We Must Not Penalize People With Disabilities For Working and Saving

“My boyfriend and I have talked about marriage a few times, and we’re not going to do it because I would lose my Medicaid, and it would cost us so much money for me to have private insurance.”

After a devastating motorcycle accident left Jesi paralyzed, her world changed overnight. As she rebuilt her life, she discovered that disability benefits like SSDI often trap people in poverty by limiting their ability to work and save. Jesi made the courageous decision to leave SSDI, but still relied on Medicaid to cover her high medical costs—only to find that marriage and modest savings could put her care at risk.

Through perseverance and entrepreneurship, Jesi found renewed joy and purpose in her work and businesses. Her story—and the friendship that grew with Bri, who faced her own paralysis—reveals the hope, freedom, and meaning that come when people with disabilities are empowered to live and work without limits.

Here’s “Jesi’s Story,” the latest in Able Americans‘ Faces of the Disability Crisis video series.