Disability-Inclusive Communities

"July 26, 2019 marks the 29th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a civil rights law that promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities at work, school, or other community settings. Learn what CDC is doing to include people with disabilities in public health research and health promotion activities.

An estimated 61 million people are living with a disability in the United States,¹ and many people will experience a disability at some time during the course of their lives. Disabilities limit how a child or adult functions. Limitations may include difficulty walking or climbing stairs; hearing; seeing; or concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.

Enacted on July 26, 1990, the goals of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are to promote equal opportunity, full participation, independent living, and economic self-sufficiency for people with disabilities, as well as protect individuals with disabilities from discrimination. The ADA has made a positive difference in the lives of people with disabilities by providing better access to buildings, transportation, and employment; however, challenges remain with access to health care, as well as inclusion of people with disabilities in health promotion and disease prevention programs.¹

Additionally, people with disabilities continue to face significant differences in health compared to people who do not have disabilities. For example:

• Adults with disabilities are three times more likely to have heart disease, stroke, diabetes, or cancer than adults without disabilities.²
• Adults with disabilities are more likely to smoke, to have obesity, and to be physically inactive than adults without disabilities.³
• Women with disabilities are less likely to have received a mammogram in the previous 2 years than women without disabilities..."
  Disability inclusion