Statistical Report: The Status of People with Disabilities
The census report Americans With Disabilities: 1991/1992, published January 1994, gives us some in-depth data on the status of people with a disability who are not residing in an institution. The Bureau of the Census defined an individual with a disability as a person having difficulty in performing one or more functional or daily living activities, or one or more socially defined roles or tasks. Persons who are completely unable to perform an activity or task, or who must have personal assistance, were considered to have a severe disability.
In 1991-1992, 48.9 million Americans (or 19.4 percent of the total population of 251.8 million) reported on the U.S. Department of Commerce s survey that they had a disability. This survey sampled about 30,000 households between October 1991 and January 1992.
Who are the 48.9 Million Persons with Disabilities?
- under age 15:
6% - between age 15-64:
60% - between age 21-64:
56% - 65 and over:
34%
men: 22.9 million
women: 26.0 million - people with severe disabilities:
24.1 million
men: 9.9 million
women: 14.2 million
Race and Ethnic Groups age 15-64
- Blacks:
4.1 million - Asian and Pacific Islanders:
515,000 - Persons of Hispanic origin:
2.4 million - Whites not of Hispanic origin:
22.6 million - American Indian, Eskimo or Aleut:
285,000
What is the employment status?
Employed persons age 21 to 64:
- total:
108.7 million - people with disabilities:
14.3 million
men: 7.9 million
women: 6.4 million - of 14.3 million people with disabilities,
those with a severe disability:
2.9 million
men: 1.3 million
women: 1.6 million
What are the Leading Causes of Disability and Their Impact?
Over 27 million individuals age 15 and over reported having a limitation in a physical or daily living activity, causing a disability. Following are the leading causes:
- arthritis/rheumatism:
7.2 million - back /spinal problems:
5.7 million - heart trouble:
4.6 million - lung/respiratory trouble:
2.8 million - high blood pressure:
2.2 million - stiffness or deformity of the foot, leg, arm, or hand:
2.0 million - diabetes:
1.6 million
Those individuals age 15 and over reported the following:
- used a wheelchair:
1.5 million
women: 919,000
men: 575,000 - used a cane, walker, or crutches for six months or longer:
4.0 million - even when wearing corrective lenses, had difficulty seeing
words or letters in ordinary newsprint:
8.1 million - even when wearing corrective lenses, could not see the words or
letters in newsprint at all:
1.6 million - had difficulty hearing a normal conversation with another
person:
10.0 million - could not hear what is said in a normal conversation:
924,000
What is the Health Care Picture?
The status of health care insurance coverage for 29.5 million Americans with disabilities between the age of 15 to 64 showed:
- people without a disability: 135.6 million
private insurance coverage: 80.0%
government plan coverage: 5.2%
no coverage: 14.8%
- people with a disability: 16.3 million
private insurance coverage: 74.1%
government plan coverage: 7.2%
no coverage: 18.7% - people with a severe disability: 13.2 million
private insurance coverage: 48.1%
government plan coverage: 36.2%
no coverage: 15.7%
October, 1994
