Disability Among Ethnic and Racial Minorities in the United States

Abstract

The investigation describes the relationship of disability prevalence, low-income status, and family structure among ethnic and racial minorities in the United States. Analyses were based on the 1992 and 1993 Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) and the 1993 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS). Estimates were congruent with previous reports indicating highest overall rates for disability among Native Americans, lowest for Asians, with white, black, and Hispanic rates in an intermediate range. However, group differences obscured interactions with age, economic status, and family structure. Across all ethnic/racial and age cohorts, rates of disability were higher among low-income households; above the low-income threshold, group differences were greatly attenuated. Black and Hispanic children with a disability lived disproportionately in low-income, single-parent homes. It is argued that the analysis of ethnic/racial differences in disability represent far more than a concern for "minority affairs." Data suggest the importance of risk embedded in the social and economic context of the nation and the need for disability policy to be directly engaged in the broader domestic discussions on poverty, social risk, and income inequality.

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