Disabled World Disability News

Whether you have a disability or not, everyone is welcome to freely browse our site, however, we suggest you familiarize yourself with our website terms and policies, whose links can be found at the bottom of any of our pages, first.

The primary focus of Disabled World is to provide information via our disability, health, medical, assistive products and worldwide news including breaking news and information we receive from world disability organizations, government departments, universities and educational institutions, as well as our inhouse articles.

People with disabilities are the largest minority group any person can join at any time, and due to accidents and old age eventually do. Disability will affect the lives of everyone during their life, it is time society changed to acknowledge this.

Definition

The word "disabled" means having physical or mental disability, unable to perform one or more activities because of illness, injury, etc. The word disabled came to be used as the standard term in referring to people with physical or mental disabilities in the late 20th century, and remains the most accepted term in UK and US English. "Disability" and "Disabled" are terms undergoing change due to disability rights movements. Which is right, disability or disabled?

One of the key challenges for a person with a disability is to be seen by the public, to be portrayed in media outlets, and treated by health care professionals, as an individual with their own abilities, not just stereotyped as a "disabled person".

Statistics

Disability is a subject you may read or hear about, but not think of as something that may happen to you. However, your chances of becoming disabled are greater than you realize, today more people live with disabilities than ever before due to our aging societies, as well as improved medical treatment. Even celebrities and other famous people have, or develop, disabilities. Some people are born with a disability, others become disabled due to an illness or injury, and some develop them as they age. At some point in our lives almost all of us will have some type of disability.

Facts from our Disability Statistics section:

• 33% of 20-year-old workers will become disabled before reaching retirement age.
• Over a billion people, around 15% of the world's population, have some form of disability.
• There are approximately 3.3 Million wheelchair users in the U.S and the number is increasing every year.
• Rates of disability are increasing due to world population aging and increases in chronic health conditions.
• 1 in 4 US adults (61M) have a disability that impacts major life activities - CDC Morbidity & Mortality Report, 2018-8-17.
• Approx. 93-95% of people with disability worldwide do not use a wheelchair, though the universal symbol is a wheelchair.