Data

Did You Know?

  • 11% of higher education students in 2011-12 reported having a disability (USDOE, 2015). Many more choose not to disclose.
  • 22.2% of adults (18 and over) in the United States identify as having some type of disability (CDC, 2015).
  • There is a substantial gap in educational attainment between 18-64 years old with and without disabilities. There is a 19% difference in bachelor degree attainment. (Erickson, Lee, & von Schrader, 2015).
  • An estimated 28.2% percent of those 21 to 64 years with a disability in the United States were living below the poverty line, compared to 12.5% for those without a disability (Erickson, Lee, & von Schrader, 2015).
  • Only 46% of institutions provide regular training opportunities to faculty about ways to make instruction more accessible to all students (Raue & Lewis, 2011).
  • Only 53% of institutions have procurement policies that promote the purchase of accessible products (e.g., technology) (Raue & Lewis, 2011).
  • Disability is a protected class that we can all someday be a part of temporarily or permanently. 

According to the data, we are simply not doing enough.


References

CDC (2015). Prevalence of Disability and Disability Type Among Adults -United States, 2013. Retrieved from Nov 29, 2015 from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6429a2.htm?s_cid=mm6429a2_w

Erickson, W., Lee, C., von Schrader, S. (2015). Disability Statistics from the 2013 American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Employment and Disability Institute (EDI). Retrieved Nov 29, 2015 from www.disabilitystatistics.org

Raue, K., and Lewis, L. (2011). Students With Disabilities at Degree-Granting Postsecondary Institutions (NCES 2011–018). U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved Nov 29, 2015 from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2011/2011018.pdf

U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2015). Digest of Education Statistics, 2013 (NCES 2015-011), Table 311.10. Retrieved Nov 29, 2015 from https://nces.ed.gov/fastfacts/display.asp?id=60

Estimated time: 1 minute