I can't tell you how many times I have searched and searched for a ballpark estimate of how many kids in the U.S. have a disability. Each time that I have, I have come up with several different answers that have left me in the outfield. So I've been forced to be vague about defining something that is important to me and the work that I do on behalf of families who live with disability. We are a statistsic driven-nation. It helps us put issues into perspective when we know how many people are affected by a certain circumstance. I've devoted my life to the issues that affect kids with disabilities, so I'm thankful for this new statistic:
Census: 1 In 20 Kids Have A Disability
By Michelle Diament
By Michelle Diament
November 22, 2011 About 5 percent of school-age children in the United States have a
disability, according to a first-of-its-kind analysis from the U.S. Census
Bureau.
The statistic comes from a brief released this month offering an
in-depth look at kids ages 5 through 17 with disabilities who live in community
settings.
While the Census has long collected data on this group through its annual
American Community Survey, this year marks the first time that government
officials analyzed the results, said Matthew Brault, a Census statistician and
the author of the report.
