To reflect on a month of recognition for the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD) announced a new Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) report that describes the percentage of adults living with disabilities in each state and select functional disability types.  NCBDDD’s Division of Human Development and Disability published “Prevalence of Disability and Disability Type Among Adults — United States, 2013”, a report that also presents estimates of disability by select demographic groups.  Health officials and other stakeholders invested in the health and wellbeing of people with disabilities can use this information to better understand and address the needs of this population in the United States.

According to the report:

• 1 in 5 adults, or over 53 million people in the United States, has a disability, with state-level estimates ranging from 16.4% in Minnesota to 31.5% in Alabama.
• The most common functional disability type was mobility disability - defined as serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs – reported by 1 in 8 adults.
• Although any person can have a disability at any point in life, disability was more commonly reported by:
  • Black Non-Hispanic and Hispanic adults: 29.0% of black non-Hispanic adults and 25.9% of Hispanic adults compared to 20.6% of white non-Hispanic adults.
  • Women aged 18 years or older: 24.4% of women, compared to 19.8% of men
  • Older adults: Over a third of people 65 years or older reported a disability.

For the full story go to: "Key Findings: Prevalence of Disability and Disability Type among Adults, United States – 2013." To read the full report, go to "Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)"