People with disabilities in the United States are a significant minority group, that make up a fifth of the overall population and over half of Americans older than eighty. There is a complex history underlying the U.S. and its relationship with its disabled population, with great progress being made in the last century to improve the livelihood of disabled citizens through legislation providing protections and benefits. Most notably, the Americans with Disabilities Act is a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy that works to protect Americans with disabilities in public settings and the workplace. More than 1 in 4 adults in the U.S. have a disability, making up about 28.7 percent of the population.
Definitions According to the Social Security Advisory Board, when the federal government first began provisioning funds for state-run disability assistance programs, eligible beneficiaries were defined as needing to be "totally and permanently disabled". In 1956, this definition was expanded by the Disability Insurance Program to describe disability as the "inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or to be of long-continued and indefinite duration." Critics indicated that this language limited the concept of disability to an occupational scope, and more holistic definitions were adopted as time passed. The modern consensus on disability within governmental, medical, sociological realms in the United States is that it includes impairments that either physically or mentally incapacitate individuals from engaging in life activities, or the perception of possessing such an impairment. The World Health Organization(WHO) defines disability as any condition that affects the body, mind, and ability to express physical vitality and interact with the social world. Disabled populations are diverse and range in need, and some disabilities are often hard to notice. In a 2013 study, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) evaluated disability across five dimensions: vision, cognition, mobility, self-care, and independent living. Specific conditions that fall under this umbrella vary circumstantially, however it is broadly accepted that disability includes, but is not limited to the following:
Autism Autoimmune conditions (ex. lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS) Blindness or poor vision Cancer Cardiovascular or heart disease Celiac disease Cerebral palsy Deaf or hard of hearing Depression or anxiety Diabetes Epilepsy Gastrointestinal disorders (ex. Crohn's disease, Irritable bowel syndrome) Intellectual disability Missing limbs or partially missing limbs Nervous system conditions (ex. migraine headaches, MS, Parkinson's disease) Psychiatric conditions (ex. bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia)
History At a federal level, legislation pertaining to disability was limited in the 18th and 19th centuries, with notable laws at that time including an act for the relief of sick and disabled seamen, which was signed by John Adams in 1798. In the early 1900s eugenic sterilization laws were passed in several states, permitting governments to conduct forced sterilization on individuals with mental disorders. The 1927 Supreme Court case Buck v Bell upheld the constitutionality of such legislation, with such laws being banned nearly half a century later with the 1978 Federal Sterilization Legislation, although loopholes have been exploited with such sterilizations continuing into modern times. The burgeoning of disability rights legislation in the 1900s came after World War I with congress' establishment of the Rehabilitation Programs, which provided education and healthcare support to recovering veterans. Significant progress came in the 1930s with the presidential election of Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was physically disabled himself, and his signage of the Social Security Act.
One of the first prominent groups that formed together to advocate for Disability Rights in America, was the League of the Physically Handicapped. The League of the Physically Handicapped was organized in the early 1930s. This group was very outspoken against Franklin D. Roosevelt, and about how disabled people were being discriminated against in the workplace. As a result, The League of the Physically Handicapped were targeted by the Roosevelt administration.Paul K. Longmore, "The League of the Physically Handicapped and the Great Depression: A Case Study in the New Disability History," The Journal of American History, vol. 87, no. 3 (Dec. 2000). More progress towards disability justice came in hand with the civil rights movement in the latter half of the 20th century. In 1961 the American National Standards Institute published a document overviewing building accessibility limitations for physically disabled individuals, which supported the passage of the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 and encouraged several states to adopt inclusive accessibility legislation in the '70s. Additionally in the 1960s, Medicaid and the Mental Retardation Facilities and Community Mental Health Centers Construction Act were passed, allocating funds towards healthcare and the developments of statewide councils, advocacy frameworks, and post-secondary education pathways for disabled citizens. In the 1970s major anti-discrimination legislation was enacted with the repeal of the last "Ugly law", which permitted law enforcement to incarcerate people for appearing disabled, as well as the 1973 Rehabilitation Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which prevented institutions that received public funding from discriminating on disability status. The 1980s oversaw saw an additional movement towards accessibility with the passage of the Air Carrier Access Act, Fair Housing Amendments Act, and Technology-Related Assistance for Individuals with Disabilities Act and justice with the creation of the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA).
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) served as a landmark bill outlining more comprehensive protections and accommodations for the disabled community, with other legislation, introduced later that decade such as the 1996 Telecommunications Act and the Ticket to Work and Work Incentives Improvement Act (TWWIIA) expanding upon the ADA. The turn of the Millennium oversaw crucial Supreme Court cases such as Olmstead v. L.C. and Tennessee v. Lane which upheld federally outlined disability rights.
Demographics According to the Disability Status: 2019 - Census 2019 Brief approximately 20 percent of Americans have one or more diagnosed psychological or physical disability:
This percentage varies depending on how disabilities are defined. It may be helpful to note that disability in the United States is classified under different types of physical or mental impairments of which include one's ability to physically function, mental status, including decision skills and memory, the ability of sight, if they are self-sufficient, and finally, if they depend on anyone to help them do tasks. According to Census Brief 97-5, "About 1 in 5 Americans have some kind of disability, and 1 in 10 have a severe disability. Not only does this statistic affect those who are disabled, but individuals with disabilities not only endure disadvantages but so do their children or possibly grandchildren as they can potentially be left facing health care disadvantages as well as education."
The United States Census Bureau is legally charged with developing information on the type and prevalence of disability in the population. Statistics reveal the highest percentage of individuals with a disability reside in southern areas such as Texas, Florida, Mississippi, and anywhere along the southern coast. The states that include the fewest disabled individuals are western areas of which will include Wyoming, Colorado, and Utah. These disabled people are protected by three primary laws. They include the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. The primary purpose of collecting ACS data on disability is to help the U.S. Congress determine the allocation of federal funds and inform policies. It is also used to identify the characteristics of the disabled population of the United States. Determining the number and geographical location of people with disabilities is crucial for policies aimed at providing services like public transportation.
ACS does not directly measure disability There are other smaller survey studies that provide some insight on disability in the U.S. While studies like the National Health Interview Survey the Health and Retirement Study, the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and the Health, Aging, and Body Composition (Health ABC) Study are used to infer valuable disability-related health characteristics in the U.S. population. While responses to these items are commonly refer to as "disability", it could be argued the —it uses self- and proxy-reports to evaluate perceived ability to perform functional tasks. Existing publications have delineated details on the U.S. population regarding disability by using information from the ACS. Publications have also outlined issues with disability data in the ACS. Research on disability continues to improve, and potential remedies are found for current methodological challenges. Because of the uniqueness, regarding federal funding and policy, researchers from various fields (e.g., sociology, epidemiology, and government) make wide use of ACS data to better understand disability in the U.S.
African Americans According to the 2000 U.S. Census, the African American community has the highest rate of disability in the United States at 20.8 percent, slightly higher than the overall disability rate of 19.4 percent. Given these statistics, it can be suggested that African Americans with disabilities experience the most severe underemployment, unemployment, and under-education compared to other disability groups. For instance, the 2015 American Community Survey indicates that African Americans who have disabilities live in poverty at a rate of 1.5 to 2 times greater than other racial groups in America.
Criminal justice Data obtained in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth indicates that Black men with disabilities encounter the greatest cumulative probability of being arrested by age 28, in contrast to others with either different gender, disability, or race status. With respect to African American women re-entering society after serving time, a JHCPCU article identified disability, more specifically positive HIV/HCV status, as a major factor correlated with lowered usage of various modes of health care such as alternative and emergency care. Calls for civil rights and criminal justice reform with the Black Lives Matter movement have brought into public eye how Black individuals with disabilities disproportionately experience police violence. Instances cited as police brutality, such as the 2018 killing of Marcus-David Peters, an unarmed black man experiencing a mental health crisis, has motivated legislation such as Virginia's Mental Health Awareness Response and Community Understanding Services (MARCUS) alert bill, which would necessitate that cases of individual mental distress be attended to by both police and mental health professionals. Viral footage of the killing of Walter Wallace, a black man with a history of mental illness who was killed during a police encounter, has helped bring the Black Disabled Lives Matter movement into the public eye.
Education