Framing the Issues
High quality disability statistics play an important role in efforts to address disparities between people with and without disabilities. However, there is a divide between the producers and end users of disability statistics. On one side of this divide, the production of relevant disability statistics is hindered by the challenge of capturing the complexity of disability via data collection instruments and by the exclusion of people with disabilities due to barriers within data collection environments. On the other side of this divide, the use of disability statistics is adversely affected by the fragmented production of disability statistics across several agencies (making statistics difficult to find, interpret, and compare) and by the limited resources/capacity of many end users to compile, analyze, and interpret statistics.
Mission and Intended Impact
The mission of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Statistics and Demographics (StatsRRTC) was to narrow and actively bridge the divide between the producers and end users of disability statistics, thereby supporting better data collection, more accurate information, better decision-making, more effective programs, and better lives for people with disabilities.
Activities and Projects
In pursuit of this mission, the Center conducted 12 research and 15 knowledge translation projects that build upon the work of the current StatsRRTC. Several research projects focused on the collection of disability statistics and narrowed the divide by (a) developing recommendations and measurement tools to improve the identification of the population with disabilities and measure services, and (b) conducting experiments to test alternative survey methods. The other research projects actively bridged the divide by analyzing existing data to (c) assess progress towards national goals and (d) address information needs about critical programs. The Center’s dissemination projects actively bridged the divide by providing access to timely and relevant disability statistics, primarily through (e) national and state-level Annual Reports on Disability that track key indicators, and (f) an Annual Disability Statistics Compendium that allowed end users to access even more statistics. Technical assistance projects will narrow and actively bridge the divide by (g) producing customized statistical analyses and compilations for key stakeholders, (h) allowing users to create customized reports via the State/Local Statistics Generator, (i) providing information and referral services, and (j) providing technical consultation on collection methods and data analysis. The Center’s training projects also narrowed the divide by increasing the capacity of end users to effectively utilize disability statistics, primarily through (k) the Annual Report and Compendium Rollout event, (l) online training courses for VR evaluators, and (m) the Center’s State-of-the-Science conference.
Learn more about the StatsRRTC (2013-2018) projects.
Partners
The Center was staffed by an experienced team of collaborators. This team represented a variety of disciplines (including VR counseling, special education, survey research, epidemiology, and economics) with years of experience in research, service delivery, and policy advocacy. This team, which also worked together for years on prior StatsRRTCs and other NIDRR-funded centers, resided in a variety of organizations, including:
- American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD)
- Center for Essential Management Services (CE MS)
- Council of State Administrators of Vocational Rehabilitation (CSAVR)
- Kessler Foundation
- Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire
- Mathematica Policy Research
- Public Health Institute (PHI)
The StatsRRTC was funded by a $4.375 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Administration For Community Living, NIDILRR - Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers(RRTCs) Program under grant number 90RT5022-02-00, from 2013 - 2018.