National Health Interview Survey on Disability, Complete Phase I, 1994-1995

Investigators: National Center for Health Statistics

Since 1957, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) annually conducts a National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), which consists of a core questionnaire and supplements. The core questionnaire is aimed at a continuous assessment and analysis of health trends in the United States, and its topics--basic health, socioeconomic, and demographic data--do not vary much across years. Each year, one or more supplements are added to this core questionnaire to reflect public health data needs. Recent supplement topics included cancer risk factors, youth risk behaviors, knowledge and attitudes about AIDS, and child health. The 1994-1995 National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D) was one of the supplements to the 1994 and 1995 NHIS core questionnaires. Due to the low prevalence of disabilities among noninstitutionalized civilians, the NHIS-D was collected over two years, from January 1994 to December 1995. The NHIS-D was designed to meet the need for data on the prevalence and nature of disability in the U.S. since the establishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. One of the main objectives of the NHIS-D was to develop a survey instrument that would provide useful disability measures while accommodating social, administrative, and medical considerations, so that the data could be analyzed by a variety of agencies and programs. Also, the NHIS-D was designed to collect data to facilitate public health policy and provide descriptive baseline statistics on the effects of disabilities. The NHIS-D, Phase I questionnaire was administered at the same time as the NHIS core questionnaire and the other supplements. Given the limited amount of time allocated for the disability supplement, the NCHS decided to conduct a two-phase data collection with two separate questionnaires on disability. Eligibility for the NHIS-D, Phase II was based on the responses to the Phase I disability supplement, as well as the core questionnaire topics on activity limitation, and the family resource supplement regarding the receipt of disability benefits. The Phase II survey began in August 1994 with sample numbers of 20,410 in 1994 and 12,378 in 1995, and it was completed in 1997. This follow-up survey data on disability (1994-1995 NHIS-D, Phase II) will be archived in RADIUS during fall of 1998 and will include ID variables for linking Phase I and II datasets. The sample size for Phase I is 202,560 (107,469 in 1994 and 95,091 in 1995). The decrease in sample size for the 1995 survey reflects a change in the sample design as well as the federal government furlough, which reduced the time for data collection.

National Health Interview Survey on Disability, Complete Phase II, 1994-1995

Investigators: National Center for Health Statistics

Since 1957, the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) annually conducts a National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) of the U.S. noninstitutionalized civilian population, which consists of approximately 122,000 individuals in 48,000 households. The NHIS consists of a core questionnaire and supplements. The core questionnaire is aimed at a continuous assessment and analysis of health trends in the United States, and its topics--including basic health, socioeconomic, and demographic data--do not vary much across years. Each year, one or more supplements are added to this core questionnaire to reflect public health data needs. Recent supplement topics included cancer risk factors, youth risk behaviors, knowledge and attitudes about AIDS, and child health. The 1994-1995 National Health Interview Survey on Disability (NHIS-D) was one of the supplements to the 1994 and 1995 NHIS core questionnaires. Due to the low prevalence of disabilities among noninstitutionalized civilians, the NHIS-D was collected over two years, from January 1994 to December 1995. The NHIS-D was designed to meet the need for data on the prevalence and nature of disability in the U.S. since the establishment of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. One of the main objectives of the NHIS-D was to develop a survey instrument that would provide useful disability measures while accommodating social, administrative, and medical considerations, so that the data could be analyzed by a variety of agencies and programs. Also, the NHISD was designed to collect data to facilitate public health policy and provide descriptive baseline statistics on the effects of disabilities. The NHIS-D, Phase I questionnaire was administered at the same time as the NHIS core questionnaire and the other supplements. Given the limited amount of time allocated for the disability supplement, the NCHS decided to conduct a two-phase data collection with two separate questionnaires on disability. Eligibility for the NHIS-D, Phase II was based on the responses to the Phase I disability supplement, as well as the core questionnaire topics on activity limitation, and the family resource supplement regarding the receipt of disability benefits. The complete--merged 1994/95--NHIS-D Phase I data and documentation are available as RADIUS dataset 35-36. The Phase II interviews were conducted six to eight months after the Phase I interviews, beginning in August 1994 and ending in 1997. Interviews using the Adult questionnaire were conducted with the individual identified from the Phase I interview whenever possible. The respondent for the Child component was the parent or the adult in the household who knew the most about the child's health. The NHIS-D, Phase II Child survey includes information on utilization and the need for services, functional assessment, and the impact of the child's disability on the family. The 1994 and 1995 Child surveys were merged and archived by RADIUS staff as Dataset 37-38. Dataset 37-38 contains 1,199 variables and 6,983 cases. The Adult questionnaire obtained extensive information on issues such as employment, transportation needs, personal assistance needs, use of services and benefits, and participation in social activities. The 1994 and 1995 Adult surveys were merged and archived by RADIUS staff as Dataset 39-41. Dataset 39-41 contains 2,534 variables and 25,805 cases. An additional Outcome file, archived as RADIUS Dataset 42, provides information on the response or non-response of Phase I respondents eligible for either the Adult or Child phase II. Dataset 42 contains 4 variables and 202,560 cases. Identification variables are available to link NHIS-D respondents between Phases (I/II) as well as within households (Child/Adult), and to related government-sponsored data collections.

Survey of Income and Program Participation Core and Disability Modules, 1992/1993

Investigators: Bureau of Census, Jack McNeil

The Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) is a large panel study of civilian non-institutionalized U.S. citizens. Conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau, SIPP provides detailed income and other economic resource distribution information for the U.S. population. Using these data, program analysts, policy makers, or other researchers can then predict assistance program eligibility rates. The survey focuses primarily on improving data on people who are economically at risk: poor or near-poor people and middle-income people who, if they lost a spouse, parent or job, would likely experience economic deprivation and might then require federal assistance. Secondary to this core set of information, SIPP adds question modules about a variety of policy related topics. This user's guide pertains to SIPP's overlapping crosssectional core data and modules on disability from the 1992 and 1993 panels.

NOD/Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities, 1998

Investigators: National Organization on Disability

The 1998 NOD/Harris Survey of Americans with Disabilities is a national study of attitudes and experiences of disabled persons--conducted by Louis Harris and Associates, Inc.--as a follow-up to the 1994 National Organization on Disability, (NOD) and 1986 International Center for the Disabled (ICD) surveys of disabled Americans. Both earlier studies are archived in RADIUS as Datsets # 06 and 04, respectively. Together, the three studies address disabled persons' self-perceptions, how their lives have changed in the past decade, what their experiences have been with employment, education, social life, what they thought must be done to increase their participation in the mainstream of American society, impact of their disability on the quality of their lives, their work, social life, daily activities, education, and personal life, as well as changes in social attitudes and experiences, social activities, and employment opportunities, the effects of religion, and the impact of technology and computer aids. Other items address focus on barriers that prevent disabled people from working, having a full social life, getting around, or using services; i.e., barriers that excluded them in some way from the mainstream of American life, or prevented them from achieving their goals. It is hoped that policy makers, leaders of the disability movement, and those who work with people with disabilities will find this study useful both as a benchmark of where people with disabilities stand today, and as a guide in their continuing efforts to improve the quality of life of Americans with disabilities and to enhance their contribution to society. The 1998 NOD study includes 436 variables for 1000 cases.

NOD Survey of Americans with Disabilities, 1994

Investigators: The National Organization on Disability

This national study of attitudes and experiences of disabled persons is a follow-up to the 1986 ICD Survey of Disabled Americans: Bringing Disabled Americans into the Mainstream. As with the 1986 survey, the 1994 follow-up study asked disabled people about their self-perceptions, how their lives have changed in the past decade, what their experiences have been with employment, education, social life, and what they thought must be done to increase their participation in the mainstream of American society. The 1994 NOD Survey of Americans with Disabilities addressed what it means to be disabled in America by asking a wide range of disabled individuals about the impact of their disability on the quality of their lives, their work, social life, daily activities, education, and personal life. The 1994 study assessed changes in social attitudes and experiences, social activities, and employment opportunities, along with the effects of religion, and the impact of technology and computers that aid disabled people. The survey also focused on barriers that prevented disabled people from working, having a full social life, getting around, or using services; i.e., barriers that excluded them in some way from the mainstream of American life, or prevented them from achieving their goals. The study includes 1,021 cases.

NOD Survey of Public Attitudes Toward People with Disabilities, 1991

Investigators: The National Organization on Disability

The National Organization on Disability commissioned this survey in the belief that knowledge about the public attitudes toward disabled persons is vital to the creation and implementation of policies concerning the participating of disabled people in public life. This landmark study documented for the first time what the public at large thinks about disabled people. The study includes 115 variables for 1,257 cases. The 1991 NOD Survey Public Attitudes Toward People with Disabilities assessed what it the American public believed about disabled people and interactions with them. The study aimed to provide policy makers, leaders of the disability movement, media, business people, and government officials with a better understanding of what the public knows about people with disabilities, how it feels about them and the way they are treated, and what should be done to help open up more opportunities for fuller participation in all aspects of life. The main foci of the study included: The public's contact with the disabled: Where does the public meet the disabled? Are relationships with them strained? Has the public seen movies or television programs on disabled people? The public's feelings toward disabled persons: What emotions are felt in dealing with disabled? Does the public feel differently about people with different disabilities? Do individuals ever feel awkward about how to approach a disabled person? Public knowledge of people with disabilities: What do people believe characterizes the lives of disabled people? Are they able to get jobs, have a social life, get by financially? The extent of perceived discrimination against disabled people: In what areas, if any, do disabled people face discrimination? Is affirmative action an appropriate remedy? Increasing the mainstream participation by disabled people: What are the pluses and minuses? What are people's attitudes toward government benefits for disabled people? The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA): Awareness of ADA; Knowledge of ADA; Support for ADA; Cost of ADA. Jim Brady's Calling on America Campaign: What is the degree of support for the campaign? Is there public willingness to participate in this campaign?

Survey of Disabled Americans: Bringing Disabled Americans into the Mainstream, 1986

Investigators: International Center for the Disabled

Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. conducted the 1986 ICD Survey of Disabled Americans: Bringing Disabled Americans into the Mainstream for the International Center for the Disabled (ICD) in cooperation with the National Council on the Handicapped. This survey addressed what it means to be disabled in America. This was accomplished by asking a wide range of disabled individuals about the impact of disability on the quality of their lives, their work, social life, daily activities, education, and personal life. The survey also focused on barriers that prevented disabled people from working, having a full social life, getting around, or using services; i.e., barriers that excluded them in some way from the mainstream of American life, or prevented them from achieving their goals. The study includes 373 variables for 1,000 cases.

ICD Survey: Employing Disabled Americans, 1986

Investigators: International Center for the Disabled

Louis Harris and Associates, Inc. conducted the 1986 ICD Survey: Employing Disabled Americans for the International Center for the Disabled (ICD) in New York, in cooperation with the National Council on the Handicapped in Washington, DC., with major sponsorship from the Presidents Committee on Employment of Individuals with Disabilities. For the study, 921 employers of disabled Americans were interviewed about a variety of work and non-work issues. Four groups of business persons were interviewed: equal employment officers, chief executive officers, department heads/line managers, and top management personnel. Employers were questioned about their attitudes and experiences regarding employment of persons with disabilities, the impact of job discrimination, and differences between disabled and non- disabled employees. The Employers' study focused on several aspects of work and disability including: opinions and barriers to hiring persons with disabilities, workplace policies, comparisons between non- disabled and disabled employees, and suggestions for improving occupational environments, policies, and hiring practices. The study also assessed what employers' believed must be done to enable the disabled to participate fully in the occupational life of the nation. The employers' study includes 158 variables and 921 cases.

National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students, 1987-1991

Investigators: Stanford Research Institute, Mary Wagner, Kathy Valdes, and Associates

In 1983, the U.S. Congress mandated a national study of special education students' experiences with transition out of school and into adult life. The study was conducted to provide practitioners, policy makers, researchers, and other special education affiliates with information that describes the transition that disabled youth make from secondary school to early adulthood. It was further to identify factors that contribute to youths' effective transition from secondary school to employment, further training or education, and independent living. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) of the U.S. Department of Education contracted with SRI International to develop a research design, craft and field test data collection instruments, and select a sample of students for a study that would meet the congressional mandate. In April 1987, under a separate contract, SRI began data collection for The National Longitudinal Transition Study of Special Education Students, 1987-1991 (NLTS). The sample for the NLTS involves more than 8,000 youth aged 13 or older and in grade seven or higher. This sample represents the national population of secondary special education students in the 1985-86 school year. Furthermore, the sample was drawn so that findings generalize to students in secondary special education in 1985-1986, both as a whole and separately for students in each of the 11 federal special education disability categories. Data were first gathered in 1987 (referred to as Wave 1) and again in 1990-91 (referred to as Wave 2). Therefore, youths' patterns of experiences through secondary school and into their early adult years could be charted over time. In 1989, additional data were collected in two "substudies" for particular sets of youth within the primary sample. The "school program" substudy was undertaken to examine in greater detail the experiences of youth during their entire secondary school career. To examine the experiences of youth in their first few years after secondary school, the "exiter" substudy consisted of telephone interviews regarding more than 800 youth. These youth were already out of secondary school at the time of the Wave 1 interview.

National Survey of Sexuality Issues among Women with Physical Disabilities, 1994

Investigators: Margaret A. Nosek

The 1994 National Study on Sexuality Issues Among Women with Physical Disabilities focuses on a broad range of sexuality issues facing women with physical disabilities. The project consisted of two phases, a qualitative interview study of 31 women with physical disabilities and a national survey of 940 women, half with a variety of physical disabilities and half without disabilities. The first phase involved in-depth interviews with 31 women with disabilities; the women were recruited through personal contact and by fliers distributed locally and nationally. The purpose of the qualitative study was to determine the parameters of sexuality as viewed by the population. From this preliminary study, a questionnaire was developed. In Phase II (the survey archived here), this questionnaire was administered to 940 women nationally, evenly split between women with and without physical disabilities. Domains of inquiry reflect the five thematic groups identified in the qualitative study: sense of self, relationships, barriers, information, and health and sexual functioning, as well as sexual functioning, disability status, psychological factors, social factors (social status and social attitudes), and environmental factors. The original study contains approximately 300 variables examining respondents' experiences with abuse, threatening experiences, and parenting. These data were not available to RADIUS for archiving, and interested researchers should contact the original investigator. Overall, this study contributes significantly to the relatively small body of research on the effects of physical disabilities on disabled women's courtship, sexual, and reproductive behavior.