Opinion: The next Census could undercount the number of disabled Americans by 20 million
About 20 million disabled people may be erased if the U.S. Census Bureau moves forward with changes to disability data collection methods.
About 20 million disabled people will be erased if the U.S. Census Bureau moves forward with changes to disability data collection methods. That is because many disabled people will no longer be counted as disabled by the new questions the Census is proposing to use starting in 2025 with the annual American Community Survey (ACS).
As disabled people, and as scholars who study disability measurement and use disability data for our research, we have grave concerns about this proposed change. If the Census changes its disability questions it will artificially reduce national estimates of disability almost by half, by the bureau’s own estimate. Any effort to undercount disabled people is alarming as the prevalence of disability is rising, not declining, as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic.
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