|
|
|
Demographics At A Glance Disability Demographic Index Disability, like aging, is increasingly a regular part of American society. Most Americans will experience disability at some point during their lives, either personally or within their families. Disability isn't experienced by a minority of Americans. Rather, like aging, it is an experience that touches most American families. The Situation: General Statistics on Disability At the end of 1994, approximately 54 million Americans had some level of disability, while 26 million had a severe disability. (U.S. Census Bureau, 1994-95) In 1992, the U.S. Census Bureau found that 17.5 million people had trouble going up a flight of stairs; 17.3 million had trouble walking a quarter mile; 16.2 million had difficulty lifting a bag of groceries; 10.9 million had difficulty hearing what was said in a normal conversation; 9.7 million people had difficulty seeing words or letters in ordinary newsprint (even when wearing glasses); and 2.3 million people had trouble making their speech understood.. The Obstacles: People with disabilities, on average, receive less education than people without disabilities. While improvements have been made in the last decade, a gap remains between people with and without disabilities in both high school and college graduation rates. For example, 34 percent of people with disabilities have less than a high school education. Only 14 percent of people without disabilities have less than a high school education. (Yelin, 1996) One study found that fewer than one-third of students with disabilities who had been out of high school 3 to 5 years had enrolled in post-secondary education programs, less than half the rate of high school graduates in general. (U.S. Department of Education, 1993) In 1991, almost 9 percent of college freshmen had disabilities, whereas in 1978 less than 3 percent did. (U.S. Department of Education, 1995) Minorities with disabilities receive less education than non-minorities with disabilities. 30.7 percent of white people with disabilities have less than a high school education while 43.3 percent of minorities with disabilities have less than a high school education. (Yelin, 1996) People with disabilities are twice as likely to be unemployed as people without disabilities. (La Plante, 1995) The Possibilities: The dropout rate for high school students with disabilities decreased from 27.4 percent to 22.4 percent between 1986-87 and 1991-92. The percentage of students with disabilities completing high school rose from 55 percent to 64 percent between 1984-85 and 1991-92. (U.S. Department of Education, 1994) 52% of all job accomodations cost less than $500. The average cost of a job accomodation for a person with a disability is $200. (Job Accomodation Network) There were 800,000 more people with severe disabilities aged 21 to 64 years working in 1994 than there were in 1991. In 1994, 52.3% of all people with disabilities (15.39 million people) were employed compared to 82.1% of the general population. (U.S. Census Bureau) Employment rates for young adults with severe disabilities is triple that of their older counterparts. In 1996 people with disabilities had $176 billion in disposable income: 73% of people with disabilities are heads of households; 48% are principle shoppers; 46% are married; 77% have no children in the household; 58% own their own homes. (Simmons Market Research Bureau) People with disabilities spent $81.7 billion on travel in 1995. (Society for the Advancement of Travel for the Handicapped) |