 There are more than 500 million people with disabilities worldwide. There are approximately 54 million people with disabilities in the United States, and about 37 million people with disabilities in Europe. According to 2000 census data, one in five people in the United States has some kind of disability, and an estimated 30 million people are impacted by inaccessible computer and software design. The American Council of Life Insurers predicts that nearly one in three Americans will experience a disability between the ages of 35 and 65. The National Organization on Disability estimated the discretionary spending power of this demographic group as $220 billion in 2002.
Amputation
Based on a population of 250 million in the US – the number of amputees are 387,500.
- Below the knee = 53%
- Above the knee = 33%
- Lower limb = 91.7%
- Below elbow = 4.4%
- Above elbow = 2%
(Source: Northwest University Prosthetics – Orthotics Center)
Arthritis (includes Muscular skeletal disorder (MSD)
Estimated prevalence of arthritis among US Adults in the US is 33%, which represents approximately 69.9 million adults.
(Source: National Center for Health Statistics)
Back Injury (includes Orthopedic injury)
Estimated back injuries in the US is 12%
(Source: The National Center for Health Statistics)
Diabetes
Approximately 17 million people in the US have diabetes.
(Source: American Diabetes Association)
Cerebral Palsy
It is estimated that 764,000 children and adults in the US have some degree of cerebral palsy.
(Source: United Cerebral Palsy - National)
Multiple Sclerosis
Approximately 400,000 Americans have multiple sclerosis.
(Source: National Multiple Sclerosis Society)
Muscular Dystrophy
Affects about 1 in 4,000 males in the US
(Source: Muscular Dystrophy Association, Center for Disease Control and Prevention)
Parkinson’s Disease
Over 1.5 million people in the US have Parkinson Disease.
(Source: National Parkinson’s Alliance)
Spinal Cord Injury (includes cervical and some orthopedic injuries)
Approximately 250,000 Americans have spinal cord injuries:
- 52% are paraplegic
- 47% are quadriplegic
(Source: Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation)
Stroke
Each year approximately 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke in the US.
(Source: American Stroke Association)
Repetitive Stress Injury
It is estimated that 70% of all occupational illnesses reported were repetitive stress injuries.
(Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Traumatic Brain Injury
An estimated 70,000 people experience disabilities due to a traumatic brain injury.
In the US:
- 93% of persons are diagnosed with a moderate head injury
- 42% with severe head injury
(Source: Traumatic Brain Injury Resource Center)
Blind
An estimated 1.3 million Americans are legally blind.
(Source: American Foundation for the Blind)
Visually Impaired
An estimated 13 million Americans are visually impaired.
(Source: Horizons for the Blind)
Deaf
An estimated 28 million Americans are deaf or hard of hearing. They represent about 10% of all Americans.
(Source: National Association of the Deaf)
Hard of Hearing
One in every ten (28 million) Americans has hearing loss. They represent about 10% of all Americans.
(Source: Self Help for Hard of Hearing People)
Deaf/Blind
Approximately 40,000 Americans are deaf-blind
(Source: National Center for Deaf-Blind – Helen Keller)
Before you can accommodate the special needs of people with disabilities with HP products and services, you must first understand the disabilities themselves. This section briefly defines each disability.
Visual Impairment
People who are blind and people who have low vision have visual impairments.
Hearing Impairment
People who are deaf and people who have other varying degrees of hearing loss have hearing impairments.
Dexterity Impairment
People with dexterity impairments have limited or no use of their upper or lower extremities.
Speech Impairment
Speech impairments negatively affect or limit speech and/or hearing, thereby impeding the communication process. Speech impairments include stuttering, voice disorders, and articulation disorders.
Cognitive Impairment
People with cognitive impairments have difficulty understanding or using language, both spoken and written, which may be caused by perceptual disabilities, brain injuries, minimal brain dysfunction, dyslexia, and developmental aphasia.
People 65+ Years of Age
Age-related disabilities are growing faster than the population as a whole. The number of people 65+ years of age living in the United States is 36 million (World Factbook 2003). In the top five emerging markets, this number increases to 174 million consumers. These markets include China, India, Russia, Mexico, and Turkey.
Age-Related Disabilities
Aging populations cannot see, hear, think, or move about as easily as younger generations. Fifty-two percent of people 65+ years of age experience one or more of the following disabilities: decreased visual acuity; reduced powers of accommodation; decreased contrast sensitivity; increased sensitivity to glare; longer dark adaptation times; decreased color vision and discrimination; and hearing impairments. Thirty-three percent of people 65+ years of age have a severe disability.
Situational Disabilities
Many people also suffer from situational disabilities, where a person’s abilities are reduced by the environment. For example, a person who has asthma may have difficulty functioning in a building that is under construction, and a person with a low degree of hearing loss may find it hard to work in an especially noisy environment. However, both people would be able to function without special considerations in a typical office environment.
Temporary vs. Permanent Disabilities
It is important to recognize that not all disabilities are permanent. For example, after minor eye surgery, a person could be temporarily unable to read while the eye is healing.
Like other once-marginalized minority groups, people with disabilities have become an increasingly visible fixture of mainstream advertising. At one time, companies looking to woo disabled consumers concentrated on publications, Web sites and events tailored to that community. But lately, AT&T, Target, Avis and Nordstrom are among the major marketers to reflect the lifestyles of disabled people in their national campaigns, in an effort to appeal to this growing—and deep-pocketed—constituency. Furthermore, by putting characters who are blind or use wheelchairs front and center, big brands have found an opportunity to tout their social conscience and generate goodwill among nondisabled consumers.
It's no wonder companies are advancing such images. The discretionary spending power of the disabled outshines that of even the revered teen market, which laid out $170 billion in 2002, reports the market research firm Teenage Research Unlimited.
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