Please note: This website has recently moved from www.health.gov to odphp.health.gov. www.health.gov is now the official website of ODPHP’s parent organization, the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH). Please update your bookmarks for easy access to all our resources. 

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

People With Disabilities

Goal: Improve health and well-being in people with disabilities.

A man in a wheelchair on an indoor basketball court prepares to shoot a basket.

About 1 in 4 people in the United States have a disability.1  Healthy People 2030 focuses on helping people with disabilities get the support and services they need — at home, work, school, and in the health care system.

Studies have found that people with disabilities are less likely to get preventive health care services they need to stay healthy.2 Strategies to make health care more affordable for people with disabilities are key to improving their health.

In addition, people with disabilities may have trouble finding a job, going to school, or getting around outside their homes.3  And they may experience daily stress related to these challenges. Efforts to make homes, schools, workplaces, and public places easier to access can help improve quality of life and overall well-being for people with disabilities.

Objective Status

  • 0 Target met or exceeded
  • 3 Improving
  • 4 Little or no detectable change
  • 2 Getting worse
  • 6 Baseline only
  • 0 Developmental
  • 3 Research

Learn more about objective types

Related Objectives

The following is a sample of objectives related to this topic. Some objectives may include population data.

People with Disabilities — General

Increase the percentage of adults who resume more than half of their usual activities 5 years after traumatic brain injury rehabilitation — DH‑06
Baseline only
Increase the proportion of children with autism spectrum disorder who receive special services by age 4 years — MICH‑18
Getting worse

Adolescents

Increase the proportion of students with disabilities who are usually in regular education programs — DH‑05
Improving
Increase the proportion of students served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act who earn a high school diploma — AH‑R10
Research

Arthritis

Reduce the proportion of adults with arthritis who have moderate or severe joint pain — A‑01
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of adults with arthritis whose arthritis limits their activities — A‑02
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of adults with arthritis whose arthritis limits their work — A‑03
Little or no detectable change

Housing and Homes

Reduce the proportion of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities who live in institutional settings with 7 or more people — DH‑03
Improving
Increase the proportion of homes that have an entrance without steps — DH‑04
Improving

Mental Health and Mental Disorders

Reduce the proportion of adults with disabilities who delay preventive care because of cost — DH‑01
Little or no detectable change
Reduce the proportion of adults with disabilities who experience serious psychological distress — DH‑02
Baseline only

Older Adults

Increase the proportion of older adults with physical or cognitive health problems who get physical activity — OA‑01
Baseline only

Public Health Infrastructure

Increase the proportion of national surveys with questions that identify people with disabilities — DH‑R01
Research
Increase the proportion of state and DC health departments with programs aimed at improving health in people with disabilities — DH‑R02
Research

Sensory or Communication Disorders

Reduce vision loss in children and adolescents — V‑03
Getting worse
Increase the proportion of adults with hearing loss who use a hearing aid — HOSCD‑07
Baseline only
Increase the use of vision rehab services by people with vision loss — V‑08
Baseline only
Increase the use of assistive and adaptive devices by people with vision loss — V‑09
Baseline only

Other topics you may be interested in

References

1.

Okoro, C.A., Hollis, N.D., Cyrus, A.C., & Griffin-Blake, S. (2018). Prevalence of Disabilities and Health Care Access by Disability Status and Type Among Adults — United States, 2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(32), 882–887. http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6732a3

2.

Marrocco, A. & Krouse, H.J. (2017). Obstacles to Preventive Care for Individuals with Disability: Implications for Nurse Practitioners. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(5), 282-293. DOI: 10.1002/2327-6924.12449

3.

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2015). TED: The Economics Daily. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2015/people-with-a-disability-less-likely-to-have-completed-a-bachelors-degree.htm