The National Survey on Health and Disability (NSHD)
NSHD Domains (table provided at bottom of this page)
Using the National Survey on Health and Disability to Document Experiences of Americans with Disabilities
The National Survey on Health and Disability is an on-going survey of adults with disabilities that has so far been fielded five times: 2018, 2019/2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023/2024. It is scheduled to be fielded again in spring of 2025.
In 2024, we received new funding from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR project #90IFRE0089) to use the NSHD to assess the experiences of LGBTQ+ people with disabilities. We are also working with Washington State University to use the NSHD to understand the adverse health effects of medical ableism on people with disabilities (NIH project #R01HD116323). Finally, we are working with the Community Living Policy Center at Brandeis University (NIDILRR project # 90RTCP0009) to use the NSHD to better document respondent experiences with using personal assistance services.
DOMAINS of the NSHD
The table below provides brief descriptions of the core domains of the NSHD. Please note that domain content sometimes changes from wave to wave of the survey and some additional domains (not listed below) are included as one-time only modules. If you would like more specific information about questions or items included in the NSHD, please contact Noelle Kurth at pixie@ku.edu
| Domain | Brief description |
| Disability | ACS-6, open-ended disability item; has lasted or will last more than a year; age of onset; respondent self-categorized disability type |
| Health status | Physical, mental and overall health; tobacco use, primary sources of care, frequency of routine medical care |
| Transportation | Access; types used |
| Housing | Type; stability of living situation; accessibility; problems (e.g. lack of heat, water, presence of mold, pests, etc.) |
| Community Participation | Leisure and community activities; social isolation and loneliness |
| Personal Assistance Services (PAS) | Use of paid and unpaid PAS; unmet PAS needs; PAS impact on employment |
| Public benefits | Receipt of SSI, SSDI, SNAP/food stamps, Section 8/HUD housing, child care subsidies, unemployment, LIEAP, TANF |
| Employment | Working for pay or self-employed; hours worked per week; employment longevity; income from employment |
| Current insurance coverage | Type (Employer-sponsored, Medicare, Medicaid, Marketplace, TRICARE); number of months with coverage in past year; use of Indian Health Services; out-of-pocket costs; adequacy of provider network |
| No health insurance coverage | Length of time without insurance; reasons for no insurance; services needed but unable to receive; out-of-pocket costs |
| Unmet health care needs | By type of service (doctors, specialists, prescriptions, dental, mental health, DME, PT, OT, prosthetics); reasons for unmet need by type of service |
| Income | individual income from employment; household size; annual household income (based on % of FPL) |
| Demographics | age; SOGI; race; ethnicity; education level; marital status; parental status; living situation; veteran status; felony |
| Proxy completion | Type of proxy (family member, PAS, service provider, etc.); how proxy assisted respondent |
| COVID-19 | Access, results, date of most recent positive test; multiple infections; severity, long-term effects; availability of PPE; impact of stay-at-home orders and/or social isolation; vaccination status |
| Long COVID | doctor diagnosed v. not doctor diagnosed; impact of Long COVID on usual activities (driving, sleep, mental health, fatigue, mood, caring for others. caring for self, etc.) |
IHDPS staff working on this project:
Jean P Hall, PI--jhall@ku.edu
Noelle K Kurth, Co-PI--pixie@ku.edu
Kelsey Shinnick-Goddard, Project Coordinator--ksg@ku.edu
Funded by the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR, #90IFRE0050 and #90IFRE0089)