Disability
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Definition of Disability Differs by Survey

Current Population Survey Definition of Work Disability
Survey of Income and Program Participation Definition of Disability
1990 Census Definition of Disability
Census 2000 Definition of Disability
American Community Survey Definition of Disability

Current Population Survey

Methodology for Identifying Persons with a Work Disability in the Current Population Survey

A person is considered to have a work disability if one or more of the following conditions are met:

1. Identified by the March supplement question "Does anyone in this household have a health problem or disability which prevents them from working or which limits the kind or amount of work they can do?"

2. Identified by the March supplement question AIs there anyone in this household who ever retired or left a job for health reasons?"

3. Identified by the core questionnaire as currently not in the labor force because of a disability.

4. Identified by the March supplement as a person who did not work at all in the previous year because of illness or disability.

5. Under 65 years old and covered by Medicare in previous year.

6. Under 65 years old and received Supplemental Security Income (SSI) in previous year.

7. Received VA disability income in previous year.



*Note: If one of more of the conditions 3-6 are met, the person is considered to have a severe work disability.

Survey of Income and Program Participation

Definitions of disability status, functional limitations, activities of daily living (ADLs), and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)

Individuals 15 years old and over were identified as having a disability if they met any of the following criteria:



1. Used a wheelchair, a cane, crutches, or a walker;

2. Had difficulty performing one or more functional activities (seeing, hearing, speaking, lifting/carrying, using stairs, walking, or grasping small objects);

3. Had difficulty with one or more activities of daily living (the ADLs included getting around inside the home, getting in or out of bed or a chair, bathing, dressing, eating, and toileting);

4. Had difficulty with one or more instrumental activities of daily living (the IADLs included going outside the home, keeping track of money and bills, preparing meals, doing light housework, taking prescription medicines in the right amount at the right time, and using the telephone);

5. Had one or more specified conditions (a learning disability, mental retardation or another developmental disability, Alzheimer=s disease, or some other type of mental or emotional condition);

6. Had any other mental or emotional condition that seriously interfered with everyday activities (frequently depressed or anxious, trouble getting along with others, trouble concentrating, or trouble coping with day-to-day stress);

7. Had a condition that limited the ability to work around the house;

8. If age 16 to 67, had a condition that made it difficult to work at a job or business; or

9. Received federal benefits based on an inability to work.


Individuals were considered to have a severe disability if they met criteria 1, 6, or 9; or had Alzheimer's disease, or mental retardation or another developmental disability; or were unable to perform or needed help to perform one or more of the activities in criteria 2, 3, 4, 7, or 8.

1990 Census

MOBILITY LIMITATION STATUS
The data on mobility limitation status were derived from answers to questionnaire item 19a, which was asked of a sample of persons 15 years old and over. Persons were identified as having a mobility limitation if they had a health condition that had lasted for 6 or more months and which made it difficult to go outside the home alone. Examples of outside activities on the questionnaire included shopping and visiting the doctor's office.

The term "health condition" referred to both physical and mental conditions. A temporary health problem, such as a broken bone that was expected to heal normally, was not considered a health condition.

Comparability--This was the first time that a question on mobility limitation was included in the census.

SELF-CARE LIMITATION STATUS

The data on self-care limitation status were derived from answers to questionnaire item 19b, which was asked of a sample of persons 15 years old and over. Persons were identified as having a self-care limitation if they had a health condition that had lasted for 6 or more months and which made it difficult to take care of their own personal needs, such as dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home.

The term "health condition" referred to both physical and mental conditions. A temporary health problem, such as a broken bone that was expected to heal normally was not considered a health condition.

Comparability--This was the first time that a question on self-care limitation was included in the census.

WORK DISABILITY STATUS

The data on work disability were derived from answers to questionnaire item 18, which was asked of a sample of persons 15 years old and over. Persons were identified as having a work disability if they had a health condition that had lasted for 6 or more months and which limited the kind or amount of work they could do at a job or business. A person was limited in the kind of work he or she could do if the person had a health condition which restricted his or her choice of jobs. A person was limited in the amount of work if he or she was not able to work full-time. Persons with a work disability were further classified as "Prevented from working" or "Not prevented from working."

The term "health condition" referred to both physical and mental conditions. A temporary health problem, such as a broken bone that was expected to heal normally, was not considered a health condition.

Comparability--The wording of the question on work disability was the same in 1990 as in 1980. Information on work disability was first collected in 1970. In that census, the work disability question did not contain a clause restricting the definition of disability to limitations caused by a health condition that had lasted 6 or more months; however, it did contain a separate question about the duration of the disability.

Census 2000

Extracted from Appendix B of the Summary File 3 Technical Documentation

The data on disability status were derived from answers to long-form questionnaire items 16 and 17.

Item 16 was a two-part question that asked about the existence of the following long-lasting conditions:



• (a) blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment, (sensory disability) and
• (b) a condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying (physical disability).

Item 16 was asked of a sample of the population five years old and over.

Item 17 was a four-part question that asked if the individual had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult to perform certain activities. The four activity categories were:




• (a) learning, remembering, or concentrating (mental disability);
• (b) dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home (self-care disability);
• (c) going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor’s office (going outside the home disability); and
• (d) working at a job or business (employment disability).

Categories 17a and 17b were asked of a sample of the population five years old and over; 17c and 17d were asked of a sample of the population 16 years old and over.


For data products which use the items individually, the following terms are used: sensory disability for 16a, physical disability for 16b, mental disability for 17a, self-care disability for 17b, going outside the home disability for 17c, and employment disability for 17d.

For data products which use a disability status indicator, individuals were classified as having a disability if any of the following three conditions was true:

• (1) they were five years old and over and had a response of "yes" to a sensory, physical, mental or self-care disability;
• (2) they were 16 years old and over and had a response of "yes" to going outside the home disability; or
• (3) they were 16 to 64 years old and had a response of "yes" to employment disability.

Comparability. There was no comparable item on the 1990 census. The 1990 census data products did not include a general disability status indicator. Furthermore, a comparable indicator could not be constructed since the conceptual framework of the 1990 census was more limited. The questionnaire included only three types of disability in questions with four subparts. The questions asked about whether an individual had a condition that had lasted for 6 months or more and which


• (1) limited the kind or amount of work that he or she could do at a job,
• (2) prevented the individual from working at a job,
• (3) made it difficult to go outside the home alone (for example, to shop or visit a doctor’s office), and
• (4) made it difficult to take care of his or her own personal needs such as bathing, dressing, or getting around inside the home.

The 1990 disability questions were asked on the long form questionnaire of the population 15 years old and over.

American Community Survey (ACS)

Extracted from the Definitions section of the ACS page

The Census Bureau defines disability as a long-lasting physical, mental, or emotional condition. This condition can make it difficult for a person to do activities such as walking, climbing stairs, dressing, bathing, learning, or remembering. This condition can also impede a person from being able to go outside the home alone or to work at a job or business.

Functional Limitation

For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the questionnaire item, which was asked of persons 5 years old and over, instructed the respondents to mark each appropriate box if they had difficulty with any of the three specific functions. If the respondents did not have difficulty with any of the three specific functions, the questionnaire item instructed them to mark the box labeled "None of the above." The boxes for the specific functions were labeled "Difficulty seeing (even with glasses)," "Difficulty hearing (even with a hearing aid)," and "Difficulty walking." The respondents could mark as many as three boxes depending on their functional limitation status.

For the 1999-2001 American Community Survey, the data on functional limitations were derived from answers to questionnaire items 15a and 15b, which were asked of people 5 years old and over. Questionnaire items 15a and 15b asked the respondents if they had the following two long-lasting conditions: "blindness, deafness, severe vision, or hearing impairment," or "a condition that substantially limits physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying." The questionnaire items instructed the respondents to indicate whether or not they had each long-lasting condition by marking "yes" or "no" for each of the two specific functions.

Comparability--No comparable data were obtained in the 1990 decennial census. The 1999-2001 American Community Survey items were changed to match the 2000 decennial census items.

Developmental Limitation

For the 1999-2001 American Community Survey, the data on developmental limitations were derived from answers to questionnaire item 16a, which was asked of persons 5 years old and over. The questionnaire item asked the respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult to "learn, remember, or concentrate." The questionnaire item instructed the respondents to indicate whether or not they had this condition by marking "yes" or "no."

Comparability--No comparable data were obtained in the 1990 decennial census or the 1996-1998 American Community Survey. The 1999-2001 American Community Survey items were changed to match the 2000 decennial Census items.

Self-care Limitation

For the 1999-2001 American Community Survey, the data on self-care limitations were derived from answers to questionnaire item 16b, which was asked of persons 5 years and over. The questionnaire item asked respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult to "dress, bathe, or get around in side the home." The questionnaire items instructed the respondents to indicate whether or not they had this condition by marking "yes" or "no."

Comparability--The American Community Survey question is essentially the same as the question in the 1990 and 2000 decennial Censuses. This question was not asked on the 1996-1998 American Community Survey.

Mobility Limitation

For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the data on mobility limitations were derived from answers to questionnaire item 16a, which was asked of persons 15 years old and over. The questionnaire item was slightly different from the 1999-2001 item and asked the respondents if they had a long-lasting physical or mental condition that made it difficult to "go outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor's office." The questionnaire item instructed the respondents to indicate whether or not they had this condition by marking "yes" or "no."

For the 1999-2001 American Community Survey, the data on mobility limitations were derived from answers to questionnaire item 16c, which was asked of persons 16 years and over. The questionnaire item asked respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult to "go outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor's office." The questionnaire item instructed the respondents to indicate whether or not they had this condition by marking "yes" or "no."

Comparability--The American Community Survey question is essentially the same as the question in the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses.

Work Limitation
For the 1996-1998 American Community Survey, the data on work limitations were derived from answers to questionnaire item 16b, which was asked of persons 15 years old and over. The questionnaire item was slightly different from the 1999-2001 item and asked the respondents if they had a long-lasting physical or mental condition that "prevented the person from working at a job or business." The questionnaire item instructed the respondents to indicate whether or not they had this condition by marking "yes" or "no."

For the 1999-2001 American Community Survey, the data on work limitations were derived from answers to questionnaire item 16d, which was asked of persons 16 years and over. The questionnaire item asked the respondents if they had a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting 6 months or more that made it difficult to "work at a job or a business." The questionnaire item instructed the respondents to indicate whether or not they had this condition by marking "yes" or "no."

Comparability--The American Community Survey question is essentially the same as the question in the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division

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Contact the Demographic Call Center Staff at 301-763-2422 or 1-866-758-1060 (toll free) or visit ask.census.gov for further information on Disability Data.

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Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Housing and Household Economic Statistics Division

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