by Jake Geller

In reaction to a new poll released today, a disability advocate calls for more representation of people with disabilities in the media to close the gap between those with disabilities and those without. “One out of five people in America has a disability of some sort so we should see one out of five people portrayed with his disability,” said Carol Glazer, president of the National Organization on Disability.

In honor of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, The Kessler Foundation and National Organization on Disability released the results of the 2010 Survey of Americans with Disabilities. The poll was conducted by Harris Interactive and measured the gaps between those with and without disabilities. These differences were in the areas of employment, income, education, health care, transportation, Internet access and socializing.

Although there were significant gaps in employment, health care access and transportation; the survey found the gap narrowed or eliminated in education and political participation respectively. “Where political participation goes, so does legislation change follow,” Glazer said.

Detailed results of the survey and presentations are available at www.2010disabilitysurvey.org.