In an effort to obtain more nuanced information and to bring US disability data in line with international standards, the Census Bureau is recommending replacing yes/no questions with performance scales, such as:
Does this person have trouble walking?
- No Difficulty
- Some Difficulty
- A Lot of Difficulty
- Cannot Do At All
One federal agency has recommended that only answers C and D would meet the definition of a “disability,” vs. a “condition.”
“Millions of disabled people will no longer count, which is just the latest in the historic struggle to be seen as a significant community that matters,” says author and disability activist Alice Wong, founder of the Disability Visibility Project.
TravelAbility TakeAway: This approach to redefining “disability” could have far-reaching implications for federal funding for accessibillity. We’ll be tracking the progress of the debate leading up to the next period of public comment in the Spring.