Allow me. Most welfare laws were written before individuals with disabling conditions were able to receive education and training that would allow them to either return to the workforce or enter the workforce. Also, as the nature of most work has changed, the range of work that can be performed by individuals with disabling conditions has expanded, tremendously. What has not expanded is the minds of those making the rules, often because they have no sense of what is possible, or realistic. For example: if you are the parent of a child with a profound disability, you may have little choice but to not work because if you do, your child will not be eligible for the type of specialized health coverage she needs. Again its not that people do not want to be as self sufficient as possible (I am seeing the one-armed barrista I met a few months ago), its that the rules make getting the help you need more challenging that necessary.