Yes, it is highly likely to impact everyone’s career. The need for support and care surrounds everyone, starting with themselves. Sometimes it’s a short- term need, but often it extends for years. Consider:

• As a parent, the CDC estimates 8.5% of children between aged 3 to 17 years have one or more developmental disabilities.

• For you or spouse, the Labor Department reports 12.4% of adults had work limiting disabilities, and the CDC also estimates about 16% of adults have some type of disability.

• For your parents or grandparents, People turning 65 have a 70% chance of needing long-term care. The average duration for men is 2.2 years, for women it’s 3.7 years. One third won’t need care, but 20% need it over 5 years.

Caregiving can take time from work. Employers understand and provide tools to help. However, sometimes it isn’t enough. If you encounter problems at work, you should be aware of the federal statutes and regulations outlined in the EEOC Enforcement Guidelines: Working Caregivers for employers. You may also want to look at the EEOC’s Best Practices: Working Caregivers to understand the expectations implied by the regulations.

The Disability and Health Promotion section of the CDC’s website is searchable and has useful information focused on meeting disabled people’s needs.

If you do need help, and can’t afford it, a good place to start is the Disability Home page on the Social Security website.