issue of the word “retard” or as many call it, “the r-word.”  In a time where the media and people in general are so careful over what they say and how they say it, people still throw around the word “retard” nonchalantly offending disabled people everywhere.  Since it is not made widely known through the media, as other terms and phrases are, as being incredibly offensive, people continue to laugh and joke at the expense of those with disabilities.

The difficulties of those with disabilities should be considered as pressing of an issue as any other “hot button” topic.  The term “equality” has become such a buzzword in American society, yet are we all equal if some issues seem more important than others even though, fundamentally, they deal with the same topics?

https://mn.gov/deed/newscenter/publications/trends/december-2016/disability-employment-gap.jsp