Disability surveillance presented interactively: The Disability and Health Data System

In 1991 the IOM emphasized the need for a disability surveillance system to assist in the understanding and monitoring of the health of people with disabilities. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has developed the Disability and Health Data System (DHDS) to fill this void and provide a disability surveillance tool for state partners, advocates, researchers, and others. DHDS is an interactive, web-based system which presents Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data from 2004-2009. Data for 79 health and demographic indicators stratified by disability status are presented as single survey year, 5 year average, and 5 year average stratified by demographic groups. For the 2007 single survey year, 49 indicators are separately stratified by psychological distress. DHDS also contains data on Disability-Associated Healthcare Expenditures (DAHE). DHDS is a unique online application where users can view dynamic custom reports that display data through four interactive components: map, trend line, bar chart, and data table. This visual representation of complex data provides users the ability to easily identify trends, patterns, and areas where they may be able to focus their efforts to improve the health of people with disabilities. Alternative views of the data are also available as high contrast reports and downloadable tables. This presentation will provide attendees with a tour of DHDS and its components. A thorough demonstration of the DHDS Interactive Maps will show users how to locate and display indicator data for a state or area.