The Americans with Disabilities Act Compliance and Academic Libraries in the Southeastern United States.

Individuals with disabilities are one of the fastest-growing segments of United States society. In 1970, 11.7% of the United States population was limited in activity, a major factor in measuring and identifying people with disabilities. In 1990, because of the aging of America, 13.7 % of the population could be so identified. By 1994, 15% of the population fell into this group. During this latter period, the older population stayed fairly stable but children and younger adults with disabilities increased greatly. Many different figures, depending upon the method of counting, e.g., age groups included, or whether residence was in a nursing home or not, are available. No matter what the figures or how they are compiled, the same trend is clear: the number of individuals that are recognized as having disabilities has greatly increased over the past few years (Kaye 1998). Today it is estimated that of the 281 million people in the United States more than 56.3 million individuals have some form of disability.