Crisis in our Communities: Racial Disparities in Community Living

It’s important for people with disabilities to live in our communities. But it’s harder for disabled people of color to access community living. There are barriers. The barriers come from policies that make our communities unfair to people of color. These barriers are caused by racism. Racism affects policies about dealing with emergencies, police violence, housing, and more. “Crisis in our Communities: Racial Disparities in Community Living” explains how policy choices, now and in the past, keep disabled people of color from accessing community living.

This toolkit answers questions like:

  • What are racial disparities?
  • What are racial disparities in community living?
  • What makes it harder for disabled people of color to live in the community? What barriers are in the way? How and why were these barriers created?
  • How do policies create and carry on racism and inequality in our communities?
  • How can we fix the unfair systems?

And more.

“Crisis in our Communities: Racial Disparities in Community Living” is available in two versions:

  • an Easy Read edition that uses pictures and large text
  • a Plain Language version without accompanying graphics

There is also a discussion guide. You can use the guide with self-advocacy groups, or you can talk with friends or family. The guide has questions that will help you think more about racial disparities in community living.

To learn where you can find out more about racial disparities in community living, check out our resource, “Where did we get our information?” 

Easy Read Edition

The Easy Read Edition is split into parts. Each part has its own Words to Know section, and there is also a separate Words to Know part with all of the terms from every section. Click on the title of any of the parts below to download it:

These resources were made possible by generous support from the May & Stanley Smith Charitable Trust.

If you used this resource, please take our short survey!