Disability Stats Your Way at DisabilityStatistics.org By Bill Erickson April 2025 Page 2 Introduction The newly relaunched DisabilityStatistics.org website aims to advance disability inclusion by providing improved access to important data. People using the site can easily create and save maps, charts, and tables of national, state, and local disability statistics. They can copy from the site to reports, presentations, and other documents that they use in their work. How Are People Using DisabilityStatistics.org? Local and state governments use disability statistics in emergency preparedness plans, so that no one with a disability is left behind in a natural disaster or other emergency. A researcher used the new longitudinal state comparative charts to assess the impact of the Medicaid Buy-In program expansion in two states. A local nonprofit organization gathered information about employment of people with disabilities in its region for use in funding applications. A person found statistics about people with hearing loss to help design and support programs and services for that population. TIP: To view this document online and click the links, go to DisabilityStatistics.org/stats-your-way. https://disabilitystatistics.org/ DisabilityStatistics.org/stats-your-way Page 3 Why Disability Statistics Are Important Easily accessible and usable disability statistics are vital to understanding and improving the situa- tion of people with disabilities. They can be useful to a wide variety of people, including policymakers, people with disabilities, and advocates of people with disabilities. They can also be useful to state Vocational Rehabilitation agency staff, researchers, and employment service providers. Statistics at the national, state, and local levels can be used to inform needs assessments, project service gaps, guide strategic planning, evaluate state policies, identify service and funding needs, develop grant applications, and craft legislation. “To create programs, schools, or any services for this population, we need to know where these individuals are located.” —DisabilityStatistics.org user Page 4 Finding Statistics at DisabilityStatistics.org The DisabilityStatistics.org website has been available for over two decades and has provided disability information to thousands of users. It has recently undergone a significant upgrade and now includes a wide variety of ways to view and access information related to disability, including local- level data, such as by county or congressional district. It provides easy ways to generate charts and maps by disability type, age, race, ethnicity, and gender, as well as fully accessible tables, text descriptions, and definitions. The interface even allows you examine trends over time and to compare up to seven different geographies! The wide variety of customizable maps, charts, and tables available can serve as an invaluable resource, providing easily accessible Quick Facts and visualizations on the population of people with disabilities for use in the classroom, as well as in papers, presentations, research briefs, and news articles, and in materials that support grants and legislation. Users of the site may copy these maps, charts, tables, and Quick Facts directly into their own work. The following pages highlight just a few examples of what you can do at DisabilityStatistics.org. https://disabilitystatistics.org/ https://disabilitystatistics.org/ Page 5 Quick Facts at DisabilityStatistics.org At the DisabilityStatistics.org website, it’s easy to use the filters to view specific information. When you do, a Quick Fact appears at the top of the page, summarizing the information (Figure 1). Like all output from the site, it is simple to copy the content into your work. Figure 1: A Quick Fact like this one appears above any map or chart generated at DisabilityStatistics.org. https://disabilitystatistics.org/ Page 6 Maps at DisabilityStatistics.org Information in map form can, for example, illustrate potential service needs or help with emergency planning and preparation. This map from DisabilityStatistics.org shows differences at the county level in disability prevalence rates across New York state (Figure 2). Figure 2: This screenshot shows county-level data for disability prevalence in Albany County. (If you are reading in PDF format, you can view Figure 2 on DisabilityStatistics.org—zoom in on New York state and then hover over a county.) https://disabilitystatistics.org/ https://disabilitystatistics.org/acs-census?year=2023&age=5&ems=0 Page 7 Charts at DisabilityStatistics.org A wide variety of charts and options allow you to display disability data in useful ways. In this example, a bar chart illustrates the number of working-age people (ages 21–64) with disabilities in New York by disability status and type (Figure 3). Figure 3: In this screenshot, a bar chart shows the prevalence of different disability types in New York. (If you are reading in PDF format, you can view Figure 3 on DisabilityStatistics.org.) https://disabilitystatistics.org/acs-custom?vis=4&cuGeo=2036000&year=2023&age=2&cNum=1 Page 8 Tables at Disability Statistics.org Beneath each map or chart, a table provides the estimates and the related margins of error (MOE). Table 1 is an example. All tables are fully accessible to screen-reading technology. Disability Type Estimate (%) 90% MOE (%) Estimate (#) 90% MOE (#) Base Population Sample Size Any 10.1% ±0.21% 1,128,600 ±3,630 117,179,900 112,269 Visual 2.0% ±0.10% 227,100 ±10,860 11,179,900 112,269 Hearing 1.5% ±0.29% 165,400 ±9,280 11,179,900 112,269 Ambulatory 4.4% ±0.14% 493,900 ±15,900 11,179,900 112,269 Cognitive 4.5% ±0.14% 507,600 ±6,110 11,179,900 112,269 Self-Care 1.7% ±0.29% 191,800 ±9,980 11,179,900 112,269 Independent Living 3.8% ±0.13 423,600 ±14,750 11,179,900 112,269 Table 1: Non-institutionalized people in New York with a specified disability, ages 21–64, in 2023. (If you are reading in PDF format, you can view Table 1 at DisabilityStatistics.org.) https://disabilitystatistics.org/acs-custom?vis=4&cuGeo=2036000&year=2023&age=2&cNum=1#table Page 9 Descriptions at DisabilityStatistics.org Beneath each table is a description of the displayed statistics, including definitions of relevant terms, such as the different disability types, as well as data source information and a suggested citation (Figure 4). SUMMARY Description of Statistics In the year 2023, an estimated 10.1 percent (±0.21 percentage points) of non- institutionalized males or females, ages 21-64, all races, regardless of ethnicity, across all levels of education in New York reported a disability. In other words, 1,128,600 (±23,630) out of 11,179,900 non-institutionalized males or females, ages 21-64, all races, regardless of ethnicity, across all levels of education in New York reported a disability. In New York in 2023, among the six types of disabilities identified in the ACS, the highest prevalence rate was for “Cognitive Disability,” 4.5 percent (±0.14 percentage points). The lowest prevalence rate was for “Hearing Disability,” 1.5 percent (±3.29 percentage points). The estimates above are based on a sample of 112,269 persons who participated in the 2023 American Community Survey (ACS). Figure 4: The description that goes with the chart and table earlier. Page 10 Disability Statistics.org Has More Useful Display Options Trends over time: You can easily view estimates to see changes over time. Figure 5 shows a chart of how the employment situation has changed for people with disabilities in New York. Figure 5: A line graph comparing changes over time. (If you are reading in PDF format, you can view Figure 5 on DisabilityStatistics.org.) https://disabilitystatistics.org/acs-custom?indStat=2&vis=3&cuGeo=2036000&year=2023&age=2&cYMax=1 Page 11 Exploring demographics: You can compare demographic characteristics with disability prevalence or employment. These characteristics include disability type, race, ethnicity, sex, age, or educational at- tainment. For example, you can compare the employment of working-age New Yorkers with disabilities by race (Figure 6). Figure 6: A bar chart comparing disability prevalence by a demographic characteristic. (If you are reading in PDF format, you can view Figure 6 on DisabilityStatistics.org.) https://disabilitystatistics.org/acs-custom?indStat=2&vis=7&cuGeo=2036000&year=2023&age=2&cYMax=1 Page 12 Geographic comparisons: You can add a geographical comparison to some bar charts. For example, the bar chart in Figure 7 compares the median annual household income of New Yorkers with disabilities to the overall US population with disabilities. Figure 7: A bar chart that compares geographies. Notice that United States is selected in the Comparisons control at the bottom of the screenshot. (If you are reading in PDF format, you can view Figure 7 on DisabilityStatistics.org.) https://disabilitystatistics.org/acs-custom?indStat=6&vis=4&cuGeo=2036000&year=2023&age=2&cNum=1&cYMax=1&cmp=z1s00 Page 13 Learn to Use the Site Today! Want to learn how to use this site from a video? Or, want to meet the leaders of the team behind the site? Watch our pre-recorded webinar to enjoy a walk-through of the new site features and understand why they are important (Figure 8). You’ll find out how get disability data in map, chart, table, or text format, and use it directly in your reports and presentations. Figure 8: This screenshot depicts a video that demonstrates how to get and use the disability-related data on DisabilityStatistics.org. (If you are reading in PDF format, you can watch the video on DisabilityStatistics.org.) TIP: To watch the video in Figure 8 online, go to DisabilityStatistics.org/launch-video. https://disabilitystatistics.org/news/106 https://disabilitystatistics.org/news/106 Page 14 About Us DisabilityStatistics.org is part of the Northeast ADA Center, which is run by the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability in Cornell University’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations. The goal of the Northeast ADA Center is to educate and empower all ADA stakeholders throughout New York, New Jersey, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands to increase their knowledge of the ADA and to support them to include people with disabilities in local communities and to implement the ADA in their own lives, workplaces, businesses, and communities. The Northeast ADA Center is a member of the ADA National Network funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant number 90DPAD0003). The Northeast ADA Center provides information, guidance, and training on implementation of all aspects of the ADA, and its staff consists of individuals with and without disabilities who have extensive experience in the disability field. The Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability conducts a combination of research and outreach. The institute’s mission is to advance knowledge, policies, and practices that enhance equal opportunities for all people with disabilities. Its research, training, and technical resources expand knowledge about disability inclusion, leading to positive change. https://northeastada.org/ https://adata.org/ https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/yti https://www.ilr.cornell.edu/yti Page 15 Buffalo 617 Main Street, Suite 300 Buffalo, NY 14203-2719 Ithaca 121 Tower Road Ithaca, NY 14853 New York City 570 Lexington Avenue New York, NY 10022 Disability Statistics project Yang-Tan Institute ILR School, Cornell University 201 Dolgen Hall Ithaca, NY 14853 Established by the New York State Legislature in 1945, the New York State School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University is the world’s leading college of the applied social sciences focusing on work, labor and employment. It is guided by a commitment to social and economic justice and to improving the lives of New York’s working people. With offices in New York City, Buffalo, and Ithaca, Cornell ILR Outreach provides research, reports, education and training for New York’s workers, unions, employers and government. It serves as a valuable resource for New York’s policymakers to advance equitable workplaces and well-informed public policy. Here are some examples of what you can do at DisabilityStatistics.org! Acknowledgment Development of this brief was supported by funding from New York state. Staying in Touch Registered users can submit questions to our resident disability statistics expert. Register today at disabilitystatistics.org/help/account. You can also join our mailing list to learn about new datasets and features, as well as special events. www.DisabilityStatistics.org disabilitystatistics@cornell.edu 607-255-7727 https://disabilitystatistics.org/help/stay-in-touch#asking-for-help https://disabilitystatistics.org/help/account https://disabilitystatistics.org/register