Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Statistics of Disability
According to the US Department of Commerce, a person has a disability when he/she has difficulty with any of the following:
- normal body functions, such as seeing, hearing, talking, or walking
- activities of daily living (ADLs), such as bathing or dressing
- certain expected roles, such as doing housework, schoolwork, or working at a job
- performing usual activities, such as driving or taking a bus
- Between 34 and 43 million people in the US have some type of disability, with physical, sensory, mental, and self-care effects ranging from mild to severe.
- Nearly 35 percent of persons over age 65 (or 13.9 million people) have some level of disability.
- Nine million people of all ages are severely disabled and need personal assistance for daily activities.
- Stroke is a leading cause of long-term, severe disability in Americans. Today, 5.5 million US adults live with the effects of a stroke.
- Approximately 1.4 million Americans experience a traumatic brain injury (TBI) each year.
- About 11,000 people in the US suffer a traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI) each year. At present, about 250,000 to 450,000 people live with a SCI disability.
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