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How does disability differ for races and ethnicities?
The rate of disability reported by individuals in different ethnic groups varies from a low of 9.9% for Asian and Pacific Islanders to a high of 21.9% for Native Americans. Asian and Pacific Islanders have the lowest percentages of severe disability (4.9%). Blacks have the highest proportion of those with a severe disability (12.2%). Approximately 41 million white persons report a disability, with 19.7 million of those being severely disabled. An estimated 6.3 million blacks report a disability, with 3.8 million of those having a severe disability. An estimated 361,000 Amercian Indians, Eskimos, or Aleuts report a disability, with 162,000 being severe. Asian Americans report 777,000 people with a disability and 384,000 with a severe disability. Of those with a Hispanic origin (who can be of any race), 3.4 million rported a disability and 1.8 million reported a severe disability.
Disability rates range from about 1 in 10 for Asians/Pacific Islanders to 1 in 4 for Native Americans.
Graphic: Stacked bar chart.
Source: McNeil, 1993
Survey: SIPP, 1992