One thing is certain. Disability questions will again be
needed by federal agencies in Census 2010. But the procedure should be easier because more
methodological work on disability will have been done and more attention will have been paid to
this most important topic. First, data from Census 2000 will be available. Secondly, the NSHA
will have been completed and the results will be used to develop summary measures
based on a variety of ways to collect disability information: from self-reports in surveys,
medical examinations, and performance tests. Finally, as seen in the development of Census
2000 questions, it is now almost universally accepted that cognitive questionnaire labs play a central role in disability measurement. In fact, cognitive
questionnaire labs are used in designing the NSHA. Cognitive questionnaire labs insure that not
only disability researchers, but persons with disabilities are included in determining how
disability can be measured. For a topic as complex as disability, that is the only sensible way to
proceed.