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The question on Disability was modified on the ACS questionnaire in 2008.
How does the ACS measure disability?
The American Community Survey identifies serious difficulty in four basic areas of functioning: vision, hearing, ambulation, and cognition. The ACS also includes two questions to identify people with difficulties that might impact their ability to live independently.
Hearing Limitation is captured in questions 16a. Vision Limitation is captured in question 16b. Limitation in Cognitive Functioning is captured in question 17a. Ambulatory Limitation is captured in question 17b. Self-care limitations are captured in question 17c. Independent living limitation is captured in question 18.
The development of these questions reflect models of disability from the Institute of Medicine and the International Classification of Functioning, where disability is defined as the restriction in participation that results from a lack of fit between the individual's functional limitations and the characteristics of the physical and social environment.
Limitations of the data:
The 2008 American Community Survey questions on disability represent a conceptual and empirical break from earlier years of the ACS. Hence, the Census Bureau does not recommend any comparisons to disability data from the 2007 ACS and earlier.
Resources Available:
For additional information on the differences between the 2008 ACS disability questions and prior ACS disability questions, see Subject Definitions.
For more on the 2006 ACS Content Test, see Report P.4: Evaluation Report Covering Disability.
For information on disability and on other household surveys, see Housing and Household Economic Statistics disability page.
