For many Americans, going to college and starting a career is viewed as an expected and even necessary path we take in adulthood. But for over 40 million Americans living with disabilities, that path is filled with obstacles, caused not just by physical limitations, but societal ones, too.

When Kevin Fritz turned 18-years-old, he realized he wanted a career and independence, despite the countless barriers in his way. Born with spinal muscular atrophy, which causes the muscles to increasingly weaken, doctors did not expect Fritz to live past two years old.

“I have a physical disability, and I only have use of one of my fingers,” says Fritz, now 33 years old. “A lot of people with my condition end up living at home and don’t have a job. I did everything I could to get out of that mold.”

This involved more than just pursuing a career he felt passionate about, as his disability placed limitations on what was available to him. Under Medicaid buy-in laws, every state places varying income limits on its population, often ranging between $30,000 to $40,000. If a disabled person works and makes over that income limit, they no longer have access to home and community-based caregivers and services provided by the state at an affordable premium.

For Fritz, this meant pursuing a career would be a gamble: He could either find a job that supported his 24/7 caregiving costs (which could be as high as $15,000 a month), pursue a lower paying career, or risk his physical well-being if he...

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