Peg Sharing Circle - Exploring the Lived Experience of Poverty - Valerie Wolbert

The document provides a personal account of Valerie Wolbert's life in Manitoba, detailing how an intellectual disability and low income create barriers to housing, healthcare, and employment. It highlights the financial strain of high rent relative to disability benefits and the 'clawback' mechanism that discourages employment for benefit recipients.

• Valerie Wolbert faces significant financial instability, with monthly housing costs of $925 for rent and utilities consuming a large portion of her approximately $1,300 monthly disability income, while her husband is limited to working five hours per week.
• Systemic government policies create a disincentive for employment for those on disability; when Valerie obtained a part-time job, the earnings were clawed back from her insurance and disability benefits, requiring her to pay money back to the government.
• Poverty limits access to timely healthcare, as evidenced by Valerie waiting two years for an MRI for a shoulder injury, noting that financial means would allow her to seek treatment elsewhere.

APA

Producer),, V. W. R. (. E. M. (. (2011). Peg Sharing Circle - Exploring the Lived Experience of Poverty - Valerie Wolbert. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/peg-sharing-circle-exploring-lived-experience-poverty-valerie-wolbert

Chicago

Producer),, Valerie Wolbert,Christa Rust (Interviewer),Jason E.J. Manaigre (Technical. Peg Sharing Circle - Exploring the Lived Experience of Poverty - Valerie Wolbert. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/peg-sharing-circle-exploring-lived-experience-poverty-valerie-wolbert.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Producer), |first1=Valerie Wolbert,Christa Rust (Interviewer),Jason E.J. Manaigre (Technical |title=Peg Sharing Circle - Exploring the Lived Experience of Poverty - Valerie Wolbert |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=15 February 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/peg-sharing-circle-exploring-lived-experience-poverty-valerie-wolbert |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{producer2011peg, author = {Producer),, Valerie Wolbert,Christa Rust (Interviewer),Jason E.J. Manaigre (Technical}, title = {{Peg Sharing Circle - Exploring the Lived Experience of Poverty - Valerie Wolbert}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = feb, url = {https://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/peg-sharing-circle-exploring-lived-experience-poverty-valerie-wolbert}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }