Disability News, Benefits, and Health Resources
Seventy million American adults live with a disability. Another 1.3 billion people worldwide (about the combined population of Europe and North America) share that experience, roughly 16 percent of the global population. Disabled World (DW), also known to many readers as Disability World, reports on the policies, research, benefits, and assistive technology that shape their lives. Coverage centers on the United States: Social Security and SSI payments, Medicare and Medicaid rules, accessibility law, and medical research relevant to American readers. International stories appear where they intersect with American policy or practice. Disabled World has been publishing since 2004 under the banner Towards Tomorrow. Learn more about us.
"Disability is the only minority group that anyone can join at any time." - a widely shared saying in the disability community, often attributed to American comedian Josh Blue.
Did You Know:
- 1 - Autism diagnoses have risen dramatically: about 1 in 31 eight-year-old children (3.2 percent) were identified with autism in 2022 CDC surveillance data, up from 1 in 36 in 2020 and just 1 in 150 when the CDC first began tracking it among children born in the early 1990s.
- 2 - Disability rises sharply with age: about 8.7 percent of adults aged 18 to 29 report a disability, climbing to 43.9 percent among adults aged 65 and older.
- 3 - Childhood disability tracks closely with family income - 18 percent of U.S. children in families below the poverty level report a disability, compared with 11 percent of children in families at or above 200 percent of the poverty level. View more Disability Statistics.
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Popular Pages
- Disability Loans and Grants: Financial assistance programs available for low-income families, seniors, and disabled students.
- Famous People with Disabilities: Lists of well-known people with various disabilities and conditions who contributed to society.
- Awareness Ribbon Colors: Guide to awareness ribbon colors for health, medical conditions, disability, and other causes.
- Adult Height to Weight Chart: Ideal weight-to-height ratio for adult females and males.
- Child to Teen Height to Weight Ratio Charts: Average height-to-weight ratios for children and teens organized by age.
Recent Disability News and Information
Hyperreligiosity: When Faith Becomes a Clinical Sign
Hyperreligiosity explained: how neurological disease, psychosis and rigid belief turn devotion into measurable harm, disability and preventable death. Published: 17 Sep 2026.
Sensory Issues and Behaviors: Lessons From an Itchy Rash
A personal look at how a temporary itchy rash reveals the link between sensory issues and behaviors, and why noticing them builds empathy for disabled people. Published: 15 Sep 2026.
Accessible Tourism in Nepal: Lessons from South Korea
South Korea's accessible tourism system, certified guides for blind visitors and disability hiring in tourism offer Nepal a practical model for inclusion. Published: 14 Sep 2026.
Where Disabled Veterans Prefer to Live in New York State
How internal migration draws disabled veterans to Rockland, Westchester, Bronx, Manhattan and Kings counties, and why local economies and social policy matter. Published: 13 Sep 2026.
Cane Colors and Patterns That Signal Vision or Hearing Loss
What white, red and white striped, and green canes signal about blindness, low vision, and deafblindness, plus the history and laws behind each color. Published: 11 Sep 2026.
Christian Nationalism and Disability: A History of Harm
How Christian nationalism and organized religion have harmed disabled Americans, from eugenics sermons and church ADA exemptions to modern ableism. Published: 11 Sep 2026.
Newly Updated Pages
Faith-Based Respite Care Models for Family Caregivers: How congregations can deliver respite care for family caregivers, using vouchers, shared facilities, trained volunteers, cooperatives, and inclusive programs.
Religious Hospital Policies and Physician Ethical Conflict: A University of Chicago survey finds nearly one in ten primary care doctors has clashed with religious hospital rules, and most would refer patients elsewhere.
Ministerial Exception and ADA Disability Discrimination: How the ministerial exception lets religious employers sidestep the ADA, and why a fired Lutheran school teacher asked the Supreme Court to narrow its reach.
Face to Face with God: Jim Maxim's Crash and Recovery: Face to Face with God tells how Jim Maxim survived an alcohol-related car crash, described an encounter with Jesus in the hospital, and quit addiction.
Spiritual Anger and Forgiveness in Hospice Family Care: A Case Western Reserve study of 147 hospice family members links anger toward God to a relative's pain, and unresolved forgiveness to depressive symptoms.