Disability
Disability Main Overview Publications Related Sites Microdata Access

How Disability Data is Collected

The definition of a disability varies and therefore the collection of disability statistics depends on the purpose for which it is being used and the survey collecting the information. The Census Bureau collects disability data from four surveys, however, other agencies also collect disability data. Depending on your needs, one survey may be more suitable than another. The following is a list of surveys from the Census Bureau and other agencies and organizations that currently collect or have collected disability data. Please note, the list of external surveys is not exhaustive. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Research Agenda on Disability Data contains more detailed information on the surveys which are not collected by the Census Bureau. It was last revised in August 1995.

US CENSUS BUREAU — HOUSEHOLD SURVEYS

• The American Community Survey (ACS)
• The Decennial Census of Population and Housing
• The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP)
• The Current Population Survey (CPS)

HEALTH AND DISABILITY SURVEYS

• Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS)
• The Epidemiological Catchment Area (ECA) Survey (1980-1985)
• The Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities/National Organization on Disability
• The Health and Retirement Survey (HRS)
• Longitudinal Studies of Aging

• The 1984 Supplement on Aging (SOA)
• The 1984-1990 Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA)
• The 1994 Second Supplement on Aging (SOA II)
• The 1994-2000 Second Longitudinal Study of Aging (LSOA II)

• Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS)
• The Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS)
• The National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) (1990-1992)
• The National Survey on Drug Use and Health
• The National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)
• The National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D) (1994-95)
• The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES)
• The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES I) Epidemiological Followup Study (NHEFS)
• The National Home and Hospice Care Survey (NHHCS)
• The National Long-Term Care Survey (NLTCS)
• The National Medical Care Utilization and Expenditures Survey (NMES)
• The National Nursing Home Survey
• The National Mortality Followback Survey (NMFS)
• The National Study of Women with Physical Disabilties
• World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS)

OTHER SURVEYS

• The American Housing Survey
• The National Alliance for Caregiving Survey
• The National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (NAMCS)
• The National Employer Health Insurance Survey (NEHIS)
• The National Longitudianl Survey of Youth (NLSY)
• The National Survey of Veterans (NSV) (2001)
• The National Survey of Families and Households (NSFH)
• The Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID)

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Page Last Modified: May 12, 2006