One In Five People Live With At Least One Disability

[Guest guest]

One In Five People Live With At Least One Disability

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/124122.php

Today about 50 million Americans, or one in five people, have some

level of disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention. October provides an opportunity to highlight the broad

needs, experiences and contributions of people with disabilities each

year during National Disability Awareness Month. Organizations,

including Allsup, which is a national Social Security Disability

Insurance representation company, are helping to draw attention to

this month's observance.

Disabilities are broad-ranging and cover all aspects of the human

body's structure and function. The CDC provides a sizable resource on

its " Disease & Conditions " section at http://www.cdc.gov. Materials

cover symptoms, reports and a variety of information specific to

conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and arthritis. CDC

research shows that people with disabilities generally report poorer

health than people without disabilities, and one of its objectives is

promoting health and well-being among people of all ages with

disabilities.

The U.S. Census Bureau provides additional insights, in a recent fact

sheet, on the health, work and life experiences of people with

disabilities:

- 1 million people age 15 and older cannot hear.

- 1.8 million people age 15 and older are unable to see.

- 2.7 million people age 15 and older use a wheelchair.

- 14.3 million people have limitations in cognitive functioning, or

mental/emotional illness.

- 56 percent of people with a disability (ages 21 to 64) worked

sometime during the past year.

During October, people and organizations across the country are

recognizing the value of every person's life and possibility to

maximize that life, no matter the type or severity of their

disabilities.