Data suggests unemployment on the rise for Americans with disabilities

The unemployment rate for people with disabilities rose last month from 9.3 percent to 10.4 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. In contrast, the unemployment rate for the general population remained steady at 5.3 percent.

However, despite the month-to-month dip in employment for people with disabilities, the 10.4 percent unemployment rate from July 2015, reflects a 1.7 percent improvement over the same period last year.

According to NPR, If you have a disability in the U.S., you're twice as likely to be poor as someone without a disability. You're also far more likely to be unemployed.

The article explains that a lack of accessible transportation is one big problem for disabled individuals trying to work or go to school. And that students with disabilities are less likely to graduate from high school and college, putting them at a disadvantage in a competitive workforce.

Another obstacle to employment is that if recipients of federal disability payments save more than a certain amount they risk losing their benefits.

The outlook however, may be improving. Congress recently passed a law (the ABLE Act) that will soon allow some disabled adults to save more money by establishing special accounts — exempt from the cap — in which certain savings can be placed. Federal contractors are also required to set goals for hiring more disabled workers.