One in four Americans live with a disability that interferes with activities of daily living
According to a national survey conducted in September 2010, 27% of American adults live with a disability that interferes with activities of daily living, including:
- 15% of American adults who say they have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
- 11% of American adults who say that, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
- 9% of American adults who say they have serious difficulty hearing.
- 8% of American adults who say that, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping.
- 7% of American adults who say they are blind or have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses.
- 3% of American adults who say they have trouble dressing or bathing.
Americans living with disability are more likely than other adults to live in lower-income households: 46% of adults with a disability live in households with $30,000 or less in annual income, compared with 26% of adults who report no disabilities and live in households with that level of income.
They are also likely to have low levels of education: 61% of Americans living with a disability have a high school education or less, compared with 40% of adults who report no disabilities and have that level of educational attainment.
Americans living with a disability are also likely to be older: 58% are age 50 or older, compared with 36% of adults who report no disabilities who are that age.
These patterns are in line with the findings of the American Community Survey, the Current Population Survey, and the U.S. Census.
