Fun Facts: Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary

It’s crazy to think that the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed only 22 years ago today. What took so long?!? Here are some interseting facts, courtesy the U.S. Census.

57 million: Number of people with a disability living in the United States in 2010. They represent 19 percent of the civilian noninstitutionalized population.

20: Percentage of females with a disability, compared with 17 percent of males. (When adjusted for the aging of the population, the disability rate was 18 percent for both males and females).

8 million: Number of people 15 and older who have a hearing difficulty. Among people 65 and older, 4 million have difficulty hearing.

 8 million: Number of people 15 and older with a vision difficulty.

 31 million: Number of people 15 and older who have difficulty walking or climbing stairs.

 4 million: Number of people who used a wheelchair to assist with mobility. This compares with 12 million people who used a cane, crutches or walker.

 41: Percentage of people 21 to 64 with a disability who were employed. 

 28: Percentage of people 21 to 64 with severe disabilities who were employed. This compares with 71 percent for individuals with nonsevere disabilities. 

 $1,961 : Median monthly earnings for people 21 to 64 with a disability, compared with $2,724 for those with no disability.