skip navigation
Research Utilization Support and Help

contact | policies & disclaimers | site map   

Printer-Friendly  undo Printer-Friendly

you are here:

NCDDR Survey 2000

Table of Contents

Introduction

Methods

Results

Summary

INTRODUCTION

METHODS

Procedures

The NCDDR gathered opinions from three major groups. These groups are described in more detail in APPENDIX A:

In order to gather opinions from individual consumers with disabilities, NCDDR staff asked administrators of Independent Living Centers (ILCs) across the United States to participate in the NCDDR Survey 2000. These Centers are community-based and provide services to persons with a range of disabilities. This would provide for a good representation of people from varied racial and ethinic backgrounds, as well as a range of geographical areas. Thus, the responses received would be typical of individuals with disabilities who seek out and participate in the services available through Independent Living Centers.

A pilot test of the survey instrument and procedures was conducted with nine volunteer ILCs from different geographic locations. ILC administrators were asked to review the questionnaire (including three who agreed to review the Spanish version) as well as the survey process and instructions. Responses were received from 28 individual consumers with disabilities and 7 administrators. Revisions were made from the feedback received, and the surveys and accompanying forms were prepared for distribution.

NCDDR staff then attempted to contact administrators of ILCs in every state, by telephone, to invite their participation in the survey. Administrators were asked to give the survey to at least five individual consumers with disabilities, maintaining the anonymity of respondents. In addition, the director was asked to complete a "stakeholder" survey from his or her perspective as administrator of the ILC. All surveys were mailed along with an overview, instructions, and a postage-paid return envelope. Writing tablets were included as a token of appreciation for respondents. A Spanish language and other alternate format versions of the questionnaire were available. Alternate formats were requested in about 50 cases.

Individual questionnaires and postage-paid return envelopes were also sent to representatives of all stakeholder groups described in Appendix A. The questions were similar to those asked of ILC consumers, with an additional question about ways the stakeholder group gets information out to consumers. A group of researchers was sent a different survey form that asked about their dissemination practices and their capability to use different modes and formats for disseminating information.

Participants

Over 250 ILC administrators agreed to administer the survey to five individual consumers. The administrators agreed to complete the stakeholder survey. The survey materials were also sent to 153 ILCs that NCDDR staff members were unable to contact directly.

A total of 2,015 surveys were sent to ILCs to be given to consumers with disabilities. In addition, 2,622 surveys were sent to representatives of stakeholder groups, and 403 were sent to researchers. No follow up activities were carried out to encourage participants to return the survey materials.

The overall response rate was 27 percent. The ILC consumers' response rate was 28 percent. Among the stakeholders, response rates ranged from just over 1 percent to 35 percent. Researchers had the highest response rate, 45 percent (see Table 1).

D

TABLE 1
Survey response rates, by groups
Groups Surveyed Total No. of Surveys Sent Unable to Deliver Adjusted Total Responses Received Response Rate
ILC Consumers (Persons with disabilities and their families) 2,015 15 2000 554 28%
Researchers (NIDRR/OSEP) 403 -- 403 180 45%
S
T
A
K
E
H
O
L
D
E
R
S
Committees on employment 275 21 254 58 23%
Consumer-oriented groups 304 11 293 68 23%
Disability advocacy groups 132 8 124 39 31%
Direct service providers 521 41 480 159 33%
Federal Legislators / aides 539 -- 539 7 1.3%
Healthcare providers 181 5 176 38 22%
ILC Administrators 403 3 400 138 35%
Journalists 124 4 120 31 26%
State Special Education Directors 62 -- 62 21 34%
State Vocational Rehabilitation Directors 81 -- 81 25 31%
Total Stakeholders 2,622 93 2,529 584 23%
TOTALS 5,040 108 4,932 1,318 27%

RESULTS

The responses are reported for each survey question. Tables present the percentage of respondents that selected each item, for stakeholders as a group ("Stakeholders") and ILC consumers as a group ("Consumers"). Following the tables, a brief narrative discusses the responses that were selected most frequently by each group of respondents, along with any notable differences between Stakeholders and Consumers.

In addition, the responses for ILC consumers were examined across several demographic variables:

The categories used for Ethnicity and Race were taken from the United States Census 2000 (Bureau of the Census, 1998, 1999). The responses for the demographic variables that showed the greatest variation from the overall group responses are discussed. A demographic category is not discussed when the responses were very similar to those of the overall consumer group. The results of further examination of the demographic variables are presented in the NCDDR's newsletter, The Research Exchange, Volume 6, Number 1 (NCDDR, 2001). The findings for each question in the survey follow.

Question 1: Please check the disability research areas that are of most interest to you. (check all that apply)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Research on employment of people with disabilities 86 66
Research on independent living and community integration
for people with disabilities		 74 75
Health and function research for people with disabilities 51 60
Research on assistive technology for people with disabilities 66 66
Other 16 13
Not interested in disability research <1 3

The topics listed in this item are the research areas identified by NIDRR in its Long Range Plan (Seelman, 2000). The most frequent response from stakeholders was research on employment with 86 percent of stakeholders indicating this area as the most relevant to them. Research on independent living was identified by 75 percent of consumers. ILC consumers also reported high interest in research on employment and research on assistive technology, 66 percent for each. The least frequent choice for stakeholders and consumers (aside from the Not interested category) was the Other category. Other topics of interest identified by respondents were more specific areas within the general categories provided. The five topics most frequently mentioned included: disability statistics, outcomes or services/treatments, quality of life people with disabilities, education issues, and health/medical issues.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 2: Please check the disability research areas in which you have looked for, and/or found, information in the last 12 months. (check all that apply)

D

Response %
Stakeholders		 % ILC
Consumers
Looked
for info		 Found
info		 Looked
for info		 Found
info
Research on employment of
people with disabilities		 60 67 45 33
Research on independent living and community integration for people with disabilities 47 43 46 42
Health and function research for people with disabilities 34 33 45 32
Research on assistive technology for people
with disabilities		 48 51 42 38
Other 10 7 7 5
Not interested in disability research <1 5

Similar to Question 1, employment was the research area most identified by stakeholders. Sixty percent reported they had looked for information in the past 12 months, and 67 percent reported they had found information about employment during that time period. Consumers were more consistent in their responses, with 42 to 46 percent of consumers reporting they looked for information in all four research areas. Research on independent living was identified by 46 percent of consumers, with 42 percent reporting they found information. Although stakeholders were more successful than consumers in finding information across all areas, data indicated stakeholders were considerably more successful in the areas of research on employment and assistive technology.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 3: Please check the resources you are aware of that support or produce disability research information. (check all that apply)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Disability and Business Technical Assistance Centers (DBTACs) 38 32
National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) 64 34
Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers (RERCs) 18 11
Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers (RRTCs) 47 30
State Technology Assistance Projects 50 33
Other 16 18
Not interested in disability research 0 6

The resource with the most frequent response was NIDRR, identified by nearly two thirds of the stakeholders and over one third of consumers. Nearly half of the stakeholders indicated that Rehabilitation Research and Training Centers and State Technology Assistance Projects were two other resources they are aware of that support or produce disability research information. ILC Consumers indicated that DBTACs and State Technology Assistance Projects were resources for disability research information. The Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centers were identified least often by both the stakeholders (18 percent) and consumers (11 percent). Other was selected by 16 percent of stakeholders and 18 percent of ILC consumers. The primary resources identified under Other included federal agencies such as the Bureaus of the Census, Labor, and the Centers for Disease Control, specific disability organizations (e.g. National Federation of the Blind), universities, state agencies, and Centers for Independent Living.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 4: Which of these sources have you used to obtain disability research information in the past 12 months? (check all that apply)

D

Response Percent
Media Stakeholders ILC Consumers
Television 16 39
Radio 8 17
Magazine 8 17
Newspaper 39 43
Newsletters, brochures, fact sheets 68 62
Computer (Internet, WWW, email, CD-ROM) 85 56
Research journals 45 17
Reports, monographs, books 53 25
     
COMMUNITY RESOURCES Stakeholders ILC Consumers
Public Library 16 25
Centers for Independent Living 37 80
Disability research projects (univ./med./research facility) 42 21
Workshops, meetings, conferences 72 53
Public or private school, school library 10 9
Governmental agencies 66 41
     
PEOPLE Stakeholders ILC Consumers
Family or friends 22 49
Physician/health care provider 21 40
Community service provider/disability advocate 65 64
Disability researcher 26 16
     
OTHER Stakeholders ILC Consumers
Other sources 5 5
Not interested in disability research 0 2

The source most frequently used to obtain disability research information in the past 12 months was the computer, identified by 85 percent of stakeholders. Computer was the second most frequent response for consumers, with 56 percent. The source most frequently identified by 80 percent of ILC consumers was Centers for Independent Living.

Under the general area of MEDIA, about two-thirds of stakeholders and consumers identified Newsletters as an information source. Stakeholders and consumers responded differently about other items. Television was named by 39 percent of consumers, compared to 16 percent of stakeholders. Over half of the stakeholders responded that reports, monographs, books were a source of disability research information, while a quarter of consumers identified these sources. Research journals were selected by nearly half of all stakeholders, and less than one-fifth of consumers.

For the area COMMUNITY RESOURCES, workshops/conferences were named by nearly three-fourths of stakeholders and over half of consumers as a source to obtain disability research information. Two-thirds of the stakeholders reported using governmental agencies as sources to obtain disability research information, compared to 41 percent of consumers. Disability research projects were identified by 42 percent of stakeholders and 21 percent of consumers. The source identified least often by both stakeholders and consumers was school/school library.

In the area PEOPLE, 65 percent of stakeholders and 64 percent of consumers identified community service provider/disability advocate as sources for disability research information. In addition, 49 percent of consumers reported family or friends and 40 percent identified physician/health care provider. Fewer stakeholders identified other people as information sources, with one quarter or fewer identifying disability researchers, family or friends, and physician/health care provider.

Across the demographic variables:

MEDIA

COMMUNITY RESOURCES

PEOPLE

 

Question 5: What ways would you most prefer to get disability research information? (check all that apply)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Printed materials 84 72
Audio tape 13 26
Braille 5 6
Video tape 25 39
Captioned video 10 12
Descriptive video 11 15
Pictures 6 19
Classroom, conference, meeting 32 39
Telephone/toll-free information line 22 33
Computer (Internet, WWW, email, CD-ROM) 82 61
Other 2 5

Both groups identified Printed materials most often as a preferred way to obtain disability research information (84 percent of stakeholders and 72 percent of consumers). The second most frequent response for both groups was Computer (stakeholders 82 percent, consumers 61 percent). Obtaining disability research information through Classroom, conference, meeting was preferred by about a third of both stakeholders and consumers.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 6: In what language(s) do you most prefer to receive information? (please check up to two)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
English 99 98
Spanish 13 8
American Sign Language (ASL) 6 8
Chinese 1 <1
French <1 <1
German <1 <1
Italian 0 0
Japanese <1 <1
Korean 1 0
Russian <1 0
Other 1 1

English was identified by a majority of respondents (99 percent of stakeholders and 98 percent of consumers). Spanish was identified by 13 percent of stakeholders and 8 percent of consumers. ASL was selected by 8 percent of consumers and 6 percent of stakeholders.

Across the demographic variables:

 

Question 7: Is there a laptop or desktop computer in your home?

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Yes 85 59
No 14 39

Eighty-five percent of stakeholders and almost two-thirds (59 percent) of consumers reported they have a computer at home.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 8: Do you have Internet access in your home?

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Yes 82 48
No 16 51

Stakeholders reported 82 percent have Internet access at home, compared to almost half (48 percent) of consumers.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 9: Where do you use the Internet? (please check all that apply)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
At home 78 46
At work 85 35
At a school, university, or other training center 6 12
At a library or other public terminal 7 13
At an Independent Living Center 13 30
Other 2 6
I do not use the Internet 3 23

At work was the most frequent response for 85 percent of stakeholders, followed by 78 percent at home. For consumers, the most frequent response was 46 percent at home and 35 percent at work. Nearly one-third of consumers also identified Independent Living Centers as a place where they use the Internet.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 10: How often do you use the Internet? (check one best response)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Daily 68 35
Very Often 20 18
Often 6 12
Seldom 3 10
Never 2 23

Daily use of the Internet was the largest response reported by both groups (68 percent of stakeholders and 35 percent of consumers). The next most frequent response for consumers was never, 23 percent, compared to 2 percent of stakeholders. Very often was the next most frequent response of stakeholders, with 20 percent. A similar percentage of consumers, 18 percent, reported they use the Internet very often.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 11: How often do you find disability research information through the Internet? (check one best response)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Daily 11 7
Very Often 27 18
Often 40 25
Seldom 17 19
Never 4 28

The highest stakeholder response, 40 percent, was Often. The highest consumer response, 28 percent, was Never, compared to 4 percent of stakeholders. Consumers' second most frequent response was Often, 25 percent. The next most frequent consumer responses were very similar, with 18 percent reporting they use the Internet very often to find disability research information, and 19 percent reporting they Seldom do so.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 12: What do you use the Internet for? (check all that apply)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
I do not use the Internet 3 23
Electronic mail 88 52
Online courses, help with schoolwork 11 10
Searching for information/research 89 58
Job-related tasks 66 31
Shop, pay bills, other commercial activities 29 16
Searching for jobs 22 18
Locating events in the community 26 22
Locating disability organizations 54 38
Communicating with disability organizations 48 28
Checking news-weather-sports-stocks; radio on the Web 30 23
Reading online newspapers and magazines 29 21
Socializing with others 15 22
Communicating with friends/family 49 38
Entertainment 19 31

Searching for information/research was identified by 89 percent of stakeholders and 58 percent of consumers. This was followed by Email for 88 percent of stakeholders 88 percent and 52 percent of consumers. Job-related tasks was next for two-thirds of stakeholders. Locating disability organizations and Communicating with friends/family were each reported by 38 percent of consumers.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 13: What is your sex?

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Female 59 61
Male 37 37

Consumers and stakeholders had similar responses, with more females than males. Stakeholders reported 59 percent females, and consumers reported 61 percent. There were 37 percent males in both groups. Only small variations were observed across demographic variables.


Question 14: Are you Spanish/Hispanic/Latino?

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
No 90 87
Yes 8 8

Eight percent of both stakeholders and consumers indicated they were Spanish/Hispanic/Latino.

Across the demographic variables:


Question 15: Check one or more races to indicate what you consider yourself to be.

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
American Indian or Alaska Native 1 6
Asian < 1 < 1
Black, African American, or Negro 4 12
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander 2 < 1
White 83 78
Some other race 8 6

Stakeholders and consumers reported similar responses with regard to race. White was reported by 83 percent of stakeholders and 78 percent of consumers. For stakeholders, Some other race was the next highest, with 8 percent, followed by Black, African American, or Negro, 4 percent. For consumers, Black, African American, or Negro was the next most frequent response with 12 percent, followed by 6 percent for both American Indian or Alaska Native and Some other race. Less than one percent of consumers identified themselves as Asian or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. Stakeholders had similar reponses, with less than one percent Asian and two percent Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander.

Responses given under Some other race included terms that could be placed in other categories, including references to a specific Hispanic origin, or multiple groups that could have been identified individually in the previous categories. Less than four percent of consumers did not respond, and about six percent selected more than one response for this item.


Question 16: Do you have a disability? (please check all that apply)

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Vision 5 21
Hearing 2 13
Other physical 23 50
Cognitive 2 11
Other disability 10 37
Would rather not say 4 3
No disability 53 4

For stakeholders, 53 percent reported having No disability, compared to 4 percent of consumers. Other physical was the next most frequent response for 23 percent of stakeholders. For 50 percent of consumers, Other physical was the most frequent response. The second most frequent consumer response was Other disability, 37 percent. The specific items identified by respondents under the Other disability category included a variety of specific conditions and multiple disabilities.

Question 17: Which best describes the area where you live?

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Rural 32 34
Urban/suburban 64 60

Consumers and stakeholders had similar responses, with nearly two-thirds urban and one-third rural respondents.

Across the demographic variables:


Getting Information to Consumers

In addition to the questions presented above that were asked of all stakeholders and consumers, stakeholders and researcher groups were asked to identify ways they get information to consumers. The researchers included 127 NIDRR grantees and 52 grantees of the Office of Special Education Projects (OSEP).

D

Response % Stakeholders % ILC Consumers
Personal communication 82 86
Newsletters 64 59
Information mail outs 65 60
Meetings 69 71
Electronic mail 43 70
Computer online (Internet, WWW) 38 82
Telephone/information line 51 59
Fax 42 46
Training sessions/classes/workshops 56 81
Library/information holdings 12 34
Reports 25 62
Other 5 24

Personal communication was the most frequent response for 86 percent of researchers and 82 percent of stakeholders. Next most frequent responses for researchers were 82 percent, Computer online and 81 percent, Training sessions/classes/workshops. For stakeholders, the next most identified responses were 69 percent for Meetings and 65 percent, Information mail outs.

The greatest variation between the two groups was in use of the Computer online, with 38 percent of stakeholders using that medium to get information to consumers, compared to 82 percent of researchers. Reports were used by 62 percent of researchers and 25 percent of stakeholders. Other was identified by 24 percent of researchers, compared to 5 percent for stakeholders. The items identified most by researchers in the Other category included: journal articles, press releases, teleconferences, and networking with other organizations. Stakeholders reported weekly cable tv, magazines and newspaper columns, consumer advisory boards, and networking with other groups.

SUMMARY

These results show a change since the previous consumer and stakeholder surveys were conducted. The most notable change is the increased availability and use of computers and the Internet, especially by consumers. In the first survey (NCDDR, 1997), 25 percent of consumers identified the computer as a preferred format for receiving information, compared to 61 percent in the current survey. Stakeholders reported an increase in computer use from 53 percent reported previously (NCDDR, 1998) to 82 percent in the present study.

Regarding use of the Internet, 54 percent of consumers previously reported Never getting information from the Internet (NCDDR, 1997). This figure dropped to 23 percent. Twenty-six percent of consumers in the initial survey reported using the Internet regularly, and this figure increased to 65 percent in the current survey.

This marked the first time demographic data were gathered. No data are presented regarding the categories Asian and Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, due to the small number of responses for these groups.

Some differences were found in computer and Internet use among different consumer groups. In general, White and non-Hispanic consumers reported more computers at home and more access to and use of the Internet than other races or than Hispanic consumers.

Stakeholders' use of the computer to get information out to consumers increased by almost half, from 26 percent in the previous survey (NCDDR, 1998) to 38 percent. Researchers reported extensive use of the computer (82 percent) to get information to consumers. Although the computer continues to grow as a way of sharing and getting information, approximately one quarter of consumers do not use computers, and alternate ways must be utilized to get information to this target group.

Future Directions

This report shares the initial findings from NCDDR Survey 2000. It is important for stakeholders who want to get information to consumers to understand the needs of their target groups, and how the members of various groups prefer to get information they will use. Further analysis in The Research Exchange, Volume 6, Number 1 (NCDDR, 2001) examines more specifically the differences among consumer groups through comparing the demographic variables related to race and ethnicity. Computer and Internet use is also examined more closely. Comparisons with data from other studies regarding access to and use of home computers and the Internet add to understanding how consumers with disabilities use this technology. These data will serve to guide future efforts to learn more from consumers about their need for and use of information from disability research.

References

Anderson, R.H., Bikson, T.K., Law, S.A., & Mitchell, B.M. (1995). Universal access to e-mail: Feasibility and societal implications. Santa Monica, CA: Rand Corporation.

Bureau of the Census (1998). Race, Hispanic origin, and ancestry. Fact Sheet D-3249. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census.
Available online: http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/pdf/d3249c.pdf

Bureau of the Census (1999). Raza, origen Hispano y ascendencia. Fact Sheet D-3249 (S). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Commerce, Economics and Statistics Administration, Bureau of the Census.
Available online: http://www.census.gov/dmd/www/pdf/3249span.pdf

NCDDR. (1997). How do consumers get information they can use? The Research Exchange, 2(4), 1-8.

NCDDR. (1998). How do stakeholders find and disseminate information? The Research Exchange, 3(2), 1-8.

NCDDR. (2001). NCDDR Survey 2000. The Research Exchange, 6(1).

Seelman, K. D. (2000). Long-range plan 1999-2003: National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Washington, DC: USED Publications.
Available online: http://www.ed.gov/rschstat/research/pubs/index.html



Top

NIDRR Project Number: H133A031402
Last Updated: Friday, 11 January 2008 at 10:32 AM.

Contents © 2008 SEDL
4700 Mueller Blvd. - Austin, Texas 78723
SEDL

Voice/Text Telephone: 800-761-RUSH(7874) or 512-476-6861
Fax: 512-476-2286