On this day in 1990, President George Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, guaranteeing equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications.

Population Distribution

49.7 million
Number of people age 5 and over in the civilian noninstitutionalized population with at least one disability; this is a ratio of nearly 1-in-5 U.S. residents, or 19 percent. Individuals are classified as having a disability if any of the following three conditions are true: (1) they are 5 years old and over and have a sensory, physical, mental or self-care disability; (2) they are 16 years old and over and have difficulty going outside the home; or (3) they are 16-to-64 years old and have an employment disability.

By age and sex --

• 7 percent of boys and 4 percent of girls ages 5 to 15 have disabilities.


• 20 percent of men and 18 percent of women ages 16 to 64 have disabilities.


• 43 percent of women and 40 percent of men 65 and over have disabilities.

24
Percentage of West Virginia residents 5 and over who have at least one disability, the highest rate in the nation. (West Virginia also has the highest median age of any state.) The Mountaineer State is closely followed by four other southern states: Kentucky, Arkansas, Mississippi and Alabama.

Counties with very high disability rates are clustered in the coal mining areas of Kentucky, West Virginia and Virginia. These counties include Bell, Breathitt, Clay, Harlan, Leslie, Martin and Owsley in Kentucky; Buchanan in Virginia; and McDowell in West Virginia.

30
Percentage of residents of Paterson, N.J., who have at least one disability. Paterson, N.J.; Miami, Fla.; and Newark, N.J., have the highest proportions of people with a disability among places with 100,000 or more residents.

46
Percentage of people with disabilities reporting more than one disability.

60
Percentage of working-age men with disabilities who are employed. For women, the rate is 51 percent. Altogether, 10.4 million men and 8.2 million women with disabilities are employed. (For further information, see <http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-17.pdf>.)

1.9 million
Number of people ages 18 to 34 who have disabilities and are enrolled in school. They comprise 12 percent of all students in this age group. The majority of this group (1.4 million) attend college or graduate school. <http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/BasicFactsServlet>

Specific Disabilities

9.3 million
The number of people age 5 and older with a sensory disability involving sight or hearing. This group accounts for 3.6 percent of the total population.

21.2 million
The number of people age 5 and older with a condition limiting basic physical activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying. This group accounts for 8.2 percent of the total population.

12.4 million
The number of people age 5 and older with a physical, mental or emotional condition causing difficulty in learning, remembering or concentrating. This group accounts for 4.8 percent of the total population.

6.8 million
Number of people age 5 and older with a physical, mental or emotional condition causing difficulty in dressing, bathing or getting around the home. This group accounts for 2.6 percent of the total population.

18.2 million
Number of people age 16 and older with a condition that makes it difficult to go outside the home to shop or visit a doctor. This group accounts for 8.6 percent of people who are of this age.

21.3 million
Number of people ages 16 to 64 with a condition that affects their ability to work at a job or business. They account for 11.9 percent of people who are of this age. (For further information, see <http://www.census.gov/prod/2003pubs/c2kbr-17.pdf>.)

Serving Our Nation

2.3 million
Number of veterans who receive compensation for service-related disabilities. Of these vets, 470,000 served in World War II; 166,000 in Korea; 750,000 in Vietnam; and 366,000 in the Persian Gulf. <http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/2003/cb03-32.html>