Sunday, September 18 — National Rehabilitation Awareness Week begins today, and runs to the 24th. One of goals of the annual event is to salute the determination of the nation’s residents who confront one or more disabilities as they go about their daily lives. Another is to say thanks to the thousands of rehabilitation professionals, such as the nation’s 204,000 physical therapists, who help those in need adapt to and overcome their disabilities. Some 56.7 million people, or 12.6 percent of the population, are living with some form of disability. Fifteen-point-seven million of them are age 65 and older. Nearly 31 million have difficulty walking or climbing stairs, and 12 million require assistance with daily routines at home, such as dressing, bathing or preparing meals.
Profile America is in its 20th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.
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