CDC: 1 in 5 American adults live with a disability
One in five American adults have at least one kind of
disability, according to a report from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention released Thursday.
The study, drawn from 2013 data, says 53 million Americans
have a disability.
“We know disability types and related challenges can vary,” said
Elizabeth Courtney-Long, a health scientist with CDC’s National Center on Birth
Defects and Developmental Disabilities. “In order to understand and address
their needs, we need to understand their diverse circumstances. This report
provides a snapshot into that.”
The findings come days after the 25th anniversary of the
implementation of the Americans
with Disabilities Act , which prohibits the discrimination of someone
because of his or her disability in the workplace, transportation, telecommunications, and places of public accommodation, said Jerry Wolffe, an ADA Phase II Implementer who was trained by DOJ and EEOC to help implement and teach the law after it was signed 25 years ago.
The researchers defined a disability as a self-reported
impairment in one or more of five areas: vision, cognition, mobility, self-care
or independent living. For people to have one or several of these disabilities,
the study says they have to identify with the specific qualifications the
researchers defined in questions.
The study defines a disability with vision as blindness or
difficulty in seeing with glasses on. A disability for the cognition category
means having a hard time with memory or making decisions due to a
physical, mental or condition. For mobility, a disability entails having
difficulty while climbing stairs. A self-care category means needing help
dressing or bathing, and an independent living disability was defined as
needing help to run errands.
The study is also the first state-by-state analysis of
Americans with disabilities from CDC. The report found Southern states often had
higher percentages of people with disabilities. For example, in Alabama,
Mississippi and Tennessee, 31.5%, 31.4% and 31.4%, respectively, of the state
adult population has a disability.
Southern states are also more likely to have chronic diseases,
including heart disease and diabetes.
The percentage of Americans in Midwestern and Northern states
were nearly half those from Southern states. In Minnesota and Alaska, 16.4% and
17.7% of state residents, respectively, reported a disability.
The report also found adults who have lower education levels,
lower income or are unemployed were more likely to have a disability. Broken
down by race, the study revealed African American and Hispanic Americans were
more likely to have a disability than white Americans.
Carol Glazer, president of the National Organization on
Disability, a non-profit dedicated to the disabled community in the U.S., told
USA TODAY the findings should be viewed to see how disability affects income
and unemployment levels.
The non-profit's research has found that 20% of people with
disabilities have a job, while 69% of people without disabilities are employed.
However, younger Americans with disabilities have nearly the same access
to education as children without disabilities, Glazer said. Glazer is
optimistic that more educated and disabled individuals will lead to more
employment among the disabled community.
"Where education goes, employment will follow,"
she said.
The CDC partners with several national and state disabilities
programs, including the Special Olympics Healthy Athletes program and the
National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability, among others.
Courtney-Long, a co-author on the CDC report, said she believes
the report will allow public health officials to understand the prevalence
of Americans with disabilities.
The Americans with Disabilities Act, which President
George H.W. Bush signed into law on July 26, 1990, opened doors
to people with disabilities to enter the workforce without discrimination
and creation of more accessible locations and working conditions.
“By prohibiting discrimination and ensuring opportunity, the ADA
has opened doors and brought dreams within reach,” said Attorney General Loretta
Lynch at an anniversary event on July 23. “It has made our
workforce stronger and our society more inclusive. And it has enhanced our
nation’s understanding and recognition of all that Americans with disabilities
can achieve when they are given more and nothing less than an opportunity to
contribute on equal terms.”
The findings also come during the Special Olympics World Games
held in Los Angeles. About 6,500 athletes from 165 countries gathered this
year for the event, which has occurred since 1968. Individuals with
intellectual disabilities participate in the Games each year.
“My husband and I have seen Americans unite in so many ways
across the country,” said first lady Michelle
Obama at the Opening Ceremony on July 25. “These Games are a
perfect reflection of that unity. They show us that we’re all in this together
– that we can lift up our friends and neighbors, and that we can bring out the
best in each other to reach even higher heights.”
