The Florida Youth Council

Disability Factorids

Did you know:

In 1984 Gallaudet University, a university for the blind, football quarterback Paul Hubbard created the “huddle” to prevent the opposing team from seeing the signs the Gallaudet team used to communicate their next play to their teammates.

Over 51 million Americans - 18% of the population - are classified as disabled.

The diagnosis of autism is four times more prevalent in males than females.

Baseball hand signals used by umpires to signify balls, strikes, out and safe originate from Outfielder William Hoy’s request to umpires that they use sign language because he was deaf and could not hear the umpires’ verbal calls.

 Visually impaired individuals competed for the 1st time at the 1976 Paralympics in Toronto.

In 1776, Stephen Hopkins referred to his Cerebral Palsy when he signed the U.S. Declaration of Independence saying, “My hands trembles, but myheart does not.”

One in four people will be affected by mentally health in the course of their life.

Florida, the fourth most populous state, ranks third in the number of persons with disabilities. This number is estimated at 2.2 million people with disabilities

The typewriter was invented as a private writing device for a blind member of a royal family.