Disability Measures
ACS question wording for disability status
The disability table reports the share of adults age 18 and over with at least one disability and with each disability type. People can report more than one disability, so the individual disability categories should not be added together.
ACS Questions
| Domain | ACS question wording | Question universe |
|---|---|---|
| Hearing | “Is this person deaf or does he/she have serious difficulty hearing?” | All ages |
| Vision | “Is this person blind or does he/she have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?” | All ages |
| Cognitive | “Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?” | Age 5+ |
| Ambulatory | “Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?” | Age 5+ |
| Self-care | “Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing?” | Age 5+ |
| Independent living | “Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?” | Age 15+ |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey disability data collection guidance.