TBI and Disability Facts

Know and use these facts about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and disabilities.

Many of the following facts were provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is an injury to the brain (not including degenerative or congenital conditions) caused by an external force which may produce a diminished or altered state of consciousness.
• In the USA, over 5 million Americans are now living with TBI, and a new TBI occurs every 15 seconds.
• In Ohio, there are approximately 196,000 individuals living with long term disability due to TBI.
• 22 percent of persons with TBI die from the injury.
• The leading causes are car crashes, violence and falls.
• The risk of TBI is highest among teens, young adults and persons over 75 years old. Regardless of age, men are twice as likely to receive a TBI as women.
• Each year more than 80,000 people are discharged from hospitals with a TBI-related injury.
• TBI causes many kinds of impairments, including loss of short term memory, inability to concentrate, inability to organize tasks and solve problems, loss of communication skills, changes in the ability to see, hear, or smell, and changes in emotions.
• Brain injury occurs more frequently than breast cancer, AIDS, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. (Source: Brain Injury Association USA)
• No single agency serves persons with TBI.

The U.S. Census found these facts about people with disabilities who do not live in an institution:

• Nationally, there are over 39.9 million people with disabilities. 4,243,588 are 5 - 20 years old; 22,207,706 are 21 - 64 years old; and 13,541,339 are 65 years old and over.
• In Ohio, there are over 1.6 million people with disabilities. 190,297 are 5 - 20 years old; 927,580 are 21 - 64 years old; and 575,778 are 65 years old and over.

Nationally and in Ohio, unemployment for people with disabilities is higher than for people without disabilities. For people 21 to 64 years old:

• Nationally: 51.3 percent who have a disability are unemployed compared to 21.2 percent who do not have a disability are unemployed.
• In Ohio: 50.3 percent who have a disability are unemployed compared to 19.6 percent who do not have a disability are unemployed.

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