Poverty and disability are interrelated, but data that can disentangle to what
extent one causes the other and vice versa is not available. However, data from Vietnam
allows us to examine this interrelationship in a way not done previously. Using small area
estimation techniques, we uncover three findings not yet found in the literature. First,
disability prevalence rates vary significantly within a country even at the district level.
Second, the poverty gap between people with and without disabilities also varies at the
district level. And most importantly, the size of that gap lessens based on district characteristics
that can be affected by policy. Districts with better health care and infrastructure,
such as road and health services, show less of a link between disability and poverty,
supporting the hypothesis that improvements in infrastructure and rehabilitation service
can lessen the impact of disability on families with disabled members.