Disabled Americans are the largest and most underrepresented minority group in the U.S. This minority transcends gender, social, sexual orientation, economic, religious, ethnic, racial and age groups. Disabled Americans have made a lot of progress over the past 25 years but continue to face inequality and discrimination in sectors such as housing, employment and education.
Facts and Statistics:


  • 1 in 5 or 20 percent of Americans have some level of disability; 13 percent have a severe disability
  • the unemployment rate of disabled people is 10 times higher than those without a disability despite having adequate skills
  • 65 percent of disabled adults ages 18-64 are unemployed
  • 33 percent of disabled adults with a non-severe disability have completed college; 22 percent of disabled adults with a severe disability have completed college compared with 43 percent of those with no disability
  • 11 percent or 4 million children ages 6-14 are disabled
  • 72 percent of people over 80 years old are disabled
  • 1/3 of people with disabilities rely on assistive technology for their independence
  • Of the 24 million veterans that have served our country, 2.9 million are disabled

    • There are several federal programs that provides benefits to disabled Americans. The largest of these are the Social Security Disability Insurance Program and the Supplemental Security Income Program both administered by the Social Security Administration. There are some states that offer disability insurance and many other programs and grants available to assist those living with a disability.

    Some Valuable Resources and Programs:

    1. www.DisabilityInfo.gov– an online resource for people with disabilities with comprehensive information on available programs, services, benefits and laws
    2. www.ada.gov-provides information and technical assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act
    3. www.abledata.com-contains a searchible database of over 19,000 assisted technology product
    4. www.opm.gov/disability/appempl.asp-office of personnel management’s (OPM) page on Federal Employment of People with Disabilities
    Check your eligibility now!