DIVERSITY STATISTICS Facts on Employment and Disability Also visit our page  The Disabled Workforce  ---->>>Go There Now Also visit our page    Wheelchair & Adaptive Sports Associations Employment Nearly 50 million Americans say they have a disability--almost one in five Americans. (Source: 2000 Census) 5.2 million were between the ages of 5 and 20. This was 8 percent of people in this age group. 30.6 million were between the ages of 21 and 64. Fifty-seven percent of them were employed. 14.0 million were 65 and over. Those with disabilities comprised 42 percent of people in this age group. People with disabilities make up 18.7% of the working age population, yet almost 70% of people with disabilities are unemployed. Among the unemployed, 2 out of 3 want to work. (Source: N.O.D./Harris Poll 2000)   Income, Benefits, and Poverty In 2001, almost 4 million working-age people received Supplemental Security Income (SSI). (Source: Social Security Administration) 1 out of every 3 Americans with disabilities lives in a household with an income of under $15,000 a year. (Source: N.O.D./Harris Poll 2000) Editor's Note. Please be aware that official statistics on diversity are hard to come by. The US Census has some good information  and there are some other good sources. As I locate dependable information I will add it what we present here.  I find the following interesting and have included them for those hunting statistics but reader beware - nothing that follows should be considered 100% accurate. This section begins and ends with 5 ***** ***** Disability Statistics 43 million are disabled, about 17% of 250 million; almost 1 out of 5 persons are disabled given these figures. [Congressional Committee findings for ADA]. One third of disabled Americans are 65 or older. Out of 45 million, that means 15 million of them are seniors.  About 32 million are over 65, which is 13 per cent. In 25 years 17 percent will be older than 65. There are hundreds of different kinds of disabilities--some are congenital, but most come later in life. Fewer than 15 percent were born with their disability.  Hearing Impaired (from SHHH and Hearing Journal) 24 million people with hearing impairments: --1 out of every 11 persons nationally --1 out of 7 hearing impaired will not seek help --it takes an average of 7 years for someone with a hearing impairment to seek help --about 3 to 4 million have hearing aids: 12 to 17% of the hearing impaired population* --1 out 10 hrg imp persons have aids --1 million don't use the aids they have --17 million have no hearing assistance of any kind --14 million w/ unilateral loss --about 40% of people above age of 65 has a hearing loss --this is almost 1 out of 2 persons--some audiologists think this is low --but only 6 per cent of seniors feel they have a hearing problem --only half those under age 65 feel their loss is a problem --2 million deaf --1 out of 125 persons From Hearing Instruments Magazine: Only 10 to 30% of hearing instruments fit today have a telecoil. More than 70% of hearing instruments (not including canal aids!) are manufactured WITHOUT telecoils! * 90% of deaf babies are born to hearing parents * Generally, we all lose a decibel of hearing acuity per year past the age of 35 Blind 120,000 totally blind 1 out of 2 thousand persons 600,000 legally blind 1 out of 417 persons 2.4 million visually disabled 1 out of 100 persons The blind can receive nearly 70 per cent more than other disabled persons in both SSI payments and exclusions from taxes. They're allowed to amass more income than any other group of disabled people before they start to lose benefits.   Wheelchair Users 1 million wheelchair users 1 out of 250 persons 10,000 people every year are spinal cord injured 82% of spinal cord injuries are male 307,000 under age 44 use wheelchairs--[US Dept of Health] From Job Accommodation Network An analysis of more than 10,000 disabled employees showed that 31% of their hirings required no added cost for special training or facilities. 50% were under $50 and 69% cost less than $500. Only 1% cost over $5,000. Studies show that building a new facility that is accessible adds only 1/2 of 1% to the building's cost. Buying buses with lifts adds only 5% to the cost. EEOC projects productivity gains of $164 million from ADA and $222 million net benefit from decreased support payments coupled with increased revenue: transforms tax-users into taxpayers Louis Harris Poll of 1986--latest one just released is worse 13.4 million in 1988 between 16 and 64 not working because of a disability, left a job, or were limited in the kind or amount of work they could do 1 out of 19 persons According to the Harris Survey of 1986, two thirds of all disabled Americans between the age of 16 and 64 are not working, which is the smallest working proportion of any demographic group. 5 million working age people receive governmental disability income assistance. Partial List of illnesses and disorders covered by ADA: lung disease heart disease muscular dystrophy multiple sclerosis cerebral palsy cancer mental or emotional illness  schizophrenia manic depression controlled diabetes arthritis asthma epilepsy HIV carriers alcoholism former drug users and alcoholics ADA excludes: homosexuality  gambling kleptomania pyromania Congressional Committee findings during ADA testimony disabled are poorest, least educated and largest minority two-thirds of PWD's of working age are not working, Louis Harris poll this includes all other demographic groups, including African-Americans PWD's maintain above average work attendance and productivity employer fears concerning expensive insurance premiums are unfounded as well as expensive modifications to worksite Lou Harris poll finds that 3/4 of biz mgrs. feel that PWD's "often encounter job discrimination from employers" PWD's with mobility imprmts cannot get transportation to their job 2/3 of those not working want to work  Staggering unemployment rate does not stem from the lack of desire to work. Studies show that PWD's perform as well or better than their co-workers ADA committee reports find that 8.2 million PWD's want to work Over 20 percent of PWD's of working age live in poverty. PWD's have more than twice as high a poverty rate as other Americans About 1/2 of PWD's live in households with $15 grand or less--double the proportion of people without disabilities Only 12 percent live in families with incomes higher than $35,000 less than half the 27 per cent rate for other Americans In 1988 avg. yearly earnings of MWD's 36% less than other men Avg. yearly earnings of WWD's 38% less than other women Almost 2/3 of PWD's did not go to a movie in last year; 3/4 did not see live music performance; 2/3 no sport event; 17% never eat in restaurants; 13% never shop in grocery stores 40% of PWD's did not finish hi skool 36% of PWD's dependent on government support. Another 25% get no support from government yet do not work 60% of govt. support receivers are primary wage earners in family Support programs cost US $60 billion annually at federal level 93 to 95% of fed govt. for PWD's were for income support and maintenance PWD's subject to widespread and severe discrimination; extremely disadvantaged; tremendous economic cost. Spinal Cord Injury stats-- 82 % are men, between 16-30 years of age; avg age is 30; most frequent is 19 Stats for head injury indicate a similar profile 56,000 new incidents of traumatic head injury due to accidents in Cal each year 1100 new incidents of SCI each year; 5,000 deaths Motor vehicle accidents cause most; 48%; 21% due to falls; violence is 14% [Head Injury Foundation] Congressional Research Service: (notice the disparity) Visual 4.3 mill Hrg Impmt 10.4 mill Deform/ Orthopedic 12.8 mill Absence of Extremities 1 mill Speech impair 1.1 mill Paralysis (complete or partial) .4 mill other impairments 3.7 mill 2 or more imprmts 9.9 mill 43.6 mill President's Committee on Employment of People w/ disabs hard of hrg or deaf 18.4 mill visually imprd 8.2 mill use spcl aids for mobility 6.5 mill National Center for Health Statistics: the following appeared in an article in the SF Chronicle on the eve of the ADA's enactment. The HI figures must refer to the deaf? Wheelchair users 1.07 mill visually impaired 1.4 mill hearing impaired 813,000 (!) More NCHS: alcoholics 10.5 mill--4.2%  or 1 out of 25 --43 per cent of all adults over 18 have been exposed to alcoholism --18.8% have lived with an alcoholic or problem drinker sometime during their childhood --37.9% have a blood relative who is alcoholic --42.8% have lived with, were related to or married an alcoholic Back Problems Back pain is felt by more than 80% of Americans at some point in their life More than 90% of the people who have back trouble get well on their own using nothing more than bed rest and aspirin. Back injuries cost $126 billion a year in medical costs and lost productivity. The average back injury claim costs employers $18,365. 85 percent of backs involve lower back. 46,000 disabling back injuries a year. 2nd leading cause of absenteeism, 100 million lost days of work Surgery can cost more than $55,000. Census Bureau, 1985-1986 More than one out of every five Americans aged 15 and over have some type of disability, with women having a higher disability rate than men, according to a US Census Bureau study. Difficulty walking was the most common problem reported, followed by lifting problems. [probably back problems. Ed.] The following were some of the finding of "Disability, Functional Limitation and Health Insurance Coverage: 1985-86." The Census Bureau gathered information from 26,000 households to examine Americans' income and participation in government programs. * 37,304,000 Americans aged 15 and over, 20.6 percent of all people in that age group [1 out of five, as noted above], have difficulty performing one or more basic physical activities. * About 13.5 million people, 7.5 per cent, [1 out of 20], have a severe disability--defined as unable to perform activities such as walking, lifting, hearing, or reading, or only with the help of another person. Ths percentage is based on the number of people with at least one disability, although many have multiple disabilities   * 14.1 percent of people between the ages of 16 and 64, and 58.5 per cent of people over 65 have disabilities. * Women have a higher overall rate of disabilities (23.2 percent) than do men (17.7 [percent), mainly because woman outnumber men in the elderly age groups.  * The overall rate of disability is 20.2 percent for whites, 24.9 percent for blacks, and 19.2 percent for Hispanic people.  * Of people who are 16-64, about 18.2 million (12 percent) have a disability that affects their work. Of these people, 8 million were prevented from working by their disability. * 19.2 million people have a problem walking a quarter-mile and 7.89 million cannot make the walk. Nearly 40 percent of people who are 65 and over and only 6 percent between 16 and 64 would find the walk taxing.  * 65 to 75 percent of us will become disabled simply by living to our full life expectancy. * Out of 36 million disabled Americans, 15 million are of working age. Only 5 million have jobs and of the 10 million who don't, 60 percent of them have been on disability unemployment for so long that the US Dept. of Labor doesn't include them on the ranks of the unemployed. * One of every 12 federal dollars goes to either a disabled person or to a disability program. * For every dollar spent to rehabilitate disabled persons for employment, 10 or more dollars are returned into our economy.  * There are an estimated 43 million individuals with disabilities in this country. Disability touches nearly one out of every 2 adult Americans.  * In 1981, under the age of 17, 10,300,052 cases of asthma and allergies were reported in the US.  * The incident of cystic fibrosis in newborns is one in 2,000 births. It is also estimated (1981) are the latest figures) that between 20,000 and 23,000 children in the US have cystic fibrosis.  * 1 to 2 percent of the population has some kind of seizure disorder.  * 36 million people have arthritis in the United States. 250,000 them are children and adolescents who have juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.  * 80,152 cases of diabetes under the age of 17 were reported in 1981 in the US. * 1 in every 600 children in the US has diabetes. * Nationwide, approximately 700,000 children and adults have cerebral palsy. * 10 pounds of fat on stomach exerts 50 pounds of pressure on the spine.  * Spina bifida is a birth defect condition that occurs in 1.5 out of 1,000 births nationwide.  * 50,000 new cases of head injury occur each year. Of those 50,000 individuals a year who survive a head injury, most are under the age of 30. From article in SR PD or SF Chron: * 25,000 Americans have Huntington's disease and about 125,000 are at risk of getting it. Symptoms usually appear between ages 30 and 50. Kids of people with disease have 50% chance of inheriting the gene. From the Mouth, an excellent disability bi-monthly 83,000 people with CP locked into institutions 100,000 people die every year of decubiti ulcers--bedsores. Most live in nursing homes. Disabled, you are 25 times more likely to spend a piece of your life in a nursing home. In a long-term study of quads, they lived for an average of 15 years when independent. When at a nursing home--18 months on average. 97% of all disabled women ever earn over $10,000 a year and that is not a shot in the dark but hard data from US Dept of Labor. [from an online service] ABC: $2000 to caption a show EEOC estimates 12,000 complaints in the first year cost to employer: $2000 $24 million in first year  A qualified person with a disability has a 1 out of 100 chance of getting a job when compared to people with similar qualifications. Note that only a minority of people with disabilities would actually qualify for SSI or SSDI (disability income) since "total disability" or inability to work is a requirement to qualify for such income.   *****

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