Don't Undercount Disabled People, Activists Warn Census Bureau

The Census Bureau has proposed a major change to disability questions on its annual American Community Survey that advocates say will reduce the number of people who are counted as disabled by 40%, including millions of women and girls. The change in available data could affect federal funding allocations and the decisions government agencies make about accessible housing, public transit, and civil rights enforcement, they argue.

Catherine Nielsen, executive director of the Nevada Governor’s Council on Developmental Disabilities, said having correct data is vital not only because it helps identify gaps in the system but because it affects federal funding levels.

“Many providers are not reimbursed at 100% for the services they provide,” Nielsen said. “When we take into consideration this cut to the data, we’re essentially saying we have even less people that will qualify for support. If we have less people that qualify, that in turn tells the Feds they have less of a need to support these programs. The snowball effect of such a significant change will be greater than most can even anticipate at this time.”

Although some opponents of the change have said that the ACS disability questions needed revising because the survey currently undercounts the number of disabled people, they say they are worried that the new approach is worse.

read more