18th Anniversary of Americans with Disabilities Act

On July 26, 1990, President George H.W. Bush signed into law the Americans with Disabilities Act, guaranteeing equal opportunity for people with disabilities in public accommodations, commercial facilities, employment, transportation, state and local government services and telecommunications.

Number of people age 5 and over in the civilian non institutionalized population with at least one disability, representing 14 percent. These individuals fit at least one of the following descriptions: they are 5 years old or older and have a sensory, physical, mental or self-care disability; they are 16 years old or older and have difficulty going outside the home; or they are 16 to 64 years old and have an employment disability.

By age and gender

• 8 percent of boys and 4 percent of girls ages 5 to 15 have disabilities.
• 12 percent of men and 11 percent of women ages 16 to 64 have disabilities. This apparent difference is not statistically significant.
• 42 percent of women and 38 percent of men 65 or older have disabilities.

42%

Percentage of working-age men (21 to 64) with disabilities who are employed. For women, the rate is 34 percent. Altogether, 4.0 million men and 3.5 million women with disabilities are employed.

847,000

Number of people ages 18 to 34 who have disabilities and are enrolled in school. They comprise 5 percent of all students in this age group. The majority of this group (567,000) attend college or graduate school.

Serving Our Nation 2.5 million

Number of veterans who received compensation for service-related disabilities as of 2003 Of these vets, 414,000 served in World War II; 164,000 in Korea; 848,000 in Vietnam; and 476,000 in the Persian Gulf (the data cover service from Aug. 2, 1990 to Sept. 30, 2003).

Specific Disabilities 10.8 million

The number of people age 5 or older with a sensory disability involving sight or hearing. This group accounts for 4.1 percent of the civilian non institutionalized population age 5 or older.

23.6 million

The number of people age 5 or older with a condition limiting basic physical activities, such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting or carrying. This group accounts for 9.0 percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population age 5 or older.

13.5 million

The number of people age 5 or older with a physical, mental or emotional condition causing difficulty in learning, remembering or concentrating. This group accounts for 5.1 percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population age 5 or older.

7.0 million

Number of people age 5 or older who have a physical, mental or emotional condition causing difficulty in dressing, bathing or moving around inside the home. This group accounts for 2.7 percent of the civilian non-institutionalized population age 5 or older.

10.7 million

Number of people age 16 or older who have a condition that makes it difficult to go outside the home to shop or visit a doctor. This group accounts for 4.9 percent of civilian non-institutionalized people who are of this age.

11.8 million

Number of people ages 16 to 64 who have a condition that affects their ability to work at a job or business. They account for 6.4 percent of civilian non-institutionalized people in this age group. Source: U.S. Census Bureau | Public Information Office | (301) 763-3030 | Last Revised: March 23, 2006

Truman State University

Disability Accommodation can be found at http://eoaa.truman.edu/ada/.

The University is committed to ensuring equal employment opportunity for persons with disabilities in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act and all other applicable federal state and local laws.

Hiring procedures have been reviewed to provide persons with disabilities equal employment opportunities. Pre-employment inquiries are made only regarding an applicant's ability to perform the essential duties of the position. Upon request, the University will provide reasonable and appropriate accommodation throughout the application and hiring process.

Reasonable accommodation is available to all disabled employees whenever their disability affects the performance of job functions. If accommodations are needed, contact the department supervisor or the Human Resources Director. All employment decisions are based on the merits of the situation in accordance with defined criteria, not the disability of the individual.

Qualified individuals with disabilities are entitled to equal pay and other forms of compensation (or changes in compensation) as well as job assignments. Leaves of absence of all types will be available to all eligible employees on an equal basis.