Introduction
About 50 million American adults have a disability, such as hearing
loss, mental disability, physical limitation, or vision loss.
Improving the health of this large segment of the population is a
central concern for public health. This Chartbook is the first in a
series to present information about the health of people with
disabilities by state and territory. It has three purposes: 1) to
show that a large percentage of adults have a disability, 2) to show
that the health of people with disabilities tends to be poorer than
that of the people without disabilities, and 3) to highlight areas
in which public health systems can better target people with
disabilities in their programs.
The
information in this book can be used by people with disabilities,
their family members, policy makers, health professionals,
disability service providers, and others interested in the health
and well-being of people with disabilities.
[Return
to Top]
Date: August 30, 2006
Content source: National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental
Disabilities