The Census Bureau halts changing how it asks about disabilities following a backlash

The U.S. Census Bureau on Tuesday halted plans to change how it asks people about disabilities after facing a growing backlash. Advocates for disabled people had argued that proposed changes to disability questions on the bureau’s American Community Survey would artificially reduce their numbers by more than 40%, limiting the ability of some to get vital resources for housing, schools or program benefits. “They got the message that we need to engage.” The bureau plans to meet with advocates in the disability community and determine what changes to the questions are needed to better capture the range of disabilities while keeping the current questions about disability on the 2025 American Community Survey, said Census Bureau Director Robert Santos. The proposed changes to the disability questions were among several tweaks to the American Community Survey that the Census Bureau was planning to submit this year for approval to the Office of Management and Budget. “While this is a win for our community, we must stay committed to the long-term goal of developing better disability questions that are more equitable and inclusive of our community,” Bonnielin Swenor, director of the Johns Hopkins Disability Health Research Center, said in an email.