*Disability Statistics in Brief

People with disabilities, in general

An estimated 19.4% of civilians in the United States, totaling 48.9 million people, have a disability. Almost half of these people (an estimated 24.1 million people) can be considered to have a severe disability. This includes seven percent or more of the browsing population of the United States, says the annual user survey completed by Georgia Tech. Less conservative estimates place this browsing population as high as 17% of the total.

Between 15% and 30% of the population have functional limitations that can affect their ability to use technology products (50 million in US, 750 million worldwide). It is estimated that people with disabilities control a discretionary income of over $175 billion annually in US alone.

Total rates of disability are increasing steadily, as improved medical care allows people to survive conditions and accidents that would previously have been fatal.

Seniors with disabilities

As we age, most people experience a decrease in vision, hearing, physical abilities, and cognitive abilities. The percentages of people with disabilities increases significantly with age – 13.6% at age18-44, 30% at 45-64, 46% at 65-74, 64% at 75-84. Use of AT increases with age, with 52% of AT devices used by those 65+.
The highest level of discretionary income in the US is held by older Americans, especially those between 64-69, at $6,920.00 per year. The age group with the highest concentration of online buyers is the 50-64 age segment, with over 25% making online purchases. The fastest growing segment of the U.S. population is the 65 and over group. The U.S. Census Bureau projects that the population of those 65 and over will more than double between now and the year 2050, to 80 million. The result of all this – a large and rapidly expanding market of web users that have significant disposable income and a need for accessible web sites.
This market segment also will increase as more of the U. S. population over the age of 55 adopts an online lifestyle, and chooses adaptive technology tools such as text or speaking browsers, or wants to enlarge text.

General Trends in Internet Usage by People with Disabilities

In May-June of 2001, about 38% of adults with disabilities used the Internet at home, compared to about 56% of adults without disabilities, a gap of 18 percentage points. In December 1998, about 7% of adults with disabilities used the Internet at home, compared to about 26% of adults without disabilities, a gap of 19 percentage points. In that 2.5 year period, the rate of home Internet use increased by more than 400% among persons with disabilities ( from 7% to 38%), compared to about 200% among persons without disabilities (from 26% to 56%). If the Internet use by persons with disabilities continues at the same growth rate, it should match the Internet use of the non-disabled in a few years.

(*Source: National Organization on Disability, 2001)