Between 40 and 50 million people in the US report some kind of disability in national health surveys. (See Institute of Medicine, The Future of Disability in America, Introduction) About 30 percent of non-institutionalized people living in the United States experienced either some difficulty with basic movement, or cognitive, sensory, or emotional problems. About 14 percent experience complex activity limitations that affect their ability to work, shop, or care for their personal needs. The number of people with disabilities will likely grow even more significantly in the next 30 years as the baby boom generation enters late life, when the risk of disability is the highest. (See B. Altman and A. Bernstein, Disability and Health in the United States, 2001–2005, (Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2008).)

People with disabilities are found in every age group, in every community, and in every walk of life. Because disability is not immutable, people can acquire a disability at any point in life. While many people with disabilities experience poverty and employment rates are lower than among people who do not have disabilities, some people with disabilities are employed and self-supporting. Some types of disabilities are visible while others are hidden. (See “The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities”) While disability affects people of all races, ethnicities, genders, languages, sexual orientations, and gender identities, impairment does not occur uniformly among all racial and ethnic groups.  National surveys define and identify disability in different ways, yet they consistently indicate that disability prevalence is highest among African Americans who report disability at 20.5 percent compared to 19.7 percent for whites, 13.1 percent for Hispanics/Latinos, and 12.4 percent for Asian Americans. (See U.S. Census Bureau, Americans With Disabilities: 2005, Current Population Reports, by Matthew Brault,  (Washington, DC: U.S. Census Bureau, 2008), 70-117; Many of the differences between the disability rates by race and Hispanic origin can be attributed to differences in the age distributions of their populations. For example, Hispanics are predominantly younger than non-Hispanic whites.) Disability prevalence among American Indians and Alaskan Natives is 16.3 percent. (See U.S. Census Bureau, 2009 American Community Survey, S1810. Disability Characteristics 1 year estimates)