Want to Reach a Trillion-Dollar Market? Don’t Ignore People With
Disabilities
By Daryl C. Hannah
October 28, 2008
Keywords: people with disabilities, trillion-dollar market,
Americans, multicultural marketing, diversity jobs, buying power,
workplace, statistics, diverse
Is your company missing out on a trillion-dollar market? It is if it
ignores people with disabilities. With $1 trillion, including $220
billion in discretionary income, people with disabilities have the
most buying power of any traditionally underrepresented group,
according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Buying power, or disposable income, is the total personal income
available after taxes. Total annual buying power in the United States
exceeded $10 trillion for the first time in 2007 and is projected to
be $13 trillion in 2012. Multicultural markets, which will account for
more than a fifth of total buying power this year, account for the
lion’s share of that growth. And leading the way are people with
disabilities.
Here’s what you should know about the buying power of people with
disabilities:
* More than one in five Americans, approximately 54 million, have a
disability, making people with disabilities the largest traditionally
underrepresented group in the nation. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau,
2000; The National Organization on Disability/Harris Interactive poll
of Americans with Disabilities, 2004
* Thirty percent of the nation’s 69.6 million families have at least
one member with a disability. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000; The
National Organization on Disability/Harris Interactive poll of
Americans with Disabilities, 2004
* Seventy-two percent of people with disabilities are likely to
upgrade to a product’s latest model. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau,
2000; Witeck-Combs Communications/Harris Interactive poll, 2005; The
National Organization on Disability/Harris Interactive poll of
Americans with Disabilities, 2004
* Sixty-two percent of people with disabilities say they are likely
to do business with companies that have a commitment to diversity and
equal treatment of employees. Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, 2000;
Witeck-Combs Communications/Harris Interactive poll, 2005; The
National Organization on Disability/Harris Interactive poll of
Americans with Disabilities, 2004
* Seventy-three percent of people with disabilities are heads of
household. Sources: “Within Our Reach: Findings and Recommendations of
the National Task Force on Technology and Disability,” 2000; Simmons
Market Research Bureau, 2000
* People with disabilities spend $13.6 billion on 31.7 million trips
each year. Sources: Travel Industry Association of America/Harris
Interactive/Open Doors/Society for Accessible Travel and Hospitality
Survey, 2002; The National Organization on Disability/Harris
Interactive poll of Americans with Disabilities, 2004
* About $3.3 billion is spent annually by travelers with disabilities
in the airline industry. Sources: Travel Industry Association of
America/Harris Interactive/Open Doors/Society for Accessible Travel
and Hospitality Survey, 2002; The National Organization on
Disability/Harris Interactive poll of Americans with Disabilities,
2004
* Travelers with disabilities each year spend $4.2 billion in the
lodging industry. Sources: Travel Industry Association of
America/Harris Interactive/Open Doors/Society for Accessible Travel
and Hospitality Survey, 2002; The National Organization on
Disability/Harris Interactive poll of Americans with Disabilities,
2004
* A 12 percent increase in revenue in the hospitality industry is
attributed, in part, to consumers with disabilities. Sources: Travel
Industry Association of America/Harris Interactive/Open Doors/Society
for Accessible Travel and Hospitality Survey, 2002; The National
Organization on Disability/Harris Interactive poll of Americans with
Disabilities, 2004
* Four out of 10 members of the traveling public are Americans with
disabilities and their companions. Sources: Travel Industry
Association of America/Harris Interactive/Open Doors/Society for
Accessible Travel and Hospitality Survey, 2002; The National
Organization on Disability/Harris Interactive poll of Americans with
Disabilities, 2004
Note: Multiple sources were listed in this article written by Daryl
C. Hannah
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