1. Data
  2. About Data Sources

About Data Sources

Data and Content Available by Data Source
Data Source State IDD Agency Survey Rehabilitation Services Administration Social Security Administration Department of Labor American Community Survey
Years of data available 1988, 1990, 1993, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2004, 2007-2017 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997-2017 1990-2017 1990-2014

2000-2007

2008-2017
Population included in the available data Recipients of IDD agency services Vocational rehabilitation case closures SSI recipients with disabilities, OASDI workers with disabilities Working-age population in United States Working-age population in United States with and without disabilities
Employment Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
Earnings   Yes * Yes *
Program placement setting Yes Yes      
Program funding, costs, and spending Yes Yes * *  
Program outcomes Yes Yes Yes    
Program use/enrollment Yes Yes Yes    
* Not posted on StateData.info, available upon request.

1) State IDD Agency Data

Data Source:  This survey collects summary data on day and employment service distribution and funding at the state level.

Service Definitions

Type of Service/Setting Work Non-Work
Community

Integrated employment:
A job in the community where most people do not have disabilities. Includes competitive employment, individual supported employment, and group supported employment including enclaves and mobile work crews.

Community-based non-work:
A program where individuals engage in recreational, skill-training, or volunteer activities in settings where most people do not have disabilities. Typically includes community integration and community participation services.
Facility

Facility-based work:
Employment in a facility where most people have disabilities, with continuous job-related supports and supervision. Includes sheltered employment.

Facility-based non-work:
A program whose primary focus is skill training, activities of daily living, recreation, and/or professional therapies in a facility where most people have disabilities. Typically includes day activity and day habilitation services.

 

2) Rehabilitation Services Administration

Data Source: Rehabilitation Services Administration 911 database. RSA-911 is a public access database that captures individual characteristics, services provided, and employment outcomes at the point of closure from vocational rehabilitation (VR) services. Records are at the individual level and cover approximately 600,000 case closures per year.

3) Social Security Administration

Data Source: Social Security Administration (SSA). These data are abstracted from SSA reports on the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program and the use of work incentives. SSA reports the number of individuals on SSI who are working.

4) State Demographics

  • State population is taken from the U.S. Census website.
  • Unemployment data is taken from the Bureau of Labor Statistics website.
  • Per capita personal income data is taken from the Bureau of Economic Analysis website.

5) Department of Labor

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) funds a wide variety of employment and training programs. StateData.info examines data for two of the major DOL funding sources: Wagner-Peyser, and WIOA. These are primary sources of funding for the infrastructure of the One-Stop Career Center system in all 50 states.

NOTE: The data from DOL generally relies on self-disclosure of disability. These data may not fully reflect the use of these funding streams by people with disabilities, due to individuals with non-apparent disabilities who have used the services, but have declined to disclose that they have a disability.

6) American Community Survey (ACS)

The American Community Survey (ACS) is a nationwide survey designed by the U.S. Census Bureau to provide communities with a fresh look at how they are changing. It is a critical element in the reengineered 2010 census plan. The ACS collects information from all 50 states and D.C. on topics such as disability, age, race, income, commute time to work, home value, veteran status, and other important data. As with the official decennial census, information about individuals is confidential. (Source: www.census.gov.)

Note on why the ACS for 2008 onward is separated from earlier data: In 2008, the ACS changed the way it asks about disability. Superficially, the differences between the 2007 questions and the 2008 questions may seem unremarkable. However, there are critical distinctions between the conceptual frameworks encompassing the two question sets. Research conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau demonstrates that the 2008 questions should not be used to make comparisons to earlier ACS disability estimates. (Description of disability question changes.)

7) National Core Indicators (NCI)

The NCI program tracks the outcomes of people with intellectual disabilities who received services from participating state intellectual and developmental disabilities agencies. Data are collected from a random sample of individuals who received services from these state agencies. Data are then aggregated and used to support state efforts to strengthen long-term care policy, inform the conduct of quality assurance activities, and compare state performance with national norms. The NCI is coordinated through the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services and the Human Services Research Institute (www.nationalcoreindicators.org).

For NCI data in some states there is a small number of total respondents, therefore comparison of the percentages of people employed, earnings, and work hours across states should be made with caution. Additionally, in circumstances where fewer than 20 people were reported in an employment category the data were not reported.