Statistics of Disability

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, a person has a disability when he or she has difficulty with any of the following:

• normal body functions, such as seeing, hearing, talking, or walking
  
  
• activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing or dressing
  
  
• certain expected roles, such as doing housework, schoolwork, or working at a job
  
  
• performing usual activities, such as driving or taking a bus

Statistics related to disability:

• Between 34 and 43 million people in the US have some type of disability, and one in eight has a severe disability.

• More than 50 percent of persons over age 65 (or 32 million people) have some level of disability.

• Nine million people of all ages are severely disabled and need personal assistance for daily activities.

• Chronic pain affects about 70 million Americans.

• Stroke is the leading cause of long-term, severe disability in Americans. Today, 4.8 million Americans live today with the effects of a stroke.

• Approximately 2 million Americans experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year.

• About 7,800 people in the US suffer a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) each year. At present, between 250,000 and 400,000 people live with a SCI disability.