Why the Census Matters for People with Disabilities

The Census Bureau has identified people with disabilities as a hard-to-count population, which means they are at a greater risk of being undercounted in the census. The reasons for this include accessibility challenges and wider systemic inequalities. People with disabilities are also overrepresented among other groups that are considered hard-to-count, such as people of color people with low incomes, and people experiencing homelessness. Currently, 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability.

A fair and accurate decennial census is vital for people with disabilities—and, indeed, for every person in the United States. The Census Bureau, its partners, and other stakeholders can and must take steps to help ensure a fair and accurate count of people with disabilities in the 2020 Census.

Accord encourages individuals to help the people in their community with disabilities fill out their 2020 census.

Check out the Census Report for more information about why this census matters for people with disabilities and learn about the ways you can help.