NCD #04-445
January 9, 2004
Contact: Mark S. Quigley
202-272-2004
202-272-2074 TTY
mquigley@ncd.gov

National Council on Disability Releases Improving Federal Disability Statistics Paper

WASHINGTON--The National Council on Disability (NCD) today released Improving Federal Disability Statistics, a position paper that describes critical issues involving federal disability data. The paper describes an urgent and immediate need for the Departments of Commerce and Labor to address matters related to the collection of disability data through the Decennial Census, the American Community Survey, and the Current Population Survey.

Every 10 years the U.S. Census Bureau conducts a complete accounting of every resident in the United States. While there is no Congressional mandate requiring an accurate enumeration of Americans with disabilities by the Decennial Census, communities and people with disabilities will be affected if the Decennial Census is inaccurate. Census data are used by educators, policymakers, and community leaders and directly affect funding for many programs critical to individuals with disabilities, including programs for health care, transportation, employment training, and housing. Federal, state, and county governments use Census information to guide the annual distribution of hundreds of billions of dollars in critical services and supports.

According to NCD chairperson Lex Frieden, "There have been some improvements in the use of a few disability questions and interview methodology in the Decennial Censuses for the past 30 years. Unfortunately, those improvements have been small and incremental."

"At a time when cash strapped states are grappling with major unmet human service needs, and increasing numbers of people who require a range of services and supports from federal-state programs, the ability of our nation's public leadership is at an all time high to provide accurate Decennial Census (and related federal survey data such as the Current Population Survey conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) to states and locales," Frieden continued.

NCD recommends:

• The U.S. Census Bureau should immediately revise Census questions for the Year 2010 Census (and the American Community Survey) to reflect the ADA definition.
  The Department of Labor should finish its work with all due haste involving questions being developed by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) to identify people with disabilities in response to Executive Order 13078 through its redesign of disability employment questions for the BLS Current Population Survey.
• NCD acknowledges that the work involving the collection of disability data involves complex issues, methodologies, and activities. NCD also acknowledges that the Departments of Commerce and Labor are currently engaged in other major data collection and statistical activities of similar complexity (e.g., involving poverty). NCD is fully confident that these Cabinet agencies can address these concerns and recommendations in a timely and effective way.

For more information contact Mark Quigley or Martin Gould at 202-272-2004.

Note: NCD is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress on disability policy. NCD first proposed and then drafted the original Americans with Disabilities Act.