Sensory disabilities in Los Angeles County

Background: Sensory disability is defined by the Census as “blindness, deafness, or a severe vision or hearing impairment.” Aging is strongly associated with sensory disability. Older people with sensory disabilities need services such as medical exams, mobility training, and vision and hearing rehabilitation. Research on the geographic location of people with sensory disabilities is limited. Methods: The numbers of adults aged 65 years and older per census tract in Los Angeles County were obtained from the 2000 and 2010 U.S. Census. In addition, the numbers of people aged 65 years and older with sensory disabilities, limited English proficiency, and those living in poverty per Census tract were obtained. To depict geographic differences, Geographic Information Systems (GIS, ArcView) was used to map the data per Census tract. To locate poor areas where people with sensory disabilities reside, data on poverty and sensory disabilities were overlaid. Results: Adults with sensory disabilities are located in various parts of Los Angeles County but are mostly clustered in East Los Angeles, West Hollywood, Burbank, Glendale, Lakewood, Carson, Pico Rivera, and West Covina. East Los Angeles and parts of Glendale, Carson, and Pico Rivera are areas where poverty and sensory disabilities coincide. One limitation of the research is that sensory disabilities are not broken down by type. Conclusions: Sensory disabilities are unevenly distributed in Los Angeles County. The research can be used to recommend locations for poor people with sensory disabilities, such as Mobile Clinics.