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An estimated 20 percent of the U.S. population has a disability, making this the largest minority group in the nation. People with disabilities have the highest rate of unemployment, the highest rate of poverty and the lowest level of education of any minority group in the United States.People with disabilities constitute a group that crosses lines of age, ethnicity, gender, race, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. Disability may be visible or not; it may be long-term or short-term; it may be present from birth or acquired. Most importantly, it encompasses more than the medical aspects of physical, sensory, mental and cognitive conditions.The passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 alerted the nation to an entirely new way of perceiving disability: as an attribute, such as race or gender, that influences an individual’s social acceptance and economic potential. Similar to the Civil Rights Act on which it is based, the ADA recognizes the rights and responsibilities of people who form a significant social minority group.

American Airlines is the official airline of Disability Funders Network.