Did You Know?
Facts About Disability, Inclusion & Community
Understanding the experiences of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities helps us build stronger, more inclusive communities.
Explore these facts about development, employment, health, caregiving, aging, and the importance of individualized supports.
Development & Disability
Developmental disabilities can affect learning, communication, behavior, mobility, and other areas of everyday life. Experiences and support needs vary widely from person to person.
1 in 6
Developmental disabilities are common in the United States, affecting about 1 in 6 children. The number of children identified with developmental disabilities increased 17.1%—about 1.8 million children—over the 12 years studied.
What Are Developmental Disabilities?
Developmental Disabilities (DD), first defined in 1975 federal legislation now known as “The DD Act,” are a group of lifelong conditions that emerge during the developmental period and result in some level of functional limitation in learning, language, communication, cognition, behavior, socialization, or mobility.
Developmental disabilities begin anytime during development up to 22 years of age and usually last throughout a person’s lifetime.
The most common DD conditions include intellectual disability, Down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, fetal alcohol syndrome, and fragile X syndrome.
Understanding Intellectual Disability & IDD
Intellectual Disability (ID) is a lifelong condition where significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior emerge during the developmental period, before adulthood.
The acronym IDD is used to describe people with both ID and another developmental disability, or a group that includes people with ID or another DD. The supports people with IDD need to meet their goals can vary in intensity from intermittent to pervasive.
Early Development
Economic Factors
Children from families with income below the federal poverty level had a higher prevalence of developmental disabilities.
Pregnancy & Birth Factors
Low birthweight, premature birth, multiple birth, and infections during pregnancy are associated with an increased risk for many developmental disabilities.
Children who have a sibling with ASD are at a higher risk of also having an autism spectrum disorder.
1 in 68
One in 68 children is diagnosed on the autism spectrum in the United States.
Employment & Opportunity
Access to employment, meaningful participation, and opportunities to build skills can have a significant impact on independence and community inclusion.
Employment Rates
82%
General population employed
52%
Working-age people with disabilities employed
26%
People with severe cognitive or physical disabilities employed
65.4%
The unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 65.4%; the national unemployment rate is 5%.
Participation Matters
Students with disabilities have lower rates of participation in after-school activities, leading to decreased socialization and leadership development entering adulthood.
Health & Well-Being
People with disabilities need health care and health programs for the same reasons anyone else does—to stay well, active, and a part of the community.
58% higher
Obesity rates for adults with disabilities are 58% higher than for adults without disabilities.
30–35%
30–35% of people with intellectual or developmental disabilities have a psychiatric disorder.
Traumatic Brain Injury
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major cause of death and disability in the United States, contributing to about 30% of all injury deaths.
The Role of Occupational Therapy
Occupational therapy practitioners help ensure that people recovering from illness or injury, or living with a disability, can function across their environments using the abilities they have. They can also help reduce health costs by promoting independence and self-care.
Aging, Caregiving & Long-Term Support
Nearly 1 in 10
Nearly one in 10 caregivers of a person with a disability is 75 years old or older.
68%
The lifetime probability of becoming disabled in at least two activities of daily living or of being cognitively impaired is 68% for people age 65 and older.
A Changing Demographic
For the first time, people with I/DD are living into old age. Responding to this emerging demographic means understanding the challenges ahead and ensuring that appropriate community resources are available.
43.5 million
An estimated 43.5 million adults in the United States provided unpaid care to an adult or child in 2014.
1.3 million
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimated that in 2011, about 1.3 million people lived in nursing facilities.
Disability Around the World
650 million
About 10% of the world’s population, or 650 million people, live with a disability. They are the world’s largest minority.
As low as 3%
The global literacy rate for adults with disabilities is as low as 3%, and 1% for women with disabilities.
Why These Facts Matter
Statistics tell only part of the story. Behind every number is a person with individual strengths, goals, relationships, and support needs.
Accessible health care, meaningful employment, education, community participation, and individualized supports can all contribute to greater independence, inclusion, and quality of life.