Disability News, Benefits, and Health Resources
Seventy million American adults live with a disability. Another 1.3 billion people worldwide share that experience, roughly 16 percent of the global population. Disabled World (DW) reports on the policies, research, benefits, and assistive technology that shape their lives. Coverage centers on the United States: Social Security and SSI payments, Medicare and Medicaid rules, accessibility law, and medical research relevant to American readers. International stories appear where they intersect with American policy or practice. Publishing since 2004 under the banner Towards Tomorrow. Learn more about us.
Did You Know:
- 1 - Autism diagnoses have risen dramatically: about 1 in 31 eight-year-old children (3.2 percent) were identified with autism in 2022 CDC surveillance data, up from 1 in 36 in 2020 and just 1 in 150 when the CDC first began tracking it among children born in the early 1990s.
- 2 - Disability rises sharply with age: about 8.7 percent of adults aged 18 to 29 report a disability, climbing to 43.9 percent among adults aged 65 and older.
- 3 - Childhood disability tracks closely with family income - 18 percent of U.S. children in families below the poverty level report a disability, compared with 11 percent of children in families at or above 200 percent of the poverty line. View more Disability Statistics.
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Recent Disability News and Information
Rainbow Wheelchair Symbol: What It Really Stands For
Understanding the rainbow-colored wheelchair symbol - what it means for disability pride, LGBTQ+ identity, and why it differs from the official access sign. Published: 19 Jun 2026.
New Book Teaches the World to Listen to People Who Stutter
A new MSU Bias Busters guide answers 100 questions about stuttering - and asks the 99% who don't stutter to learn how to listen better. Out July 28, 2026. Published: 18 Jun 2026.
Migratory Predators Link Evolution Across Vast Distances
New research shows migratory predators can link the evolution of species thousands of miles apart, even when those species never share the same territory. Published: 16 Jun 2026.
Müllerian Mimicry: How Species Unite Through Warning
Learn how Müllerian mimicry - where multiple unpalatable species share warning signals - works and how it may connect to disability. Published: 16 Jun 2026.
Popular Pages
Disability Loans and Grants: Financial assistance programs available for low-income families, seniors, and disabled students.
Famous People with Disabilities: Lists of well-known people with various disabilities and conditions who contributed to society.
Awareness Ribbon Colors: Guide to awareness ribbon colors for health, medical conditions, disability, and other causes.
Adult Height to Weight Chart: Ideal weight-to-height ratio for adult females and males.
Child to Teen Height to Weight Ratio Charts: Average height-to-weight ratios for children and teens organized by age.
Newly Updated Pages
Disabled World Editorial Policy and Publishing Standards: How Disabled World creates, sources, fact checks, and corrects its disability and health content, including our standards for accuracy and independence.
Acetaminophen and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Critical Examination of the Proposed Association: Scholarly review evaluates acetaminophen-autism research, finding no causal link while stressing careful use and continued scientific investigation.
Bundibugyo Ebola Outbreak Updates: DR Congo and Uganda (2026): Tracking the 2026 Bundibugyo Ebola outbreak in DR Congo and Uganda, with dated case and death counts, cross-border spread, and WHO risk levels and response.
Access Board Guidance on ISA Accessibility Symbol: The Access Board explains how use of alternative accessibility symbols impacts ADA and ABA compliance, emphasizing importance of the International Symbol of Accessibility.