More than 50 million people in the United States have limitations due to physical, mental or emotional problems; approximately half have a severe disability.  This means that for any state in the United States, between 13 percent and 20 percent of the population have a disability. 

Examples of disabilities include birth defects, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cerebral palsy and brain injury. Birth defects are the fifth-leading cause of years of potential life lost and contribute substantially to childhood morbidity and long-term disability. Programs exist in many states to improve the surveillance and prevention of birth defects. States participate in the National Birth Defects Prevention Network, which includes state and community-based programs that assess the impact of birth defects upon children, families and health care.

There are a multitude of state programs developed in conjunction with federal initiatives to help disabled people. Typical state programs aim to help the disabled gain better access to health services, promote their health and well-being, increase their independence and productivity or provide support activities to avoid serious secondary conditions that result from inactivity and inadequate health care.

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities promotes the health of babies, children and adults. It also provides a wealth of information on how to identify causes of and prevent birth defects and developmental disabilities.

Safe Motherhood

Safe motherhood begins before conception with proper nutrition, a healthy lifestyle and appropriate prenatal care. For a better understanding of how to decrease disparities among populations at risk for complications from pregancy, visit CDC's Reproductive Health page for related resources, recommendations and publications. 

A Healthy Start: Assessment System Helps Babies by Helping Mothers

How do you know how healthy the new mothers and infants in your state are? For many state legislators, the information is at their fingertips with an assessment called PRAMS - the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System. PRAMS gives legislators crucial information they need to make sure their state's most vulnerable residents are thriving.

What are autism spectrum disorders? How common are they? What are states doing to prevent autism disorders? Find out more about programs to reduce autism disorders. Also available are links to resources for families and researchers.

The CDC funds projects on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in several states.  These projects track the number of children who have an ASD, conduct studies to find out what factors make it more likely that a child will have an ASD, and offer education and outreach programs for researchers, families and other people affected by ASD. 

Current state activities include:

• Community-Based Autism Spectrum Disorders Outreach and Education Project
• Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network
• CADDRE: Centers for Autism and Developmental Disabilities Research and Epidemiology

Healthy States Forum: Autism and Early Detection Programs

Dr. Mark Cyr, public health analyst, CDC National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities

Dr. Craig Newschaffer, associate professor, Johns Hopkins Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities

Download a copy of The Surgeon General's Call to Action to Improve the Health and Wellness of Persons with Disabilities.