2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Iconography
- Sample Table
- List of Tables
- Section 1: Population and Prevalence
- Section 2: Functioning
- Section 3: Employment
- Section 4: Industry and Occupation
- Section 5: Earnings
- Section 6: Poverty
- Section 7: Home Environment
- Section 8: Veterans
- Section 9: Health Insurance Coverage
- Section 10: Rural
- Section 11: Health
- Section 12: Social Security Administration Program
- Section 13: Education
- Section 14: Vocational Rehabilitation
- Section 15: Employment Policy
- Section 16: Voting and Registration
- Glossary
- About the Center
Special thanks to the following individuals who have contributed to the success of this effort: Deb Brucker, Erin Dame, Romy Eberle, Kate Filanoski, Megan Henly, Kim Phillips, Toni Sumner-Beebe, and Karen Volle.
Funding for this publication is made possible by:
The Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC), funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), grant number 90RTGE0001. The information developed by the StatsRRTC does not necessarily represent the policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government (Edgar, 75.620 (b)).
The StatsRRTC is a part of the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. The Institute on Disability/UCED (IOD) was established in 1987 to provide a university-based focus for the improvement of knowledge, policies, and practices related to the lives of people with disabilities and their families and is New Hampshire’s University Center for Excellence in Disability (UCED). Located within the University of New Hampshire, the IOD is a federally designated center authorized by the Developmental Disabilities Act. Through innovative and interdisciplinary research, academic, service, and dissemination initiatives, the IOD builds local, state, and national capacities to respond to the needs of individuals with disabilities and their families.
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Copyright 2023. Institute on Disability. University of New Hampshire.
Introduction
Overview. Statistics are a powerful tool in research, policymaking, program evaluation, and advocacy. They are used to frame issues, monitor current circumstances and progress, judge the effectiveness of policies and programs, make projections about the future, and predict the costs of potential policy changes.
In the United States, disability statistics – information about the population with disabilities and about the government programs that serve people with disabilities - are often difficult to find. Numerous government agencies generate and publish disability statistics, and as a result, the data are scattered across various federal government documents and websites.
The Annual Disability Statistics Supplement, one of the five publications included in the Institute on Disability’s Annual Disability Statistics Collection – referred to as “the Collection” – is a summary of statistics about people with disabilities and about the government programs which serve them. The Supplement covers 150 additional tables that analyze the content found in the Compendium by age, gender, and race/ethnicity.
Additional publications included in the Collection are:
- The Compendium, available both in hard copy and online (at www.disabilitycompendium.org), which presents key overall statistics on topics including the prevalence of disability, employment among persons with disabilities, rates of participation in disability income and social insurance programs, and other statistics.
- The State Reports for County-Level Data, which provide county-level prevalence, employment, and poverty statistics for each state.
- The Annual Report on People with Disabilities in America, which graphically represents trends of key statistics from the Compendium.
- Infographics in the Collection are curated through partnerships with organizations that specialize in the intersectionality of disability with other identities.
- The Annual Disability Statistics Standard Errors Companion, new to the Collection this year, details the standard errors of percent and standard errors of frequency for applicable tables in the Compendium.
All publications are available online at https://disabilitycompendium.org. The Annual Report on People with Disabilities in America and the infographics are also available in print format.
Notes on the data. The Supplement is composed of data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. We used the most recent data wherever available.
It is also of note that in many cases disability data are categorized into six main types - cognitive, ambulatory, hearing, vision, self-care, and independent living - and do not necessarily allow for granular analysis. For instance, the cognitive disability category does not specify the type of cognitive disability - such as whether the disability is related to a Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or an Intellectual/Developmental Disorder (IDD).
Caution should be used when examining estimates based on fewer than 25 survey respondents (e.g., state level estimates that examine race by disability in states with low populations of some race/disability groups). If you have questions about any specific data points, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.
One year change-in-gap tables such as Table 3.20, Table 3.36, Table 3.37, Table 3.38, Table 3.39, Table 3.40, Table 3.56, Table 3.57, Table 3.58, Table 3.59, Table 3.60, Table 3.67, Table 3.68, Table 3.75, Table 3.76, Table 6.33, Table 6.34, Table 6.35, Table 6.36, Table 6.37, Table 6.38, and Table 6.39 have been removed because data from 2020 are not directly comparable to other years.
Exploring other topics. The UNH Institute on Disability is dedicated to thorough research and has explored topics such as understanding the factors associated with the health disparities experienced by people with intellectual disabilities through the Health Disparities Project (https://iod.unh.edu/health-disparities-project) and career self-management through job crafting for people with physical and mild cognitive disabilities (https://iod.unh.edu/career-self-management-through-job-crafting-people-physical-mild-cognitive-disabilities).
Additional Resources. A companion Annual Report is available, providing graphical representations of key findings. The Annual Report highlights trend data related to specific tables in the Compendium and Supplement. The statistics presented here, as well as those in the Compendium and Annual Report, can be viewed and downloaded at https://disabilitycompendium.org/.
Help navigating any of the resources described here can be found in the Frequently Asked Questions section at https://disabilitycompendium.org/faq. Assistance interpreting and locating additional statistics is available via our toll-free number, 866-538-9521, or by email at disability.statistics@unh.edu. For more information about our research projects, please visit https://www.researchondisability.org.
Suggested Citation. Paul, S., Rogers, S., Bach, S., & Houtenville, A.J. (2023). Annual Disability Statistics Supplement: 2023. Durham, NH: University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability.
Iconography
Icons have been added to facilitate navigation. These were created or derived based on the icons available at https://www.thenounproject.com. Derived icons are free from copyright restrictions under the Creative Commons Organization Public Domain Mark 1.0 (https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/mark/1.0/) unless otherwise noted.
Sample Table
List of Tables
Section 1: Population and Prevalence
Section 3: Employment
Section 6: Poverty
Section 8: Veterans
Section 9: Health Insurance Coverage

Section 1: Population and Prevalence
This section presents statistics on the United States civilian population and people with disabilities. The prevalence statistics describe disability frequency by age, race, gender, and disability type. The principal source of these data is the U.S. Census Bureau, specifically the American Community Survey. For these tables, statistics for people with disabilities (disability status or disability type) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the American Community Survey (see the glossary for more details).

Section 2: Functioning
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 3: Employment
This section presents statistics on employment in the United States. Data are presented for people with disabilities, people without disabilities, and the difference in percentage employed (employment gap) between these two populations. The source of these data is the American Community Survey (U.S. Census Bureau). For these tables, statistics for people with disabilities (disability status or disability type) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the American Community Survey. The definition for employment status in the American Community Survey can be found in the glossary.

Section 4: Industry and Occupation
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 5: Earnings
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 6: Poverty
This section presents statistics on poverty in the United States. The statistics describe the number and percentage of people with and without disabilities who experience poverty as well as the difference between the poverty rates (poverty gap) of people with and without disabilities. The principal source of these data is the U.S. Census Bureau, specifically the American Community Survey. For these tables, statistics for people with disabilities (disability status) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the American Community Survey (see the glossary for more details). Annual time trends were produced by the authors using data from the Current Population Survey-Annual Social and Economic Supplement, which is fielded annually in March. Similar to the American Community Survey, statistics for people with disabilities (disability status) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the Current Population Survey. Poverty is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and set as a dollar threshold by the U.S. Census Bureau in all sources (see the glossary for details).

Section 7: Home Environment
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 8: Veterans
This section presents statistics on Veterans in the United States. Specifically, the data address service connected to disability rating; the prevalence of disabilities in the Veteran population; the portion of the Veteran population that experiences poverty (as well as the difference between the poverty rates (poverty gap) of Veterans with and without disabilities), by disability status; and Veterans’ benefits, by disability status. The source of these data is the U.S. Census Bureau, specifically the American Community Survey. For these tables, statistics for people with disabilities (disability status) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the American Community Survey (see the glossary for more details). Poverty is defined by the U.S. Office of Management and Budget and set as a dollar threshold by the U.S. Census Bureau in all sources (see the glossary for details).

Section 9: Health Insurance Coverage
This section presents statistics on health insurance coverage in the United States, especially the health insurance coverage of people with disabilities. Specifically, the data address the percentage of people with and without disabilities who have some sort of health insurance coverage as well as the difference in percent health insurance coverage between people with and without disabilities (health insurance coverage gap). This section also presents the type of health insurance coverage possessed by people with disabilities. The principal source of these data is the U.S. Census Bureau, specifically the American Community Survey. Statistics for people with disabilities (disability status) are based on having responded ‘yes’ to a series of questions within the American Community Survey (see the glossary for more details).

Section 10: Rural
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 11: Health
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 12: Social Security Administration Program
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 13: Education
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 14: Vocational Rehabilitation
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 15: Employment Policy
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.

Section 16: Voting and Registration
The 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Supplement does not have any statistics to present in this section. Refer to the 2023 Annual Disability Statistics Compendium for national-level and state-level disability data on this topic. If you are interested in seeing additional statistics in the coming years, please contact us at disability.statistics@unh.edu.
Glossary
Ambulatory Disability (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, individuals who responded “yes” when asked if they had “serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.” Please note that this question is only asked of people 5 years old or over.
American Community Survey (ACS) — The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multiyear estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. See the U.S. Census Bureau website for additional details.
Base Population — The sum of a population or an estimate used as the root for evaluation purposes. Typically, the last Census count or the estimate from a previous date is used.
Civilian — A person not in active-duty military.
Complete kitchen (ACS) — Kitchen facilities are considered complete if they have a stove or range, a refrigerator, and a sink with a faucet. If kitchen facilities are missing one or more of these features, the household is found to be lacking complete a kitchen.
Complete plumbing (ACS) — Plumbing facilities are considered complete if they include hot and cold running water and a bathtub or shower. If the household is missing one or more of these features, the household is found to be lacking complete plumbing.
Cognitive Disability (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if due to a physical, mental, or emotional problem, they had difficulty remembering, concentrating, or making decisions. Please note that this question is only asked of people 5 years old or over.
Disability Rating — The disability rating scale is used to track the impairment, disability, or handicap of an individual. The severity of the disability corresponds to the value of the rating and is used to determine eligibility for supports and services and ability to work or return to work.
Disability Status (ACS, BRFSS) — The ACS and BRFSS use a set of six questions to identify persons with disabilities. Each question (listed below) has a possible response of either "yes" or "no". A response of “yes” to any one of the questions indicates that the person in question has a disability — vision, hearing, cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living. However, the cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living related questions are not used to identify disability in individuals less than five years old, and the independent living related question is not used to identify disability in individuals less than 15 years old.
The six disability questions included in the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS) are the following:
- Hearing Disability: Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing?
- Vision Disability: Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?
- Cognitive Disability: [If person 5 years old or over] Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?
- Ambulatory Disability: [If person 5 years old or over] Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
- Self-Care Disability: [If person 5 years old or over] Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing?
- Independent Living Disability: [If person 15 years old or over]Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?
Disability Type — See disability status and specific definitions in the glossary (Vision Disability, Hearing Disability, Ambulatory Disability, Cognitive Disability, Independent Living Disability, and Self-Care Disability).
Disabled-Worker (SSA) — A worker not yet at full retirement age receiving insurance payments due to a disability.
Earned/Earnings (ACS) — Regularly received income from salaries/wages, self-employment or both, for people 16 or more years old before deductions for personal income taxes, Social Security, bond purchases, union dues, Medicare deductions, etc.
Earnings Gap — The difference in percentage earned between two populations, usually people with and without disabilities.
Employed/Employed Persons — Individuals 16 years or older who are civilians and are not currently institutionalized and, during the reference week; (a) performed at least one hour of work as a paid employee, worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as an unpaid worker in a business owned by a relative; and (b) all those who had jobs or businesses but are on leave because of vacation, illness, bad weather, childcare problems, maternity or paternity leave, labor-management dispute, job training, or other family or personal reasons, regardless of whether they were compensated for the time off or were seeking other jobs. Each employed person is counted only once, even if he or she holds more than one job. Individuals who work around their own house (painting, repairing, or own home housework) or volunteer for religious, charitable, and other organizations are excluded.
Employed/Employed Persons (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, people who responded as having worked during the past week. See employed status for the American Community Survey for greater detail.
Employment/Employment Status (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, individuals were asked a series of questions designed to identify their status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups:
- People who worked at any time during the reference week;
- People on temporary layoff who were available for work;
- People who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff);
- People who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and
- People not in the labor force.
The employment status data shown in American Community Survey tabulations relate to people 16 years or older.
Employment Gap — The difference between the percentage of people employed for two different sub-populations, usually people with and without disabilities.
Employment Participation — Individuals who participated in the labor force. Includes all persons classified as employed or unemployed.
Employment Rate (ACS) — The number of individuals that are employed as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.
Hearing Disability (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if they were “deaf or … [had] serious difficulty hearing.” Please note that this question is asked of individuals of all ages.
Health Insurance Coverage (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, health insurance coverage is broadly defined as both private health insurance and public coverage. Respondents are asked to report their current coverage and to mark “yes” or “no” for each of the eight types listed:
- Insurance through a current or former employer or union (of this person or another family member).
- Insurance purchased directly from an insurance company (by this person or another family member).
- Medicare, for people 65 and older, or people with certain disabilities.
- Medicaid, Medical Assistance, or any kind of government-assistance plan for those with low incomes or a disability.
- TRICARE or other military health care.
- VA (including those who have ever used or enrolled for VA health care).
- Indian Health Service.
- Any other type of health insurance or health coverage plan.
Health Insurance Coverage (BRFSS) — In the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, respondents are considered to have health insurance coverage if they respond ‘yes’ to having, “…any kind of health care coverage, including health insurance, prepaid plans such as HMOs, or government plans such as Medicare, or Indian Health Service?”
Health Insurance Coverage Gap — The difference in percentage points of health insurance coverage between people with and without disabilities.
Housing Cost Burden (ACS) — Residents face a cost burden if they spend more than 30 percent of their household income on housing costs.
Income (ACS) — The sum of all wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, and tips; self-employment income from own nonfarm and farm businesses, including proprietorships and partnerships; interest, dividends, net rental income, royalty income, and income from estates and trusts; Social Security and Railroad Retirement income; Supplemental Security Income; any public assistance and welfare payments from the state and local welfare office; retirement, survivor, and disability pensions; and any other sources received regularly such as Veterans Affairs payments, unemployment compensation, child support, and alimony.
Independent Living Disability (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they had difficulty “doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping.” Please note that this question is asked of individuals ages 15 years old or over.
Industry — The type of business conducted by a person’s employing organization. Examples of industries include automotive, health, mining, and transportation. Industries are categorized based on the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), published by the Office of Management and Budget. The NAICS is the standard used by North America and United States’ Federal statistical agencies to classify businesses for analyses of the economy.
Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ACS) — Elected activities from the Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) scales, namely difficulty performing errands such as visiting the doctor's office or going shopping. In the American Community Survey, IADLs are identified through an independent living disability question. (See independent living disability for more information).
Labor Force — All persons classified as employed or unemployed.
Labor Force Participation Rate — The labor force as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.
Living in the Community — Describes persons who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.
Median Earnings — The median is the middlemost value of a sample that separates the upper half of the values from the lower half of the values. The median earnings is the amount that divides the income distribution in two equal groups. Half of the people earn more than this value and half of the people earn less than this value.
Medicaid — Medicaid is a state-administered, but federally required, program to provide health insurance to certain groups of people. States determine specific eligibility requirements, but in general low income individuals, families, children, and pregnant women are eligible for health care coverage under Medicaid. In some states, other groups (such as people with disabilities) are also eligible.
Medicare — Medicare is a Federal program that provides health care services to individuals 65 or older, individuals under age 65 with disabilities, and individuals of all ages with end-stage renal failure. There are three programs within Medicare: Part A (hospital insurance), Part B (medical insurance), and Prescription Drug Coverage (implemented January 1, 2006). Individuals pay into Part A throughout their careers, and then Part A covers that individual for hospital care. People who are eligible for Medicare have the opportunity to purchase Part B, or medical insurance that covers them for more than just hospital care.
Minimum Wage — A minimum wage is the lowest a person can be paid for hourly work in the US, set by the federal government.
Minimum Wage Rate — The minimum wage rate is set by individual US states. This rate must be equal to or above the federal minimum wage.
Non-Institutionalized Population — Describes individuals who are residing in the community and who are not living in institutions such as jails, prisons, nursing homes, hospitals, etc.
Occupation — The kind of work a person does on the job. Examples of occupations include animal scientists, computer programmers, medical assistants, and telemarketers. Occupations are categorized based on the Standard Occupational (SOC) Manual, published by the Office of Management and Budget. The SOC is the standard used by United State’s Federal statistical agencies to classify work for analyses of the economy.
Overcrowded (ACS) — A housing unit is considered overcrowded if it has more than two people per bedroom.
Participation in the labor force — See labor force.
Percentage Point(s) — A number, count or ratio expressed as a fraction of 100.
Prevalence — The proportion of the population with a particular status or condition. Prevalence is usually expressed as a percentage or a number of people per unit of the population.
Prevalence Rate — The prevalence of a particular status or condition estimated over a specific period of time.
Population — The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.
Poor Housing Quality (ACS) — A household has poor housing qualtiy if at least two of four possible conditions are met: lacking a complete kitchen, lacking complete plumbing, overcrowding, or cost burden.
Poverty (ACS) — The U.S. Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy, Directive 14 sets the standards for which poverty is calculated. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it is considered to be in poverty.
Poverty Gap — The difference between the poverty rates of two populations, usually people with and without disabilities.
Poverty Rate (ACS) — Percent of the population who are determined to be in poverty.
Race (ACS) — Individuals identified themselves as one of six categories in the survey: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Some Other Race. The racial categories included in the census questionnaire reflect a social definition of race recognized in this country and not an attempt to define race biologically, anthropologically, or genetically. In addition, it is recognized that the categories of the race item include racial and national origin or sociocultural groups. People may choose to report more than one race to indicate their racial mixture, such as “American Indian” and “White.” People who identify their origin as Hispanic, Latino, or Spanish may be of any race.
Rehabilitation Services Administration — The Rehabilitation Services Administration is a United States Department of Education agency that helps individuals with disabilities obtain employment and live more independently. Data provided by the Rehabilitation Services Administration can be found in the ‘Ad Hoc Query’ section of their website: http://rsa.ed.gov.
Resident Population — All residents (both civilian and Armed Forces) living in the United States (all 50 states and the District of Columbia).
Sample Size — The number of units (individuals) from which data were collected in a survey or experiment.
Sampling Variability — The variation of a statistic when estimated from repeated samples.
Self-Care Disability (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if they “have difficulty dressing or bathing.” Please note that this question is asked of individuals ages 5 years old or over.
Service-Connected Disability Rating (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, the VA service connected disability rating for an individual who is a veteran. The rating reflects the degree of the veteran’s disability on a scale from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percent.
Service-Connected Disability Rating Status (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, the designation associated with individuals who were in the Reserves or National Guard, trained with the Reserves or National Guard, or active duty military that have a disability as a result of disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are defined according to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities in Title 38, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4.
Sex (male or female) (ACS) — The variable for sex is derived from a question that asks individuals to mark either male or female to indicate their biological sex. In cases where this question was invalid, the appropriate entry was determined from other information provided for that individual.
Social Security Administration (SSA) — The Social Security Administration is an independent agency within the United States federal government managing services supporting people eligible for social security programs. This includes employment-, retirement-, survivor- and disability-related benefits. These benefits are earned by paying Social Security taxes on earnings.
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) — A monthly benefit paid to disabled workers and certain family members if the worker meets eligibility criteria including evidence of disability and a sufficient work history.
Social Security Income Supplement — The Social Security Income supplement is managed by individual states to provide extra support for people with disabilities.
Social Security Income Supplementary Payments — Social Security Income Supplementary Payments are extra supplementary payments to people with disabilities on top of the SSI they receive from the federal government. Each state manages the supplementary payments independently.
Successful Employment (VR) — The U.S. Department of Education Rehabilitation Services Administration defines successful employment as employment for at least 90 days in an integrated employment setting.
Successfully Rehabilitated — Successful rehabilitation describes achieved vocational rehabilitation outcomes including occupational/ vocational skills training, employment (re-entering the workforce), technical assistance, and transportation services.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) — The Social Security Administration pays benefits to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources. Social Security Income benefits also are payable to people 65 and older without disabilities who meet the financial limits.
Unemployment Rate (ACS) — The percent of the labor force who do not have a job and are available and looking for work.
United States Census Bureau — An agency within the United States Federal Statistical System tasked with producing data about the American people and economy. Their primary task is to conduct the United States Census every ten years.
United States Department of Health and Human Services — A department in the United States government tasked with protecting and maintaining the health of all Americans.
Validity — The extent to which findings represent the phenomenon or variable they intend to measure.
Veteran(s) — A person who previously served in the armed forces.
Veteran Benefits — Federal assistance provided to Veterans and their dependents. This includes disability compensation, Veteran’s pension programs, medical care, and educational programs.
Vision Disability (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if they were “blind or … have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses.” Please note that this question is asked of individuals of all ages.
Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) — Employment services offered to individuals with mental or physical disabilities. These services are designed to enable participants to attain skills, resources, attitudes, and expectations needed to compete in the interview process, get a job, and keep a job. These services may also help an individual retrain for employment after an injury or mental disorder has disrupted previous employment.
Work Experience (ACS) — In the American Community Survey, work experience is based on the number of hours an individual reported working per week over the previous 12 months. People 16 years old and over who reported that they usually worked 35 or more hours each week, during the weeks they worked, are classified as “Usually worked full time.” People who reported that they usually worked 1 to 34 hours are classified as “Usually worked part time.” Those who did not report working any regular hours in the previous 12 months are classified "did not work".
About the Center
Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC)
Policymakers, program administrators, service providers, researchers, advocates for people with disabilities, and people with disabilities and their families need accessible, valid data/statistics to support their decisions related to policy improvements, program administration, service delivery, protection of civil rights, and major life activities. The StatsRRTC supports decision making through a variety of integrated research and outreach activities by (a) improving knowledge about and access to existing data, (b) generating the knowledge needed to improve future disability data collection, and (c) strengthening connections between the data from and regarding respondents, researchers, and decision makers. In this way, the StatsRRTC supports the improvement of service systems that advance the quality of life for people with disabilities.
Led by the University of New Hampshire, the StatsRRTC is a collaborative effort involving the following partners: American Association of People with Disabilities, Center for Essential Management Services, Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kessler Foundation, Mathematica Policy Research, and Public Health Institute.
The StatsRRTC is funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research under grant number 90RTGE00010100, from 2018–2023.
Contact Information
University of New Hampshire, Institute on Disability
10 West Edge Drive, Suite 101
Durham, NH 03824
Toll-Free Telephone/TTY: 866-538-9521
E-mail: Disability.Statistics@unh.edu
https://researchondisability.org