The U.S. Census Bureau has opted to maintain its existing method of querying disability status on the American Community Survey (ACS), following widespread apprehension that proposed changes would significantly underestimate the number of disabled individuals in the United States.
Bonnielin Swenor, from Johns Hopkins University's Disability Health Research Center, lauds the bureau's decision as a victory for the disability community. Swenor, alongside other advocates, voiced opposition to the proposed alteration, highlighting its potential to skew official disability prevalence estimates.
The ACS currently employs a set of six yes-or-no questions to ascertain disability status, focusing on difficulties with hearing, vision, and other functions. Conversely, the proposed revision suggested adopting the Washington Group Short Set on Functioning (WG-SS), a set of six questions that gauges the level of difficulty with various functions.
Following extensive feedback, with over 12,000 comments submitted, concerns emerged that the proposed changes could reduce the estimated prevalence of disability in the nation from 14% to as low as 8%. Consequently, the Census Bureau opted to maintain the status quo.
The decision to retain the current questions is applauded by disability activists and researchers like Jaime Seltzer of Stanford University. Seltzer emphasizes the significance of ACS data in informing policy decisions and eligibility for support programs, asserting that preserving the existing questions could have life-saving implications for millions.
Looking ahead, the Census Bureau pledges to engage with stakeholders to explore avenues for improving disability data collection and analysis in future surveys. This commitment is welcomed by advocates, who anticipate more inclusive and consistent collaboration in shaping disability-related research initiatives.
While acknowledging the limitations of both question sets in accurately capturing certain disabilities, stakeholders remain optimistic about ongoing efforts to refine disability data collection methodologies and address the diverse needs of the disability community.
More: https://www.science.org/content/article/census-bureau-scraps-proposed-changes-disability-questions
