disability in the digital age

Disability in the Digital Age

A Chart PackBy Susannah Fox and Jan Lauren Boyles

Disability in the Digital AgeMore than 20 years after the initial passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act, internet access remains unequally distributed. Adults living with disabilities do not engage in networked society at the same rate as their peers who do not report disability, data from the Pew Internet & American Life Project shows.

According to a September 2010 survey by Pew Internet, nearly three in 10 American adults (27%) live with a disability that inhibits their daily functioning. The U.S. Census Bureau, which uses a more restrictive definition of disability, estimates in mid-2012 that nearly one in five Americans (19%) live with a disability.

Individuals who identified a disability use the internet at lower rates than those who did not report disabilities, Pew Internet data also demonstrates (54% vs. 81%). Again, this data parallels findings from the Census Bureau, which documented far lower levels of internet use among those with disabilities compared to those living without disability (48% vs. 74%).

These lower levels of internet activity among those with disabilities stand in stark relief to the rest of the population, especially as the peer-to-peer healthcare movement accelerates online. By delving deeper into the demographic data, we now present a more detailed look at adults living with disabilities and their interplay with the internet.

References:

1) http://www.ada.gov/q%26aeng02.htm

2) http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2011/Disability.aspx

2) http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability/sipp/disable10.html

3) Table 4: http://www.census.gov/hhes/computer/publications/2010.html

Challenges faced by adults living with disabilityOf those who identified as having a disability, the % who encounter the following behaviors

Living with disability

Do you have difficulty or serious difficulty …

Walking or climbing stairs? 56%Concentrating, remembering, or making decisions because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition?

40

Hearing? 34Doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping (because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition)?

29

Seeing even when wearing glasses, or are you blind? 25

Dressing or bathing? 12

Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010 Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 who do not live with a disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two groups.

The Demographics of Adults Living with Disability 30% of U.S. adults are living with disability; 70% of U.S. adults do not have a disability. This chart shows the proportion of adults who fall into each demographic group. In other words, the middle column shows that 48% of those living with a disability are male and 52% are female

Living with disability No disabilities

Gender Male 48% 48% Female 52 52 Race White, non-Hispanic 68 67 Black, non-Hispanic 13 11 Hispanic 13 14 Age 18-29 13 26* 30-49 28 37* 50-64 29* 24 65+ 29* 11 Education Grades 1-8 8* 3 High school, incomplete 14* 7 High school graduate 39* 30 Technical/trade/vocational school after high school 2 2

Some college 21 25 College graduate 8 20* Post-graduate 6 13* Household income < $10,000 18* 7 $10,000 - $19,999 16* 9 $20,000 - $29,999 12 10 $30,000 - $39,999 10 10 $40,000 - $49,999 8 8 $50,000 - $74,999 10 14* $75,000 - $99,999 4 10* $100,000 - $150,000 > 3 8* Parent of a minor child Yes 30 34 No 70* 65 Student Yes 15 16 No 85 84

* Denotes statistically significant difference

Source: Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project, August 9-September 13, 2010 Survey. N=3001 adults for the full sample. N=906 adults who live with a disability. N=2095 adults who do not live with a disability. Margin of error is +/- 3.2 percentage points when comparing the two groups.

Marital Status


Married 40% 51%*

Living with a partner 7 7

Divorced 16* 9

Separated 3 2

Widowed 14* 4

Never been married 17 25*

Single (volunteered) 3 2



Employment Status


Full time 23% 51%*

Part time 7 14*

Retired 30* 13

Not employed for pay 23* 18

Self employed/own business 1 2

Student 1 1



Personal Health Status


No disabilities

Are you now living with any of the following health problems or conditions?

High blood pressure 42%* 18

Asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, or other lung conditions 24* 7

Diabetes or sugar diabetes 20* 7

Heart disease, heart failure or heart attack 15* 3

Cancer 5* 1

Any other chronic health problem or condition not already mentioned 35* 10

In the last 12 months, have you …

Personally faced a serious medical emergency or crisis? 27* 6

Experienced any other significant change in your physical health, such as gaining or losing a lot of weight, becoming pregnant, or quitting smoking?

31* 11



Technology Profile


No disabilities

Have a cell phone or other device that is also a cell phone 74% 89%*

Use the internet or email 54 81*(Have dial-up connection at home) (8) (7)(Have high-speed connection at home) (78) (88*)

Have desktop computer 47 64*Have laptop computer or netbook 34 59*



Health TopicsThe % of adults living with disability vs. other internet users who have looked online for information about each of the following topics

Have you ever looked online for information about …Living with disability No disabilities

A specific disease or medical problem 64% 66%

A certain medical treatment or procedure 55 56

Doctors or other health professionals 38 45*

Hospitals or other medical facilities 31 37

Health insurance, including private insurance, Medicare or Medicaid 30 34

Food safety or recalls 26 30

Drug safety or recalls 25 23

Environmental health hazards 21 23

Medical test results 15 17

Memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer’s 19 16

Pregnancy and childbirth 11 20*

Long-term care for an elderly or disabled person 15 11

How to manage chronic pain 18 13

End-of-life decisions 6 7

Any other health issue 29 28

Yes to any of the above topics 78 80



The Social Life of Health Information

Have you ever…Living with disability

No disabilities

Read someone else's commentary or experience about health or medical issues on an online news group, website or blog

34% 34%

Watched an online video about health or medical issues 26 25Gone online to find others who might have health concerns similar to yours 20 18Tracked your weight, diet or exercise routine online 13 16Tracked any other health indicators or symptoms online 20 16Signed up to receive email updates or alerts about health or medical issues 18 13

Have used the internet to do any of these 58 55



Health Care Reviews Online

Have you ever…Living with disability

No disabilities

Consulted online reviews of particular drugs or medical treatments 27% 24%Consulted online rankings or reviews of doctors or other providers 13 16Consulted online rankings or reviews of hospitals or other medical facilities 13 15Posted your experiences with a particular drug or medical treatment online 9* 2

Posted a review online of a doctor 8* 4Posted a review online of a hospital 5 3Have used the internet to do any of these 38 34



Sources of Health Information for Adults Living with Disability

Who is more helpful when you need…

Professional sources like doctors and

nurses

Fellow patients, friends, and family

Times when professionals matter most

An accurate medical diagnosis 88% 6%

Information about prescription drugs 83 10

Information about alternative treatments 66 20

A recommendation for a doctor or specialist 66 24

A quick remedy for an everyday health issue 48 43

Practical advice for coping with day-to-day health situations 45 44

A recommendation for a hospital or other medical facility 67 22

Times when non-professionals matter most

Emotional support in dealing with a health issue 37 53


The results in this chart pack are based on data from telephone interviews conducted by Princeton Survey Research Associates International between August 9 and September 13, 2010, among a sample of 3,001 adults, age 18 and older.

Interviews were conducted in English and Spanish. A combination of landline and cellular random digit dial samples was used to represent all adults in the continental United States who have access to either a landline or cellular telephone.

For results based on the total sample, one can say with 95% confidence that the error attributable to sampling is plus or minus 2.5 percentage points. For results based internet users (n=2,065), the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 2.9 percentage points.

In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting telephone surveys may introduce some error or bias into the findings of opinion polls.

Methodology

disability in the digital age

Documents

american adults

pew internet data

internet access

lower levels of internet

disabilities act

demographic data

significant differencesource

data parallels findings