Pew: Americans living with disability and their technology profile

Americans living with disability and their technology profile

Here are the key points, based on a national survey of 3,001 U.S. adults in September 2010:

27% of American adults live with a disability that interferes with activities of daily living.

2% of American adults say they have a disability or illness that makes it harder or impossible for them to use the internet.

54% of adults living with a disability use the internet, compared with 81% of adults who report none of the disabilities listed in the survey.

41% of adults living with a disability have broadband at home, compared with 69% of those without a disability.

 15% of American adults who say they have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.
 11% of American adults who say that, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.
 9% of American adults who say they have serious difficulty hearing.
 8% of American adults who say that, because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping.
 7% of American adults who say they are blind or have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses.
 3% of American adults who say they have trouble dressing or bathing.

This material is tied to a timely public policy matter. This data not only contributes to the ongoing conversation about who does – and doesn’t – use the internet. It also provides context for the public comment period (which ends on Monday, 1/24) for the Department of Justice’s request for input about a proposal to extend the enforcement of the Americans with Disabilities Act to include websites operated by certain entities. The proposal does not cover all websites, but it would apply to a pretty diverse list: http://www.ada.gov/anprm2010/anprm2010.htm

Read the full report (5 page PDF)

Stephen