EMBARGOED UNTIL: 10 A.M. EDT, SEPT. 16, 1997 (TUESDAY) Public Information Office CB97-148 301-457-3030/301-457-3670 (fax) 301-457-4067 (TDD) e-mail: pio@census.gov Jack McNeil 301-763-8300 One In 10 Americans Reported a Severe Disability in 1994-95, Census Bureau Reports Between October 1994 and January 1995, approximately 54 million Americans (1 in 5) reported some level of disability and 26 million (1 in 10) described their disability as severe, according to a new report released today by the Commerce Department's Census Bureau. Data collected three years earlier (1991-92) showed nearly 49 million people with a disability, 24 million of whom said their disability was severe. The Census Bureau defines a disability as difficulty in performing functional activities (seeing, hearing, talking, walking, climbing stairs and lifting and carrying a bag of groceries) or activities of daily living (getting in or out of bed or a chair, bathing, getting around inside the home, dressing, using the toilet and eating) or other activities relating to everyday tasks or socially defined roles. A person with a severe disability is defined as one who is completely unable to perform one of these activities or tasks or who needs personal assistance. "Since the passage of the Americans With Disabilities Act in 1990, the Census Bureau has collected data that make it possible to relate disability status to a range of other variables, including income, employment, health insurance coverage and the receipt of program benefits," said Jack McNeil, author of Americans With Disabilities: 1994-95, P70-61. Highlights from the report include: - Among the 202.4 million people age 15 years and older, 33.2 million had at least some difficulty with one or more functional activities. - Eight million people age 15 years and older had difficulty with one or more activities of daily living. - Twelve million people age 15 years and older had difficulty doing one or more of the following activities: going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor, doing light housework, preparing meals, keeping track of money and bills and using a telephone. - Of the 113.8 million employed people age 21 to 64 years old, 11.7 million had a non-severe disability and 3.7 million had a severe disability. The employment rate for persons 21 to 64 years of age was 82.1 percent for those with no disability, 76.9 percent for those with a non-severe disability and 26.1 for those with a severe disability. - Of the 9.3 million people providing assistance to those with a severe disability, 2.6 million were spouses, 1.7 million were daughters, 1.2 million were sons and 800,000 were parents. - Among persons 80 years old and over, 71.5 percent had a disability and 53.5 percent had a severe disability. Despite the high rate of disability in this age group, only 34.1 percent required personal assistance. Data are from the Survey of Income and Program Participation and do not include persons residing in institutions. As in all surveys, the data are subject to sampling variability and other sources of error. Tables are available on the Internet at http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability.html. Copies of the report are available from the Public Information Office's 24-hour Fax-on-Demand service on 1-888-206-6463, request Document Number 1246; or call 301-457-3030.-X-The Census Bureau--pre-eminent collector and provider of timely, relevant, and quality data about the people and economy of the United States. In over 100 surveys annually and 20 censuses a decade, evolving from the first census in 1790, the Census Bureau provides official information about America's people, businesses, industries and institutions.
