Annual Disability Statistics Compendium: 2009

Glossary

Ambulatory Disability (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, individuals five or more years old who responded “yes” when asked if they had “serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.”

American Community Survey (ACS):

The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multi-year estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses.

Base Population:

The sum of a population or an estimate used as the root for evaluation purposes. Typically, the last Census count or the estimate from a previous date is used.

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS):

The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a state-based system of health surveys that collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health care access primarily related to chronic disease and injury. BRFSS was established in 1984 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); currently data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. More than 350,000 adults are interviewed each year, making the BRFSS the largest telephone health survey in the world. States use BRFSS data to identify emerging health problems, establish and track health objectives, and develop and evaluate public health policies and programs. Many states also use BRFSS data to support health-related legislative efforts.

Civilian:

A person not in active-duty military.

Cognitive Disability (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they had “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.”

Current Population Survey:

The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This survey is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S. population and provides estimates for the nation as a whole and serves as part of model-based estimates for individual states and other geographic areas. The sample is scientifically selected to represent the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Individuals are asked questions about the employment status of each member of the household 15 years of age and older, but published data only focuses on those ages 16 and over.

Estimates obtained from the CPS include employment, unemployment, earnings, hours of work, and other indicators. They are available by a variety of demographic characteristics including age, sex, race, marital status, and educational attainment. They are also available by occupation, industry, and class of worker. Supplemental questions to produce estimates on a variety of topics including school enrollment, income, previous work experience, health, employee benefits, and work schedules are also often added to the regular CPS questionnaire.

CPS data are used by government policymakers and legislators as important indicators of our nations’s economic situation and for planning and evaluating many government programs. They are also used by the press, students, academics, and the general public.

Disability Status (BRFSS):

An individual is classified as having a disability based on answers to the following questions: (1) Are you limited in any way in any activities because of physical, mental, or emotional problems? and (2) Do you now have any health problem that requires you to use special equipment, such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed, or a special telephone? (Include occasional use or use in certain circumstances.).

Disability Status (CPS):

The CPS uses a set of six questions to identify persons with disabilities. A response of “yes” to any one of the questions indicates that the person in question has a disability. The disability questions appear in the CPS in the following format:

This month we want to learn about people who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Please answer for household members who are 16 years old or over.

Is anyone deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty hearing?
Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses?
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?
Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
Does anyone have difficulty dressing or bathing?
Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?

Disability Status (2008 ACS):

The U.S. Census Bureau used the same six questions to identify persons with disabilities. A response of “yes” to any one of the questions indicates that the person in question has a disability. However, the cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living related questions are not used to identify disability in individuals less that 5 years old , and the independent living related question is not used to identify disability in individuals less than 18 years old.

Disability Status (2007 ACS):

The U.S. Census Bureau used six disability questions to determine an individual’s disability status. People aged 5 to 64 are classified as having a disability if they reported at least one of the following conditions: sensory, mental, physical, employment, self-care, or go-outside-home disability. People 65 or more years old are classified as having a disability if they reported any one of the same condition except an employment disability.

Disabled-Worker (SSA):

A worker not yet at full retirement age receiving insurance payments due to a disability.

Earnings (ACS):

Regularly received income from salaries/wages, self employment or both, for people 16 or more years old before deductions for personal income taxes, Social Security, bond purchases, union dues, Medicare deductions, etc.

Educational Attainment (ACS):

All individuals 18 or more years old are classified based on their highest degree or level of education attained. The categories include:

Completed the 12th grade without receiving a high school diploma.
High school graduate meaning received a diploma or General Educational Development (G.E.D.), and did not attend college.
Some college credit, but less than one year.
One or more years of college, but no degree.
Associate’s degree which includes people who generally completed 2 years of college level work in an occupational program that prepared them for a specific occupation, or an academic program primarily in the arts and sciences. The course work may or may not be transferable to a bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor’s degree or more which includes individuals who received a bachelor’s degree and have taken additional courses but not received a Master’s or PhD.
Master’s degrees include the traditional MA and MS degrees and field-specific degrees, such as MSW and MBA.
Professional degrees which includes MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, and JD.
Doctorate degrees which include PhD.

Schooling completed in foreign or ungraded school systems is reported as the equivalent level of schooling in the regular American system. Certificates or diplomas for training in specific trades or from vocational, technical or business schools are not included. Honorary degrees awarded for a respondent’s accomplishments are not included.

Employed Persons (CPS):

Individuals 16 or more years old who are civilians and are not currently institutionalized and, during the reference week, (a) performed at least one hour of work as a paid employee; worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid worker in a business owned by a relative; and (b) all those who had jobs or businesses but are on leave because of vacation, illness, bad weather, childcare problems, maternity or paternity leave, labor-management dispute, job training, or other family or personal reasons, regardless of whether they were compensated for the time off or were seeking other jobs. Each employed person is counted only once, even if he or she holds more than one job. Individuals who work around their own house (painting, repairing, or own home housework) or volunteer for religious, charitable, and other organizations are excluded.

Employment Disability (2007 ACS):

An individual is considered to have this type of disability if they have difficulty working at a job or business because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting at least six months.

Employment Status (ACS):

In the 2007 American Community Survey, individuals were asked a series of questions designed to identify their status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups: (1) people who worked at any time during the reference week; (2) people on temporary layoff who were available for work; (3) people who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) people who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and (5) people not in the labor force. The employment status data shown in American Community Survey tabulations relate to people 16 or more years old.

Employment Gap:

The difference between the total number of individuals employed and the number of individuals employed of a certain population.

Employment-Population Ratio (CPS):

The proportion of the civilian non-institutional population aged 16 or more years that is employed. (Also referred to as the Employment Rate.)

Enrollment Gap:

The difference between the total number of individuals associated with a particular population and the number of individuals from that population group that are employed.

Go-Outside-Home Disability (ACS):

An individual with difficulty going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor’s office because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting at least six months.

Hearing Disability (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if they were “deaf or … [had] serious difficulty hearing.”

Income (ACS):

The sum of all wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, and tips; self-employment income from own nonfarm and farm businesses, including proprietorships and partnerships; interest, dividends, net rental income, royalty income, and income from estates and trusts; Social Security and Railroad Retirement income; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); any public assistance and welfare payments from the state and local welfare office; retirement, survivor, and disability pensions; and any other sources received regularly such as Veterans’ (VA) payments, unemployment compensation, child support, and alimony.

Independent Living Disability (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they had difficulty “doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping.”

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):

A law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B.

Influenza Vaccination (BRFSS):

A flu vaccine injected or administered into the body. Individuals were categorized based on answers to the following questions: (1) A flu shot is an influenza vaccine injected into your arm. During the past 12 months, have you had a flu shot? and (2) During the past 12 months, have you had a flu vaccine that was sprayed in your nose? The flu vaccine sprayed in the nose is also called FluMist™.

Labor Force (CPS):

All persons classified as employed or unemployed.

Labor Force Participation Rate (CPS):

The labor force as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population.

Mental Disability (2007 ACS):

The condition of an individual who has difficulty learning, remembering, or concentrating because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting at least six months.

OASDI benefits:

The Social Security Administration’s Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program provides monthly benefits to qualified retired and disabled workers, their dependents and to survivors of insured workers. Eligibility and benefit amounts are determined by the worker’s contributions to Social Security.

Obese (BRFSS):

The condition where a person has a body mass index greater than 25.00 (Overweight or Obese).

Physical Disability (2007 ACS):

The condition of an individual who is substantially limited in one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying.

Pneumonia Vaccination (BRFSS):

The administration of a vaccine for preventing pneumonia usually received only once or twice in a person’s lifetime. Individuals were classified based on their answer to the following question: A pneumonia shot or pneumococcal vaccine is usually given only once or twice in a person’s lifetime and is different from the flu shot. Have you ever had a pneumonia shot?

Population:

The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups.

Poverty (ACS):

The Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy Directive 14 sets the standards for which poverty is calculated. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it are considered to be in poverty.

Poverty Rate:

Percent of the population who are determined to be in poverty.

Race (ACS/CPS):

Individuals identified themselves as one of six categories in the survey: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Some Other Race.

Rehabilitation Rate:

The number of successful employment outcomes divided by the number of closures after initiating or completing services.

Resident Population:

All residents (both civilian and Armed Forces) living in the United States (all 50 states and the District of Columbia).

Self-Care Disability (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, individuals five or more years old who responded “yes” when asked if they had “serious difficulty dressing or bathing.”

Self-Care Disability (2007 ACS):

The condition of an individual who has difficulty dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting six months or more.

Sensory Disability (2007 ACS):

The condition of an individual who suffers from blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment.

Service-Connected Disability Rating (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, the VA service-connected disability rating for an individual who is a veteran. The rating reflects the degree of the veteran’s disability on a scale from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percent.

Service-Connected Disability Rating Status (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, the designation associated with individuals who were in the Reserves or National Guard, trained with the Reserves or National Guard, or active-duty military that have a disability as a result of disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are defined according to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities in Title 38, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI):

A benefit paid to individuals and certain family members if they worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes.

Special Education:

Specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including (i) instruction at the classroom, home, hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and (ii) physical education.

The term can include each of the following:

Speech-language pathology services, or any other related service, if the service is considered special education rather than a related service under State standards;
Travel training; and
Vocational education.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI):

The Social Security Administration pays benefits to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources. SSI benefits also are payable to people 65 and older without disabilities who meet the financial limits.

Unemployed Persons (CPS):

Individuals who are 16 or more years old and were available to work, who had no employment during the reference week, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the month prior to the reference week.

Vision Disability (2008 ACS):

In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if they were “blind or … [had] serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses.”

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR):

Services offered to individuals with mental or physical disabilities. These services are designed to enable participants to attain skills, resources, attitudes, and expectations needed to compete in the interview process, get a job, and keep a job. These services may also help an individual retrain for employment after an injury or mental disorder has disrupted previous employment.

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		Download a PDF of the 2009 Compendium Table of Contents Section I: Introduction List of Tables Section II: State-Level Population Statistics Employment Poverty Earnings Enrollment in Education Educational Attainment Health Statistics Section III: State-Level Program Statistics Social Security Administration Programs Special Education Programs Vocational Rehabilitation Section IV: Time Trend Population Statistics Monthly Employment Statistics Monthly Social Security Statistics Section V: Recently Released Statistics Prevalence Statistics Employment Statistics Veterans Statistics Glossary		Annual Disability Statistics Compendium: 2009 Glossary Ambulatory Disability (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, individuals five or more years old who responded “yes” when asked if they had “serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs.” American Community Survey (ACS): The American Community Survey is a large, continuous demographic survey conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau that will provide accurate and up-to-date profiles of America’s communities every year. Annual and multi-year estimates of population and housing data are generated for small areas, including tracts and population subgroups. This information is collected by mailing questionnaires to a sample of addresses. Base Population: The sum of a population or an estimate used as the root for evaluation purposes. Typically, the last Census count or the estimate from a previous date is used. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS): The Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) is a state-based system of health surveys that collects information on health risk behaviors, preventive health practices, and health care access primarily related to chronic disease and injury. BRFSS was established in 1984 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); currently data are collected monthly in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Guam. More than 350,000 adults are interviewed each year, making the BRFSS the largest telephone health survey in the world. States use BRFSS data to identify emerging health problems, establish and track health objectives, and develop and evaluate public health policies and programs. Many states also use BRFSS data to support health-related legislative efforts. Civilian: A person not in active-duty military. Cognitive Disability (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they had “serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions.” Current Population Survey: The Current Population Survey (CPS) is a monthly survey of about 50,000 households conducted by the Bureau of the Census for the Bureau of Labor Statistics. This survey is the primary source of information on the labor force characteristics of the U.S. population and provides estimates for the nation as a whole and serves as part of model-based estimates for individual states and other geographic areas. The sample is scientifically selected to represent the civilian noninstitutionalized population. Individuals are asked questions about the employment status of each member of the household 15 years of age and older, but published data only focuses on those ages 16 and over. Estimates obtained from the CPS include employment, unemployment, earnings, hours of work, and other indicators. They are available by a variety of demographic characteristics including age, sex, race, marital status, and educational attainment. They are also available by occupation, industry, and class of worker. Supplemental questions to produce estimates on a variety of topics including school enrollment, income, previous work experience, health, employee benefits, and work schedules are also often added to the regular CPS questionnaire. CPS data are used by government policymakers and legislators as important indicators of our nations’s economic situation and for planning and evaluating many government programs. They are also used by the press, students, academics, and the general public. Disability Status (BRFSS): An individual is classified as having a disability based on answers to the following questions: (1) Are you limited in any way in any activities because of physical, mental, or emotional problems? and (2) Do you now have any health problem that requires you to use special equipment, such as a cane, a wheelchair, a special bed, or a special telephone? (Include occasional use or use in certain circumstances.). Disability Status (CPS): The CPS uses a set of six questions to identify persons with disabilities. A response of “yes” to any one of the questions indicates that the person in question has a disability. The disability questions appear in the CPS in the following format: This month we want to learn about people who have physical, mental, or emotional conditions that cause serious difficulty with their daily activities. Please answer for household members who are 16 years old or over. Is anyone deaf or does anyone have serious difficulty hearing? Is anyone blind or does anyone have serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses? Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions? Does anyone have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs? Does anyone have difficulty dressing or bathing? Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does anyone have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping? Disability Status (2008 ACS): The U.S. Census Bureau used the same six questions to identify persons with disabilities. A response of “yes” to any one of the questions indicates that the person in question has a disability. However, the cognitive, ambulatory, self-care, and independent living related questions are not used to identify disability in individuals less that 5 years old , and the independent living related question is not used to identify disability in individuals less than 18 years old. Disability Status (2007 ACS): The U.S. Census Bureau used six disability questions to determine an individual’s disability status. People aged 5 to 64 are classified as having a disability if they reported at least one of the following conditions: sensory, mental, physical, employment, self-care, or go-outside-home disability. People 65 or more years old are classified as having a disability if they reported any one of the same condition except an employment disability. Disabled-Worker (SSA): A worker not yet at full retirement age receiving insurance payments due to a disability. Earnings (ACS): Regularly received income from salaries/wages, self employment or both, for people 16 or more years old before deductions for personal income taxes, Social Security, bond purchases, union dues, Medicare deductions, etc. Educational Attainment (ACS): All individuals 18 or more years old are classified based on their highest degree or level of education attained. The categories include: Completed the 12th grade without receiving a high school diploma. High school graduate meaning received a diploma or General Educational Development (G.E.D.), and did not attend college. Some college credit, but less than one year. One or more years of college, but no degree. Associate’s degree which includes people who generally completed 2 years of college level work in an occupational program that prepared them for a specific occupation, or an academic program primarily in the arts and sciences. The course work may or may not be transferable to a bachelor’s degree. Bachelor’s degree or more which includes individuals who received a bachelor’s degree and have taken additional courses but not received a Master’s or PhD. Master’s degrees include the traditional MA and MS degrees and field-specific degrees, such as MSW and MBA. Professional degrees which includes MD, DDS, DVM, LLB, and JD. Doctorate degrees which include PhD. Schooling completed in foreign or ungraded school systems is reported as the equivalent level of schooling in the regular American system. Certificates or diplomas for training in specific trades or from vocational, technical or business schools are not included. Honorary degrees awarded for a respondent’s accomplishments are not included. Employed Persons (CPS): Individuals 16 or more years old who are civilians and are not currently institutionalized and, during the reference week, (a) performed at least one hour of work as a paid employee; worked in their own business, profession, or on their own farm, or worked 15 hours or more as unpaid worker in a business owned by a relative; and (b) all those who had jobs or businesses but are on leave because of vacation, illness, bad weather, childcare problems, maternity or paternity leave, labor-management dispute, job training, or other family or personal reasons, regardless of whether they were compensated for the time off or were seeking other jobs. Each employed person is counted only once, even if he or she holds more than one job. Individuals who work around their own house (painting, repairing, or own home housework) or volunteer for religious, charitable, and other organizations are excluded. Employment Disability (2007 ACS): An individual is considered to have this type of disability if they have difficulty working at a job or business because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting at least six months. Employment Status (ACS): In the 2007 American Community Survey, individuals were asked a series of questions designed to identify their status. Based on the answers, individuals were classified into one of five groups: (1) people who worked at any time during the reference week; (2) people on temporary layoff who were available for work; (3) people who did not work during the reference week but who had jobs or businesses from which they were temporarily absent (excluding layoff); (4) people who did not work during the reference week, but who were looking for work during the last four weeks and were available for work during the reference week; and (5) people not in the labor force. The employment status data shown in American Community Survey tabulations relate to people 16 or more years old. Employment Gap: The difference between the total number of individuals employed and the number of individuals employed of a certain population. Employment-Population Ratio (CPS): The proportion of the civilian non-institutional population aged 16 or more years that is employed. (Also referred to as the Employment Rate.) Enrollment Gap: The difference between the total number of individuals associated with a particular population and the number of individuals from that population group that are employed. Go-Outside-Home Disability (ACS): An individual with difficulty going outside the home alone to shop or visit a doctor’s office because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting at least six months. Hearing Disability (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if they were “deaf or … [had] serious difficulty hearing.” Income (ACS): The sum of all wages, salary, commissions, bonuses, and tips; self-employment income from own nonfarm and farm businesses, including proprietorships and partnerships; interest, dividends, net rental income, royalty income, and income from estates and trusts; Social Security and Railroad Retirement income; Supplemental Security Income (SSI); any public assistance and welfare payments from the state and local welfare office; retirement, survivor, and disability pensions; and any other sources received regularly such as Veterans’ (VA) payments, unemployment compensation, child support, and alimony. Independent Living Disability (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if due to a physical, mental, or emotional condition, they had difficulty “doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping.” Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA): A law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education, and related services to more than 6.5 million eligible infants, toddlers, children, and youth with disabilities. Infants and toddlers with disabilities (birth-2) and their families receive early intervention services under IDEA Part C. Children and youth (ages 3-21) receive special education and related services under IDEA Part B. Influenza Vaccination (BRFSS): A flu vaccine injected or administered into the body. Individuals were categorized based on answers to the following questions: (1) A flu shot is an influenza vaccine injected into your arm. During the past 12 months, have you had a flu shot? and (2) During the past 12 months, have you had a flu vaccine that was sprayed in your nose? The flu vaccine sprayed in the nose is also called FluMist™. Labor Force (CPS): All persons classified as employed or unemployed. Labor Force Participation Rate (CPS): The labor force as a percent of the civilian non-institutional population. Mental Disability (2007 ACS): The condition of an individual who has difficulty learning, remembering, or concentrating because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting at least six months. OASDI benefits: The Social Security Administration’s Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program provides monthly benefits to qualified retired and disabled workers, their dependents and to survivors of insured workers. Eligibility and benefit amounts are determined by the worker’s contributions to Social Security. Obese (BRFSS): The condition where a person has a body mass index greater than 25.00 (Overweight or Obese). Physical Disability (2007 ACS): The condition of an individual who is substantially limited in one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying. Pneumonia Vaccination (BRFSS): The administration of a vaccine for preventing pneumonia usually received only once or twice in a person’s lifetime. Individuals were classified based on their answer to the following question: A pneumonia shot or pneumococcal vaccine is usually given only once or twice in a person’s lifetime and is different from the flu shot. Have you ever had a pneumonia shot? Population: The total number of inhabitants in a defined geographic area including all races, classes, and groups. Poverty (ACS): The Office of Management and Budget in Statistical Policy Directive 14 sets the standards for which poverty is calculated. The U.S. Census Bureau uses a set of dollar value thresholds that vary by family size and composition to determine who is in poverty. If a family’s total income is less than the dollar value of the appropriate threshold, then that family and every individual in it are considered to be in poverty. Poverty Rate: Percent of the population who are determined to be in poverty. Race (ACS/CPS): Individuals identified themselves as one of six categories in the survey: White, Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, and Some Other Race. Rehabilitation Rate: The number of successful employment outcomes divided by the number of closures after initiating or completing services. Resident Population: All residents (both civilian and Armed Forces) living in the United States (all 50 states and the District of Columbia). Self-Care Disability (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, individuals five or more years old who responded “yes” when asked if they had “serious difficulty dressing or bathing.” Self-Care Disability (2007 ACS): The condition of an individual who has difficulty dressing, bathing, or getting around inside the home because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition lasting six months or more. Sensory Disability (2007 ACS): The condition of an individual who suffers from blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment. Service-Connected Disability Rating (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, the VA service-connected disability rating for an individual who is a veteran. The rating reflects the degree of the veteran’s disability on a scale from 0 to 100 percent, in increments of 10 percent. Service-Connected Disability Rating Status (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, the designation associated with individuals who were in the Reserves or National Guard, trained with the Reserves or National Guard, or active-duty military that have a disability as a result of disease or injury incurred or aggravated during active military service. These disabilities are defined according to the VA Schedule for Rating Disabilities in Title 38, U.S. Code of Federal Regulations, Part 4. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): A benefit paid to individuals and certain family members if they worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. Special Education: Specially designed instruction, at no cost to the parents, to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability, including (i) instruction at the classroom, home, hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and (ii) physical education. The term can include each of the following: Speech-language pathology services, or any other related service, if the service is considered special education rather than a related service under State standards; Travel training; and Vocational education. Supplemental Security Income (SSI): The Social Security Administration pays benefits to disabled adults and children who have limited income and resources. SSI benefits also are payable to people 65 and older without disabilities who meet the financial limits. Unemployed Persons (CPS): Individuals who are 16 or more years old and were available to work, who had no employment during the reference week, and had made specific efforts to find employment sometime during the month prior to the reference week. Vision Disability (2008 ACS): In the 2008 ACS, individuals who indicated “yes” when asked if they were “blind or … [had] serious difficulty seeing even when wearing glasses.” Vocational Rehabilitation (VR): Services offered to individuals with mental or physical disabilities. These services are designed to enable participants to attain skills, resources, attitudes, and expectations needed to compete in the interview process, get a job, and keep a job. These services may also help an individual retrain for employment after an injury or mental disorder has disrupted previous employment.

Table of Contents

Annual Disability Statistics Compendium: 2009

Glossary