The National Endowment for the Arts, an independent federal agency that advocates for and supports arts participation among the general population in the United States, just released the results of a 2012 survey of public participation in the arts  that shows that 20 percent of 28 million disabled adults in the U.S. (12 percent of the adult population) are participating in the arts in some way.

The kinds of arts participation that individuals with disabilities are engaging in include “creating visual arts,” producing creative writing, or “consuming art via electronic media,” according to the report. Although there was some parity for certain activity types—disabled adults participated in the fiber arts more often than the general population and viewed or listened to art through a handheld or mobile device less often than the general population—the results show that disabled adults, often underrepresented in the arts, are participating in some way.

The report also revealed that in 2012, 55 percent of nondisabled U.S. adults read books, while almost 46 percent of disabled adults also read at least one book not required for work or school. Furthermore, almost as many disabled adults wrote a piece of creative writing as adults without disabilities, with a ratio of 5.2 percent of adults with disabilities to 5.9 percent of adults without disabilities.

The adults with disabilities who were tracked had sensory disabilities such as deafness and blindness; physical or mobility disabilities; and mental or emotional disabilities.

The study was released to celebrate the 25^th anniversary of the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990, which guaranteed equal access to employment, public transportation, and commercial facilities. In this vein, the current issue of NEA Arts also focuses on how museums and artists are challenging fixed notions about disabilities—including the language of disability—as well as transforming policies at various workplaces.