Research & Statistics
Links to rules, guidelines, notices, studies, reports and certain accessibility laws.
Check out the Access Board-sponsored research into accessibility relating to architecture and design, communication, and transportation.
AccessSTEM/AccessComputing/DO-IT Longitudinal Transition Study
Tracks the college and career pathways of students with disabilities who have participated in activities sponsored by projects of the DO-IT Center at the University of Washington (UW) in Seattle.
Americans with Disabilities Statistical Brief
U.S. Census Bureau brochure describes the number and types of disabilities and demographic characteristics of this population and devotes a section to children with disabilities. Link opens a PDF document.
Americans with Disabilities: 1994-95
U.S. Census Bureau report with tables and a summary press release available in PDF and text.
Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD)
Center for Community Inclusion & Disability Studies
Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information & Exchange
Facilitates the sharing of information and expertise in rehabilitation research between the United States and other countries and maintains an international rehabilitation research database that enables users to locate research in their field by country.
Center on Postsecondary Education & Disability
Clearinghouse on Disability Information
Commission on Civil Rights Publications
Index of studies and reports published by the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, including a category devoted to disability.
Cornell University Employment & Disability Institute
Conducts research and provides continuing education and technical assistance on many aspects of disability in the workplace.
Cornell University Links to Disability Statistics
Cornucopia of Disability Information (CODI)
Data on Students with Disabilities Educated in General Classrooms
Department of Education Office of Special Education & Rehabilitative Services (OSERS)
Provides a wide array of support to parents and individuals, school districts and states in three main areas: special education, vocational rehabilitation and research in order to improve results and outcomes for people with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities) of all ages.
Developmental Disability Research Centers (DDRCs)
Disabilities Issues Information for Journalists
Disability Rates in the United States
Paper from the U.S. Census Bureau discusses disability rates broken down by demographic data.
Distance Learning: How Accessible are Online Educational Tools?
Information from the American Foundation for the Blind about how online educational tools pose significant barriers to students with vision loss.
Early Childhood Education Statistics
Elementary & Secondary Education Statistics
Elementary & Secondary School Survey (1998, 2000)
These surveys provide information about the enrollment of and educational services to students in public schools in every state by race/ethnicity, sex and disability.
Evidence for Education Modules
Facts for Features: People with Disabilities Data
U.S. Census Bureau 2002 press release highlights key facts about people with disabilities, including economic disparity.
Financial Responsibility for Students with Disabilities: A Special Case
Finding Facts & Figures: Disability Data Resources
Identifying the Services, Costs & Reimbursements for Young Children with Disabilities
Examines what services are provided to young children with disabilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and what factors affect how they are financed.
Improving Educational Outcomes for Students with Disabilities
Improving Secondary Education & Transition Services through Research
Information and resources supporting successful transition for people with disabilities (including physical, intellectual and developmental disabilities).
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Burden of Proof: On Parents or Schools?
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS)
Comprehensive system designed to collect data from all postsecondary institutions and educational organizations. Find colleges and universities and data about these organizations on this site.
Interagency Committee on Disability Research (ICDR)
Information on the ICDR, an initiative developed by the federal government to gather comments and recommendations on research needs for Americans with disabilities.
International Center for Disability Information: Disability Statistics
Keeping Track: National Disability Status & Program Performance Indicators
Law, Health Policy & Disability Center
Meeting the Challenge: Americans with Disabilities
A chapter of the U.S. Census Bureau's "Population Profile of the United States: 2000" that is devoted to the population of people with disabilities, summarized by type, age, economic status and other demographics. Document is in .pdf format.
Modernizing Federal Disability Policy
This GAO report examines federal disability programs, how to strengthen partnerships and coordination for modernizing programs, and ways to modernize measures of program success. The report also reviews next steps for achieving a 21st century disability policy. This link opens a PDF document.
National Center for Education Statistics
National Center for the Dissemination of Disability Research (NCDRR)
National Center on Disability & Journalism - Links
National Center on Education, Disability & Juvenile Justice
A collaborative research, training, technical assistance and dissemination program designed to develop more effective responses to the needs of youth with disabilities in the juvenile justice system or at-risk for involvement with the juvenile justice system.
National Disability Policy: A Progress Report
Report issued on January 15, 2008 by the National Council on Disability (NCD) that examines employment, housing, education, transportation and other federal policies that affect people with disabilities.
National Institute on Disability & Rehabilitation Research
Provides leadership and support for a comprehensive program of research related to the rehabilitation of individuals with disabilities. Read the brochure. Brochure opens in PDF format.
National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) Reports
Reports from the U.S. Department of Education regarding the NLTS, the first effort in this country to document the experiences and outcomes of youth with disabilities. This link opens a PDF document.
National Standards & Quality Indicators: Transition Toolkit for Systems Improvement
National Technical Institute for the Deaf Index
Office of Vocational & Adult Education: Mental Health Disabilities
Research and evaluations, noteworthy practices and links regarding mental illness and intellectual disabilities in adult education.
Postsecondary Education & Employment Outcomes for Youth with Intellectual Disabilities
Information on the employment outcomes of youth with intellectual disabilities who participated in postsecondary education as part of their Individualized Plan for Employment (IPE) compared to youth with who did not participate in postsecondary education. This link opens a PDF document.
Postsecondary Education Statistics
President's Commission on Excellence in Special Education Archived Information
Progress Toward A New Standard on Classroom Acoustics for Children with Disabilities
Summarizes the U.S. Access Board's work on improving acoustics in the designs for school classrooms.
Reading First & Special Education: Examples of State-Level Collaboration
Status & Trends in the Education of Racial & Ethnic Minorities
Report includes data on children ages 3 to 5 and 6 to 21 served under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). View the entire report in PDF format.
Students with Disabilities & Postsecondary Education
Technology Assessment of the U.S. Assistive Technology Industry
A study produced by the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of Industry and Security, Office of Strategic Industries and Economic Security for the U.S. Department of Education's National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) and the Federal Laboratory Consortium for Technology Transfer.
Texas Center for Disability Studies
Tool Kit on Universal Design for Learning (UDL)
United Nations Statistics Division
What Works Transition Research Synthesis Project
Youth with Disabilities in the Foster Care System: Barriers to Success & Proposed Policy
A report issue by the National Council on Disability (NCD) examines the unique challenges older youth with disabilities face as they negotiate the foster care system.
Digest of Education Statistics 2008