ABSTRACT
The most often-cited number of Americans with disabilities is 43 million. This represents over 17% of the total population that is directly affected by the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). But that number may be vastly underestimated because the statistic is drawn from government information on disability-related payments (and the latest census now reports the number at 49 million), and it does not take into account individuals who are secure enough financially to seek aid or those who have disabilities that they learn to live with without seeking assistance from government agencies (U.S. Department of Labor 2013).
