Living with a disability has become more commonplace than ever here in the United States as well as all throughout the globe. In fact, up to 650 million people living all throughout the world are living with a disability, meaning that disabled people account for as much as a full 10% of the population. Of course, it is important to recognize and realize that not all disabilities look the same and that different disabled people can have drastically different needs.
Disabilities can stem from a number of different places. For one thing, many people who have a disability are born with these disabilities. Disabilities of this nature exist from the very beginning, though they likely progress with age. Disabilities resulting from the circumstance of a birth are also more common than one might realize. Cerebral palsy is a known birth injury, and even being born very premature can lead to a number of life-long medical issues and disabilities as well.
Accidents of other kinds can also cause disability. In fact, up to 35% of all spinal cord injuries occur during car and other such motor vehicle accidents. In far too many cases, these spinal cord injuries will lead to issues of paralysis, which are often, sadly, lifelong. Learning to live with paralysis is possible, however, and many victims of such accidents still go on to lead long and productive lives.
In some cases, even just age can lead to disability, as age wears away at both the body as well as the mind. Age can cause frailty, which can lead to injury, which can then lead to disability in and of itself. In fact, if one lives in a country that has a life span over the age of 70, one can expect to live at least the last eight years of their life dealing with some kind of disability. This means that just over 10% of their life will be spent dealing with a disability of some nature. After all, the prevalence of chronic health problems, some of which can be disabling, only rise and rise with the passing of time and the advancement into old age.
Many disabilities involve mobility issues. More than 11 million people in the United States alone currently must use something like a can, walker, or even crutches to move easily around the world. And additional people, as many as three and a half million of them, require a wheelchair to maintain mobility. The number of wheelchair users is one that is growing consistently, at least in this country. For each passing year, in fact, up to two million new people will begin to need the aid of a wheelchair, at least in some capacity even if not full time.
For people with disabilities, the world can be a difficult place to navigate. Because of this, accessibility to this world is more important than anything else. Fortunately, accessibility has become more widespread. The data backs this up, showing that more than 95% of all public transportation methods now are wheelchair friendly. And this is only just one example.
Access to wheelchairs and wheelchair parts have also grown, from tires for wheelchairs like off road wheelchair tires to wheelchair locks to wheelchair arm pads to all kinds of other wheelchair alterations that can be made. Even adding something like off road wheelchair tires can improve overall quality of life quite immensely for people who are wheelchair bound, as these off road wheelchair tires allow for greater movement in the world apart from the places that have been specifically carved out and made accessible for wheelchair users. In many ways, even small things like off road wheelchair tires can provide a great deal of freedom that would not otherwise exist.
And off road wheelchair tires, as important as off road wheelchair tires are in the lives of many, provide just one example of this. In addition to off road wheelchair tires, things like wheelchair seat cover, wheelchair rim grip tape, wheelchair comfort cushions, and wheelchairs that fold can all make a difference in the life of the typical wheelchair user. These changes can improve comfort and mobility, making it easier to move around than ever before.