ACCESS TO DISABILITY SERVICES

People have a right to accessible and equitable disability services. The tools below help identify disability prevalence, service availability, and access gaps to support equity-driven planning and advocacy.

National Data Sources

OASDI BENEFICIARIES (Social Security)

This dataset provides counts and characteristics of Social Security beneficiaries, including retired workers, disabled workers, survivors, spouses, and children. It also reports total monthly benefit amounts and age distributions.

Instructions: Open the OASDI data page → select state or county view → drill down to ZIP-code level → review beneficiary categories and total benefits → download tables as PDF or Excel if needed.

DISABILITYSTATISTICS.ORG – DISABILITY PREVALENCE DATA

Interactive disability prevalence data using ACS 1-year and 5-year estimates, with filters for disability type, race, age, sex, and geography. Includes cognitive disability prevalence. Users can compare rates across states, counties, and metro areas to identify disparities and track trends over time.

Instructions : Open website > under “Build map or chart” select topic (can choose between ACS census 5 year estimates or 1 year estimates and simultaneously hone in on a specific topic. For prevalence data, just select prevalence and chose desired census range  > select map or chart > select geography > select desired year, disability type, race and ethnicity, sex, age under “Modify Filters”

CDC – DISABILITY & HEALTH CARE ACCESS

Health care access disparities among adults with disabilities, based on BRFSS survey data, including the first inclusion of all six functional disability types. Provides insight into insurance coverage, unmet medical needs, and preventive care gaps to better understand barriers to equitable health access.

Instructions: Open the CDC Disability and Health Data page → scroll to the report section on disability and healthcare access → review summary findings and data tables → use embedded charts and links to explore access differences by disability type and age → reference definitions and methodology sections for context when using the data.

ANNUAL REPORT ON PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (2025)

This report presents comprehensive national data on people with disabilities, including prevalence by disability type, employment and labor force participation, income and poverty rates, educational attainment, health outcomes, healthcare access, housing stability, and participation in public benefit programs. It also tracks policy-relevant trends over time, highlighting disparities between people with and without disabilities across key social and economic indicators.

Instructions: Open the report using the provided link → review the executive summary for key findings → use section headings to navigate topic areas such as employment, health, education, and income → reference tables, charts, and figures for national comparisons → consult the methodology and notes sections when citing statistics or trends.

COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT (SparkMap)

Avaliable in this data set:

  • Population with any disability

  • SNAP participation (food assistance enrollment)

  • Work-related injuries and occupational illnesses

  • Preventable hospitalizations

  • Chronic conditions (asthma, diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure)

  • Cancer incidence and mortality

  • Mental health and substance-related mortality

  • HIV and STI prevalence

  • Injury mortality (motor vehicle crashes, homicide, suicide, unintentional injuries)

  • COVID-19 cases and deaths

  • Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) service coverage

SparkMap provides free, interactive community needs assessment reports at the state, city, county, and ZIP-code level. It aggregates health, disability, income, housing, education, and environmental indicators into maps, tables, charts, and written summaries that help identify unmet needs and disparities across communities.

Instructions: Open the SparkMap website → select your state from the list → when prompted, select your city or county → scroll to the bottom right panel → choose Data Indicators → click the white box next to any indicator to view results → select See All Indicators to browse categories → scroll to Reports → click the blue circle with three white lines to open report characteristics → choose the factor you want displayed (map, table, graph, or written summary).

DISABILITY INDEX (2025)

  • Annual benchmarking of disability inclusion practices in businesses across:

  • Culture & leadership

  • Employment practices

  • Accessibility

  • Community engagement

  • Supply chains

Avaliable in this data set:

The Disability Index provides an annual, independent benchmarking of disability inclusion policies and practices across major employers. It evaluates company performance in key areas including culture and leadership commitment, employment practices, workplace accessibility, community engagement, and inclusive supply chains and procurement.

Instructions: Open the Disability Index website → navigate to the most recent annual report → review scoring criteria and category definitions → examine overall scores and category-level performance → use findings to compare employer practices, inform advocacy, or support inclusive workplace policy development.