A Review of Disability Data for the Institutional Population: Research Brief

Disability status for the non-institutional population in the United States has been substantially documented from national surveys such as the American Community Survey (ACS), the Current Population Survey (CPS), the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), and the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP). No comparable surveys have been fielded to collect information for the institutional population as a whole, however, including the large share of the institutional population having disabilities. In general, much less is known about the disability status of the institutional population than about the disability status of the non-institutional population, particularly for those of working age. In light of this gap in knowledge, we compiled and examined existing disability information for the institutional population to evaluate the implications of the exclusion of the institutional population from national surveys for disability statistics and research, with an emphasis on working-age people (She and Stapleton 2006). This research brief summarizes our key findings.Institution_Brief.pdf: 6102 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020.0-Institution_Brief.htm: 72 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020