Among working age adults age 21 64, an estimated 3.7 million report having  

difficulty seeing words and letters in ordinary newsprint even when wearing 

glasses or contact lenses

. Of these 3.7 million working age adults, 669,000 are 

unable to see words and letters in ordinary newsprint even when wearing glasses 

or contact lenses (McNeil, 2001). 

Legal Blindness 

An estimated 163,000 Americans age 20 44, and 174,000 age 45 64 are legally 

blind (Chiang, Bassi, & Javitt, 1992).

Leading Cause of Vision Loss  

According to the American Diabetes Association, diabetes is the leading cause of 

blindness in persons age 20 74.  An estimated 12,000 to 24,000 people lose their 

sight each year  because of diabetes. 

COLLEGE POPULATION

Findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) indicate that 57% 

of youth with visual impairments had attended postsecondary schools in 

comparison to 68% of the general population and only 27% of persons with 

disabilities overall (Blackorby & Wagner, 1996). 

The following estimates are from the American Council on Education; HEATH 

Resource Center (Henderson, 1999).  

Based on a 1998 survey of college freshman, 1.1% of all full time freshmen report 

being "partially sighted" or "blind". 

Of college freshmen with any kind of disability, 13.3% report being "partially 

sighted" or "blind"   a decline from 31.7% reported a decade ago and 22.0% just 

two years earlier. 

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