Financial counseling services are more effective when all aspects of an individual’s lived experience are considered — and when services are informed by the overlapping challenges and opportunities individuals face at the intersection of disability, race, ethnicity, and poverty.
NDI works with diverse partners in the disability community and public and private sectors to improve informed, financial decision-making and financial health for people with disabilities nationwide.
NDI’s Disability Inclusive Financial Counseling initiative focuses on the promotion of financial equity for individuals living with a disability by training financial counselors to be more disability inclusive, increasing access and use of tailored financial counseling/coaching services for persons with disabilities, and creating an ecosystem of collaboration and effective referral partners to these trained counselors.
Why It Matters
Only 10% of working-age people with disabilities are Financially Healthy and a third are Financially Vulnerable, meaning they have little or no emergency savings and high levels of debt.
Financially Vulnerable people live in a precarious financial state, often having little or no emergency savings, high levels of debt, and insufficient income to meet month-to-month expenses. Overall, working-aged people without disabilities are three times more likely to be Financially Healthy than working-aged people with disabilities and only one-third as likely to be Financially Vulnerable.
Financial counseling services are more effective and impactful when all aspects of an individual are considered. Community service organizations tend to focus on serving one aspect of an individual such as addressing their disability needs or their financial empowerment needs.
However, just as an individual’s lived experience is greater than the sum of his or her identities, the effectiveness of services offered are greater when informed by the overlapping challenges and opportunities individuals face at the intersection of disability, race, ethnicity, and poverty.
What We Do
Training
NDI provides training to financial counselors and coaches through a hybrid methodology of online training and a one-time in-person training.
Ongoing Support
After completing NDI’s training, financial counselors and coaches are invited to participate in national support network.
Community Connections
NDI works with local partners to build relationships and provide resources needed to help you more effectively reach individuals with disabilities.
Training
NDI provides focused training to financial counselors and coaches that highlights how disability public benefits impact the financial choices and financial decisions individuals with a disability make, and that at times limit their ability, to take full advantage of the financial system. This training helps financial counselors create a more inclusive financial counseling environment by building a better understanding of the complex financial lives people with disabilities live and how to support their journey to financial stability. The information provided ensures that the advice and guidance given is not detrimental to their access to benefits. The training also increases knowledge related to when and where to refer individuals for additional assistance.
Participating counselors are provided approximately 22 hours of training, through a hybrid methodology of online and webinar-style training paired with a one-time in-person training, based on the needs of the involved partners.
Training includes:
- Training on Social Security disability benefits, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and on how apply this knowledge during financial counseling sessions with individuals receiving these benefits
- Disability awareness/sensitivity training :
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- Different definitions and types of disabilities.
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- Discussion of common and pervasive stereotypes and myths to stimulate awareness and avoidance of unconscious biases.
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- Appropriate language and etiquette to facilitate meaningful interactions while serving individuals with disabilities.
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- Raising awareness and offering practical tips for effective and comfortable communication.
- Disability accommodations and accessibility which would include the subtopics below:
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- Incorporating virtual and physical accessibility to ensure service access.
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- Understanding accommodations and the elements of an Accommodation Plan, including policy and process development.
- Guidance on how to effectively inquire about disabilities during intake and ongoing service delivery.
- The basics of what an ABLE account is and how it can be used as a financial empowerment tool.
Technical assistance (TA) office hours:
Additionally, throughout the training, participating counselors/coaches have access to technical assistance (TA) office hours in which they have access to subject matter experts to answer their questions on both the training content and real-life counseling experiences.
Ongoing Support
Disability Inclusive Financial Counselor National Support Network
After successful completion of the training component, certified trained financial counselors and coaches are invited to participate in a hands-on, peer-to-peer learning environment within a network of others that have completed the same training. This group meets frequently and has access to professionals who facilitate and answer questions that may arise while serving clients ,and are provided tools and resources with frequent guest speakers. They also have access to a peer to peer online collaborative tool, monitored and responded to by NDI subject matter experts. NDI’s network ensures that counselors have the ongoing support and resources needed to ensure the counselors are confidently equipped to assist their clients.
Community Connections
NDI works with local partners to create synergies between key stakeholders that are needed to effectively reach individuals with disabilities. This includes organizations serving individuals with a disability, organizations offering financial counseling/ financial coaching services and other organizations serving underrepresented groups.
Interested in Partnering, Training, or Learning More?
For more information about opportunities for partnership, training for your team, project details, and more, contact Shelby Vasquez.
Current Partners
Louisville Metro’s Office of Financial Empowerment was the first anchor partner. They recruited the Louisville Financial Empowerment Center (FEC), AcceLOUrate Savings (now combined with the FEC), and Apprisen counselors to participate.
For More Information:
Erin Waddell
Louisville Metro’s Office of Resilience and Community Services
erin.waddell@louisvilleky.gov
United Way Bay Area was selected as the second anchor partner. Their participating counselors were selected through their SparkPoint Centers.
For More Information:
Elizabeth Maggio
United Way Bay Area
emaggio@uwba.org
Wayne Metropolitan: Community Action Agency was selected as the third anchor partner. Their trained team includes counselors from the Detroit Financial Empowerment Center, Lighthouse, and MiSide.
For More Information:
Aderika McClain
Wayne Metro Community Action Agency
amcclain@waynemetro.org
Resources
Additional Training Tools for Counselors
NDI aims to promote financial equity for all people with disabilities. For more information about these statistics, please review Race, Ethnicity and Disability: The Financial Impact of Systemic Inequality and Intersectionality and other NDI Reports.
NDI’s Financial Resilience Center (FRC) is an online information hub to help people with disabilities and chronic health conditions build their financial resilience and navigate through difficult times. This website provides trusted answers to frequently asked questions related to employment, benefits, credit, taxes, housing and more including assistance to help individuals manage their finances.
NDI’s ABLE National Resource Center is connecting people with disabilities, their families and those who support them to information about the Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Act and ABLE accounts to learn, save and grow.
Online Trainings
Effective Financial Counseling for People Receiving Social Security Disability Benefits
This course will help financial counselors create more inclusive environments by understanding the complex financial lives of people who receive SSA benefits and how to support their journey to financial stability.
- 7 modules, Self-paced
- AFCPE® CEU credit available
- Special Introductory Program Cost: $199 – Limited time offer!
Financial Inclusion Essentials
A self-paced online course for financial counselors, financial coaches, disability service providers, and others who want to learn more about building the financial well-being of people with disabilities.
- Developed in partnership with AFCPE®
- 5 CEUs for AFCPE® and 2 CEUs for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER (CFP®) Certified Professionals
- Program Cost: $349
Upcoming Events
Prosperity Now: September 4, 2024-September 6, 2024
Join us at the Prosperity Summit 2024 through Prosperity Now where we will be presenting “Inclusive Financial Counseling: Bridging Race and Disability Gaps”
Intersectionality between race and disability significantly impacts financial well-being. This interactive panel discussion features representatives from Louisville, the Bay Area, and Detroit, sharing insights from their initiatives serving people of color with disabilities through financial counseling. Moderated by National Disability Institute, the session explores organizational changes to become more disability-ready and the impact of specialized training for financial counselors. Discover how these programs have increased savings by $48,161 and reduced debt by $153,556 for 166 clients, primarily African American individuals with disabilities. Examine the broader organizational benefits and new partnerships fostered through these initiatives. Participants will gain practical strategies for implementing similar programs in their communities.
AFCPE Symposium: November 20 – November 22, 2024
Join us at our 3-hour interactive AFCPE pre-symposium session where we will explore the intersection of financial counseling and disability inclusion, emphasizing the importance for financial counselors to understand the disability service system and general information on public benefits, their potential impact and opportunities for clients with disabilities .disabilities.
The session will share highlights from NDI’s in-depth work with three financial counseling programs in Louisville, Kentucky, Oakland, California, and Detroit, Michigan as they worked together to make their programs more inclusive to serving clients with disabilities. The presentation will also address common myths about disability, public benefits accessed by eligible individuals with disabilities and explain why understanding these benefits is crucial to serving clients with disabilities effectively, while maintaining adherence to the AFC’s code of ethics.
Attendees will learn why disability inclusion is vital, tips on how and why to ask about disability during client intake and how to create strategies to increase services to persons with disabilities. Success stories and testimonials will be shared and attendees will be encouraged to take actionable steps, such as revising intake forms, participating in NDI’s training cohorts, and enrolling in relevant courses to enhance their skills.
