|
United
States
Census
Bureau
Over 53 million Americans have a
disability.
Based on information collected from the Survey of Income & Program Participation
(SIPP) during the last 3 months of 1991 & the first month of 1992, the number of
persons with a limitation in a functional activity or a social role was 48.9 million.
Disabilities mean a reduced chance for employment.
Return
The overall employment rate for persons 21 to 64 years old was 75.1%, but the rate varied
by disability status. The employment rate was:
| 80.5% | among the 117.2 million persons with no disability |
| 76.0% | among the 15.0 million persons with a non-severe disability |
| 23.2% | among the 12.6 million persons with a severe disability |
From a different perspective, the percent of all employed persons who had a disability was
13.4% (10.6% of employed persons had a non-severe disability,
and 2.8% had a severe
disability).
Disability also had an impact on earnings. For workers 35 to 54 years old, the average
amount earned in a month was:
| $2,446 | among those with no disability |
| $2,006 | among those with a non-severe disability |
| $1,562 | among those with a severe disability |
Types of disabilities and conditions causing disabilities.
Among persons 15 years old and over, the proportion reporting difficulties with specific
activities included the following:
| 5.0% | Seeing words and letters in ordinary newsprint |
| 5.6% | Hearing what is said in a conversation with another person |
| 8.9% | Walking three city blocks |
| 8.3% | Lifting and carrying a full bag of groceries |
| 4.0% | Going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor's office |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau
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