Washington, U.S.A. — About 56.7 million people (19 percent of the population) had a disability in 2010, according to a broad definition of disability, with more than half of them reporting the disability was severe, according to a comprehensive report on this population released today by the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report, Americans with Disabilities: 2010, presents estimates of disability status and type and is the first such report with analysis since the Census Bureau published statistics in a similar report about the 2005 population of people with disabilities. According to the report, the total number of people with a disability increased by 2.2 million over the period, but the percentage remained statistically unchanged. Both the number and percentage with a severe disability rose, however. Likewise, the number and percentage needing assistance also both increased.

“This week, we observe the 22nd anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act, a milestone law that guarantees equal opportunity for people with disabilities,” said Census Bureau demographer Matthew Brault. “On this important anniversary, this report presents a barometer of the well-being of this population in areas such as employment, income and poverty status.”

The statistics come from the Survey of Income and Program Participation, which contains supplemental questions on whether respondents had difficulty performing a specific set of functional and participatory activities. For many activities, if a respondent reported difficulty, a follow-up question was asked to determine the severity of the limitation, hence, the distinction between a “severe” and “nonsevere” disability. The data were collected from May through August 2010. Disability statistics from this survey are used by agencies — such as the Social Security Administration, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, and the Administration on Aging — to assist with program planning and management.

The report shows that 41 percent of those age 21 to 64 with any disability were employed, compared with 79 percent of those with no disability. Along with the lower likelihood of having a job came the higher likelihood of experiencing persistent poverty; that is, continuous poverty over a 24-month period. Among people age 15 to 64 with severe disabilities, 10.8 percent experienced persistent poverty; the same was true for 4.9 percent of those with a nonsevere disability and 3.8 percent of those with no disability.

Other highlights:

• People in the oldest age group ─ 80 and older ─ were about eight times more likely to have a disability as those in the youngest group ─ younger than 15 (71 percent compared with 8 percent). The probability of having a severe disability is only one in 20 for those 15 to 24 while it is one in four for those 65 to 69.
• About 8.1 million people had difficulty seeing, including 2.0 million who were blind or unable to see.
• About 7.6 million people experienced difficulty hearing, including 1.1 million whose difficulty was severe. About 5.6 million used a hearing aid.
• Roughly 30.6 million had difficulty walking or climbing stairs, or used a wheelchair, cane, crutches or walker.
• About 19.9 million people had difficulty lifting and grasping. This includes, for instance, trouble lifting an object like a bag of groceries, or grasping a glass or a pencil.
• Difficulty with at least one activity of daily living was cited by 9.4 million noninstitutionalized adults. These activities included getting around inside the home, bathing, dressing and eating. Of these people, 5 million needed the assistance of others to perform such an activity.
• About 15.5 million adults had difficulties with one or more instrumental activities of daily living. These activities included doing housework, using the phone and preparing meals. Of these, nearly 12 million required assistance.
• Approximately 2.4 million had Alzheimer’s disease, senility or dementia.
• Being frequently depressed or anxious such that it interfered with ordinary activities was reported by 7.0 million adults.
• Adults age 21 to 64 with disabilities had median monthly earnings of $1,961 compared with $2,724for those with no disability.
• Overall, the uninsured rates for adults 15 to 64 were not statistically different by disability status: 21.0 percent for people with severe disabilities, 21.3 percent for those with nonsevere disabilities and 21.9 percent for those with no disability.

In addition to the statistics from this report, the Census Bureau also produces annual disability estimates from the American Community Survey (ACS). While the ACS uses a different definition of disability than in this report, it is capable of producing estimates of the population with disabilities at subnational geographies like states, counties, places and metropolitan areas. The Census Bureau has been collecting data about certain disabilities since 1830, when Congress added questions to the census on difficulty hearing, seeing and speaking.

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D.C. City Council Chairman Kwame Brown joined national advocates for people with disabilities and district residents who use wheelchairs rallied outside the John A. Wilson Building to urge the City Council to support a proposal that would require a greater share of D.C. taxicabs to be wheelchair-accessible and new taxis to be fueled by clean burning compressed natural gas (CNG).

The rally was held as the D.C. Council’s Committee on Environment, Public Works and Transportation held a hearing on two taxicab bills. A coalition of individual taxicab drivers/owners have joined with the disability community to advance a proposed combined taxicab measure that requires any new or different vehicle purchased by a Company or an individual owner for use as a taxicab shall be a CNG vehicle that must be wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant. The proposed combined taxicab measure also requires that 55% of a Company’s taxicabs must be CNG vehicles and wheelchair accessible and ADA compliant within a four-year period.

“These wheelchair-accessible, compressed-gas vehicles will provide desperately needed transportation for thousands of District residents and cleaner air for our city,” said Chairman Brown. “It is both the right and the smart thing to do for our community.”

Fewer than 1% of today’s D.C. taxi fleet can accommodate passengers in wheelchairs. As a result, people in wheelchairs must rely on Metro, MetroAccess, or medical transportation – making it harder to plan and take trips – or they must simply forgo trips.

President Obama spoke about the benefits of natural gas in his recent State of the Union address and a number of major cities – including New York, Chicago and Philadelphia – have recently taken steps toward making their taxi fleets more accessible to wheelchairs. Disability advocates said Washington should follow suit.

“Taxis are a basic part of life in Washington and must be accessible to everyone,” said Mark Perriello, President and CEO of the American Association of People with Disabilities. “Wheelchair accessible taxis are not only good for people with disabilities, but for the businesses that thrive when everyone can get out and participate in all that Washington has to offer.”

“Fourteen million Americans with disabilities face daily difficulty in moving from place to place,” said Kelly Buckland, Executive Director of the National Council on Independent Living. “This is a national issue and the nation’s capital has a responsibility to lead our country by providing people who use wheelchairs the same transportation options enjoyed by people who don’t.”

Added Jim Weisman, Senior Vice President and General Counsel of the United Spinal Association: “The District of Columbia is an international tourist destination. Senior citizens and people with disabilities needing accessible vehicles visit the city every day and are unable to use the District’s taxicabs. The District is to be congratulated for considering legislation that would require taxis to serve all who reside in, or travel to, Washington, D.C.; not just people who can walk.”

Madonna Long , consumer advocate for Pride Mobility Products  expressed the hope that the city council would act: “Today, the lives of people who have disabilities have changed,” Ms. Long said. “We work, we attend schools and we raise families. We should be able to hail a cab like anybody else, no special phone number to call, just get in a cab and off we go.

The CNG MV-1, with green compressed natural gas is smart business choice. Taxi drivers will save money on fuel and the people in D.C. will not have to pay the $1 gasoline fuel surcharge as they ride in a vehicle that fits everyone.  This is a win-win situation and the District of Columbia should and can act as a model for the nation to lead on this issue.”

Currently priced up to $1.50 per gallon lower than diesel or gasoline (depending upon local markets), the use of natural gas fuel reduces costs significantly for vehicle and fleet owners, reduces greenhouse gas emissions up to 30% in light-duty vehicles and 23% in medium to heavy-duty vehicles. Additionally, natural gas is a secure North American energy source with 98% of the natural gas consumed produced in the U.S. and Canada.

The union-made MV-1 was designed in close cooperation with the disabled community and numerous taxi fleet owners, said Fred Drasner, Chairman of the Vehicle Production Group, the company that manufactures the vehicle. “The MV-1 provides dignity for the wheelchair passenger who can enter gracefully through a large door opening with plenty of headroom. And with its large cabin, it is an exceptional vehicle that can carry strollers, bicycles, large pets or just about anything a taxi driver could be called on to transport.”

Mark Riley, Vice President of Clean Energy, said the benefits of modernizing the D.C. taxi fleet would be realized throughout the community. “Natural gas is a true win-win for the taxi driver, the citizens, and visitors of the District of Columbia,” Mr. Riley said. “The taxi driver keeps a dollar in their pocket for every gallon of fuel used, and District residents and visitors to our Capitol benefit from cleaner air.”

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