By the year 2020, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention projects that arthritis prevalence will increase to 59.4 million Americans. Prevalence varies significantly depending upon the type of arthritis. For example, rheumatoid arthritis affects 2.1 million individuals while psoriatic arthritis affects 160,000. Arthritis is the number one cause of disability in America. Therefore, many individuals with arthritis are members of the workforce.
Symptoms caused by arthritis vary from person to person.
When determining effective accommodations, the person s individual abilities and limitations should be considered and problematic job tasks must be identified. Therefore, the person with arthritis should be involved in the accommodation process. Not all people with arthritis will need accommodations to perform their jobs and many others may need only a few accommodations. The following information regarding arthritis was edited from several sources. Arthritis includes approximately 100 inflammatory and noninflammatory diseases that affect the body s joints, connective tissue, and other supporting tissues such as tendons, cartilage, blood vessels, and internal organs.