Disabled in America

There are many people with disabilities throughout the world and the United States.
According to United States Census Bureau the number of people living with disabilities over the
age of 5 in the United States is 49.7 million, which is an estimated 1 in 5 residents in the United
States. There are 5.2 million between the ages of 5 and 20 and 30.6 million were 21 to 64 with 57
percent of them being employed. There are many types of disabilities ranging from physical,
emotional, as well as psychological disabilities. Some people with disabilities are able to live
normal lives while some are subject to wheel chairs, limited mobility, as well as completely
being confined. According to the University of California, San Francisco Disability Statistics
Center there is an estimated 1.6 million people who are confined to wheel chairs outside of
institutions. Among these statistics were numbers showing the age range, sex, as well as type of
wheel chair used whether it is electric or manual. What was most surprising to me were the male
to female ratio confined to wheel chairs. There are nearly twice as many women in wheel chairs
than men. Many people with disabilities of all kinds have trouble fitting into what others
perceive as a normal society. They are stared at, made fun of, and even harmed physically and
emotionally. Although we are becoming more adaptive to providing a better environment for
people with disabilities with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, studies show that
within 5 years of passing, the job rate for people with disabilities had little to no improvement
since it was passed.

There has been an amendment to the Americans with Disabilities Act in 2008. I believe
backed up by new statistics that this amendment has helped people with disabilities
tremendously. I can see around my own college campus that new wheel chair ramps have been
put into place. There are more tutors and services are available to help achieve a better education
including note takers, sign language interpreters, close captioning, as well as assistance with
taking tests in order to achieve a good education. We are all entitled to equal rights and without
some of these services a large majority of disabled people could not be receiving the education
they are today. The top 3 reasons people become disabled and are entered into Vocational
Rehabilitation programs are orthopedic impairments 20.0%, mental disorders 17.7%, and mental
retardation at 13.4% with substance abuse at 10.4%. These statistics show just how much
diversity in disabilities there are in America today.

Many people are very judgmental when it comes to hearing someone tell them they are
disabled. We need to help inform others and also become more aware of people who suffer from
disabilities and help them fit in with the rest of society without being discriminated against.

Jon Marshall - Sept. 21, 2009