1. Statistics on Disability & Physical Activity

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), one in four U.S. adults is living with a disability.¹ This includes individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing; are blind or have visual impairments; those who have physical disabilities that impact ambulation and tasks of daily living; and individuals who have disabilities that impact memory and/or concentration. In general, those who have disabilities are also at an increased risk of having chronic diseases, such as stroke, cancer, diabetes, or heart disease.² The risk of these chronic diseases can be decreased through lifestyle changes such as dietary adjustments and increasing physical activity engagement. However, about half of all adults with disabilities do meet physical activity guidelines established by the CDC.³

Image description: Infographic containing data from 2018 about incidence of disability of all kinds among adults in the United States (26%; 61 million adults). Further contains incidence information for various sub-categories of disabilities, including ‘mobility’ (13.7%), ‘cognition’ (10.8%), ‘independent living’ (6.8%), ‘hearing’ (5.9%), vision (4.6%), and ‘self-care’ (3.7%).

The following sections will address some possibilities as to why this is, and ways to become more physically active as an adult with a disability.