People with mobility impairments in the United States today and in 2010

This article presents a study undertaken to develop a population profile of people with mobility impairments in the U.S.A. today and to estimate the profile of people with mobility impairments in the year 2010. The profile was developed under contract to the U.S. Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (Access Board) as part of a project to examine technical requirements for ramp slope and length. The profile was used to establish a representative (both today and in the future) sampling frame for human subjects in the current project, as well as to guide the Access Board in developing accessibility guidelines in the future. The present article highlights findings concerning mobility impairments in the population today and trends likely to influence the future prevalence of such impairments. The findings have implications for accessibility requirements and disability policy in general.