12%

I learned today, listening to NPR's Here and Now, that "At least 12% of all children in the U.S. have disabilities – or special needs."

They then broadcast some parents reading excerpts from the book, My Baby Rides the Short Bus: The Unabashedly Human Experience of Raising Kids with Disabilities.

It's the May 12, 2010 edition of Here and Now, scroll down to the bottom (it was the last segment), Reflections from Parents with Special Needs Children, and click on the Listen button. Or--go buy the book.
The essays are very moving.