Americans with disabilities are one of the largest minority groups in the United States. According to the Disability Status: 2000 - Census 2000 Brief (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/disabstat2k.html), approximately 20% of Americans are disabled.¹ This percentage varies depending on how disabilities are defined. According to Census Brief 97-5: (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability.html), "About 1 in 5 Americans have some kind of disability, and 1 in 10 have a severe disability."

Americans with disabilities are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.

External Links

• Census Bureau Data on Disability (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability.html)
• The National Organization on Disability (http://www.nod.org/)
• American Association Of People With Disabilities (http://www.aapd-dc.org/)
• DisabilityInfo.gov - The New Freedom Initiative's Online Resource for Americans with Disabilities (http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/)

Notes

¹ According to the Disability Status: 2000 - Census 2000 Brief (http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disable/disabstat2k.html), "Census 2000 counted 49.7 million people with some type of long lasting condition or disability. They represented 19.3 percent of the 257.2 million people who were aged 5 and older in the civilian non-institutionalized population -- or nearly one person in five..."