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Who are people with disabilities? What do we know about people
with disabilities? How many individuals with disabilities use assistive
devices? How many people with disabilities are working? What are people with
disabilities' demographics? These are just a few of the questions that are
asked every day as we develop and implement programs and strategies to combat
the high unemployment rate of persons with disabilities. Numerous resources are
available to provide statistical data to answer these questions and provide
information on other disability related topics. Many resources now post their
information on Web sites which makes researching disability data readily
accessible and fast. Outlined below is information on some of the data
resources regarding people with disabilities.
National Center on Health
Statistics (NCHS)
The National Center on Health Statistics in 1998 made available
national information on assistive devices used by people with disabilities from
their National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D), conducted in
1994. This is the first time national data on the use of assistive devices by
people with disabilities has ever been released. The data covers: anatomical
devices (braces, artificial limbs), mobility devices, hearing devices and
vision devices. The complete NHIS-D survey is available in NCHS's Website:
<http://www.cdc.gov/nchswww/default.htm>.
To obtain a print or CD-ROM copy, call (301) 436-7551. A CD-ROM is also
available which offers far more disability data than appears either on their
Web site or is available in print.
National Organization on
Disability (NOD)
The 1998 National Organization on Disability/Harris Poll of
Americans with Disabilities, a nationwide survey of 1,000 Americans with
disabilities aged 16 and older, was conducted in mid-1998. This survey found
that Americans with disabilities continue to lag well behind other Americans in
many of the most basic aspects of life. Large gaps still exist between adults
with disabilities and other adults with regard to employment, education,
income, frequency of socializing and other basic measures of ten major
"indicator" areas of life. Furthermore, most of these gaps show little evidence
of narrowing. In some cases, the gaps have even widened over time.
Employment continues to be the area with the widest gulf between
those who are disabled and those who are not. Forty two percent of those who
are disabled and not working believe that attitudinal barriers keep them from
working (i.e., that employers are unwilling to recognize that they are capable
of taking on a full-time job). A significant majority of people with
disabilities who work (64 percent) and people with disabilities who want to
work (81 percent) have encountered supervisors and co-workers who are afraid
that a person with a disability "cannot do the job."
The study provided some interesting data on the use of technology
by persons with disabilities.
- Only one in four (25 percent) of individuals with disabilities
who work and four out of ten (40 percent) of individuals with disabilities who
want to work say they need special equipment or technology to perform
effectively the kind of job they prefer.
- Half (49 percent) of people with disabilities who work full or
part-time use computers at work. Those who work full-time are much more likely
(60 percent) to use a computer than those who work part-time (35 percent).
- More than a quarter (28 percent) of people with disabilities
own special equipment or technology to assist them because of their disability.
The number has risen significantly since 1994 when it was 22 percent. Those who
describe their disability as very or somewhat severe are more likely (33
percent) to own special equipment than those who characterize their disability
as slight or moderate (19 percent).
- Fifteen percent of people with disabilities who work full or
part-time, or would like to be working, need a personal computer.
For more information on this study visit NOD's Website: <http://www.nod.org>,
or call (202) 283-5960 (V) or (202) 293-5968 (TTY).
The National Institute on
Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR)
The National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
is a federal government agency charged with maintaining disability statistics.
Recently, NIDRR published "Chartbook on Work and Disability in the United
States, 1998," a compendium of key findings from numerous statistical sources.
It can be viewed on the Website, or in print copy.
Website: <http://www.ed.gov/offices/OSERS/NIDRR>
Phone: (202) 205-8134 (V)
Disability Statistics
Center
The Disability Statistics Center is a national center of research
and training. The Center receives its primary funding from NIDRR. The Center
has ongoing research projects on the cost of disability, employment and
earnings, access to health and long-term care services, housing, mortality and
national statistical indicators on the status of people with disabilities in
America.
Website: <http://www.dsc.ucsf.edu/>
Phone: (415)502-5217 (V)
The Census Bureau
The Census Bureau plans to include questions on disability in the
2000 Census. In the meantime, the Census Bureau maintains a disability
statistics web site. The statistics include information on the numbers of
persons with disabilities on a state-by-state and metropolitan area basis.
Website: <http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/disability.html>
Phone: (301) 457-3242 (V) |
