Measuring disability in education surveys

The Department of Education through the Institute for Education Sciences' National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) collects disability data from household and institution based studies. This presentation will provide an overview of the NCES programs that collect disability data including the National Household Education Surveys (NHES), Early Childhood Longitudinal Surveys (ECLS), High School Longitudinal Survey (HSLS) and The National Post Secondary Student Aid Survey (NPSAS). NCES data collections capture disability information on infants, toddlers, school age children and adults. For some studies, the types of disabilities collected are legislatively mandated through the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), while for others it is part of a voluntary data collection. The presentation will highlight recent studies that have looked at incorporating functional limitation criteria into the traditional specific diagnoses based items.