1

Contact: Tom Jedlowski

Director of Communications & Technology
(615) 972-4147
tom_j@tndisability.org

DISABILITY COMMUNITY GIVES TENNESSEE D+ FOR WORKING ADULTS

Tennessee Disability Coalition Releases Letter Grade Scorecard to State; Reveals 80 of 95 Counties Unaffordable
for Working Tennesseans With Disabilities

Nashville, Tenn., November 7, 2022 —The Tennessee Disability Coalition (TDC), a 501(c)3 nonprofit and
nonpartisan alliance of 40+ member organizations, today released the 2022 Tennessee Disability Scorecard (Scorecard)
giving a cumulative D+ to the Volunteer State for working adults with disabilities.

The new Scorecard grades eight disability priority areas for 2022, and will be reviewed annually to ensure the
lived experiences of Tennesseans are at the forefront of all policy decisions made by state leaders including lawmakers,
appointed commissioners, and municipalities. Per the Center for Disease Control & Prevention, close to 1 in 3 (1.6 million)
Tennesseans experience some form of disability, comprising the single largest minority group in Tennessee.

Of the eight priority areas, housing was of dire concern for working Tennesseans with disabilities. Median home
prices and household income were calculated by county, and assumed a fixed 30-year mortgage at 5% interest, with a
20% down payment. Of Tennessee’s 95 counties, 80 were unaffordable for working Tennesseans with disability.

“The Tennessee Disability Coalition receives tens of thousands of calls every year from current and future
residents of Tennessee wanting to know what they can expect for themselves, or their children.” said TDC Executive
Director, Carol Westlake. “They want a snapshot, but it’s tough to fully explain the reality of living and working in
Tennessee with a disability. Many of the norms they’re familiar with, or have heard about in other states, probably don’t
exist here. If they do, there’s a good chance they’re underspent, overly-bureaucratic, or both; leaving the disability
community of Tennessee drowning in a sea of red tape.”

Available in its entirety on the TDC website, the 2022 Tennessee Disability Scorecard looked at eight priority
areas for working adults in the state’s disability community. In it, the State of Tennessee achieved an overall grade of D+,
and were comprised from the following:

Priority: Housing
Grade: F
80 of Tennessee’s 95 counties do not have affordable housing for working people with disabilities.

Priority: Employment
Grade: D+
33% of Tennessee workers with disabilities are employed, compared to 78% of workers without disabilities. This
ranks Tennessee 44th out of all 50 states.

Priority: Transportation
Grade: C-
 2
Tennessee ranks 39th in the US for quality of public transportation.

Priority: Medical Debt

Grade: F
Tennessee has the 5th highest percentage of adults with medical debt in the country.

Priority: Home Healthcare Worker Crisis

Grade: F
Tennessee ranks 43rd in the US for the availability of home healthcare workers, with only 13 workers for every
100 Tennesseans needing care.

Priority: Sales Tax Burden

Grade: A
Like nearly all states, Tennessee does not tax the sale of durable medical equipment, prescriptions, and mobility
devices.

Priority: Affordability of Care

Grade C+
The AARP ranked Tennessee 35th in the affordability of care for people with disabilities based on relatively low
home health care costs, but 49th in consumers’ ability to access these home healthcare services.

Priority: Support for Family Caregivers

Grade: F
Given the critical shortage of home healthcare workers across the country, AARP ranked Tennessee 49th in
supporting family members caring for loved ones with disabilities based on state policies.

“Tennesseans with disabilities, like all Tennesseans, simply want to work, and live our lives. The Scorecard
highlights the issues directly impacting working Tennesseans with disabilities, and the grades are the direct product of
policy and administrative decisions made by elected leaders, and appointed state commissioners” said Jeff Strand,
coordinator of government & external affairs at the Tennessee Disability Coalition. “We look forward to reviewing and
releasing the Scorecard annually on behalf of Tennessee’s disability community both to educate Tennesseans, as well as
the thousands of residents moving here every day.”

Strand added, “our Tennessee Disability Scorecard serves two distinct functions. 1. It gives future residents, and
current Tennesseans, a snapshot of what working with a disability is like in Tennessee. 2. By reviewing and updating it
annually, it gives hardworking Tennesseans a chance to give Tennessee’s leaders a performance review on the issues
that matter to us, and impact our work – just like any other employer would do.”

More information can be found in the full Scorecard including citations and graphics, and is available on the
TDC’s website. To obtain a free and full copy of the 2022 Tennessee Disability Scorecard please visit
https://www.tndisability.org/tennessee-disability-scorecard.

About the Tennessee Disability Coalition: The Tennessee Disability Coalition is a 501(c)3 nonprofit alliance of 40+
member organizations joined to promote the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in all aspects of life.
With programs, public policy, and purpose we collectively advocate for self-determination, independence, empowerment,
 3
and inclusion for people with disabilities in areas of accessibility, education, employment, healthcare, housing, voting
rights, and much more. For more information about the Tennessee Disability Coalition, please visit
http://www.tndisability.org, email coalition@tndisability.org, call (615) 927-3694, or Text TEAMWORK to 72690 for
disability policy updates and alerts. Message & Data rates may apply. Avg. 1-4 messages per week.
###