1. TITLE: National Organization on Disability/Harris Survey, Assistive Technology, June 10, 2004 http://www.nod.org/pdffiles/harris2004/harris2004_data.pdf
2. Project Manager: Kristina Hanson (Katherine Cargill-Willis 9/8/04)
3. Introduction and Kathy’s note: “Progress is too slow, and the gaps are still too large,” said National Organization on Disability President Alan A. Reich. “Looking back four years, or ten years, to our earlier N.O.D./Harris surveys, we see Americans with disabilities heading in the right direction. But people with disabilities remain pervasively disadvantaged. Our goal of full participation is a dream deferred.” The new survey, conducted by research group Harris Interactive, tallied responses from more than 2,000 phone and online interviews. Margin of error is 3 percentage points. The survey, administered to both people with disabilities and those without, examines eight aspects of life. I have decided to break down the survey into seven two-page reports.
• Life Satisfaction, Socializing, and Religion
• Employment
• Health Care
• Assistive Technology
• Personal Assistance
• Disability Issues
• Demographics
4. General Use: When focusing on assistive technology, the survey asked about a wide variety of things that people with or without disabilities might use daily. When asked about telephone use, 83% of people with disabilities and 87% of people without disabilities use cordless telephones or speaker phones; 30% of people with disabilities and 21% of people without disabilities use telephones with large keys, enhanced volume, talking caller ID, or speech recognition instead of touchtone for phone menus; and 24% of people with disabilities and 37% of people without disabilities use the vibrate mode for pagers and cell phones. With regards to television watching, 15% of people with disabilities and 13% of people without disabilities use closed-captioning on T.V. and the same number of people with disabilities and those without (4%) use audio description. Finally 17% of people with disabilities use some kind of device to assist with spoken communication, 36% people used hearing aids or other devices designed to assist with limited hearing or deafness; and 13% of people with disabilities use Braille, note takers, screen readers, special computer software, or other devices designed to assist with limited vision or blindness. Sixteen percent of people with disabilities use computer screens with large text, while half as many (8%) people without use large screens. Only 7% of people with disabilities use voice-recognition technology, a special keyboard or mouse.

When it came to physical accessibility, 26% of people with disabilities and 24% of those without use automatic door openers or remote-controlled light switches; 30% of people with disabilities and 43% of those without use keyless car; and 42% of people with disabilities and 20% of those without use ramps or curb cuts. Forty-eight percent of those with disabilities use equipment such as walkers, wheelchairs and scooters to assist with mobility and 25% of people with disabilities used prostheses or orthotics to modify furniture such as beds, desks or toilets. With regard to banking, 62% of people with disabilities and 59% of those without use automatic check deposit; while only 34% of people with disabilities and 37% of those without use online banking.

5. Importance and Dependence: When the respondents who use at least one type of technology, were asked how their daily life would be affected if they were not able to use the special equipment, 35% said that they would not be able to live independently; 26% said that they could not be able to get around outside of their home as easily; 16% said that they would not able to join their family and friends for social gatherings; 16% also said that they would be less involved in hobbies; 7% said that they would lose access to information or educational materials; and 6% said that they would be less productive at work, would not be able to keep their current job or find one that best fits their skills and abilities.
6. People Who Need Assistive Devices But Do Not Have Them: Seventeen percent of people with disabilities and one percent of people without disabilities reported that they do not have an assistive device that they need. From the people who reported that they needed assistive devices, 57% of people with disabilities and 41% of those without disabilities report that they have tried to get or use one. Fifty-four percent of people with disabilities, who have tried to get a device couldn’t afford it, while 12% of people without disabilities fell in the same category.

From the people with disabilities, 11% did not know where to get equipment; 8% said the device was broken or didn’t work; 3% weren’t comfortable using it; and 1% said that their doctor said they didn’t need it. Eight percent of people with disabilities and 34% of people without were turned down or did not qualify for the device, and for 5% of people with disabilities, the insurance declined to pay for the device. Finally, 53% of people without disabilities realized they didn’t really need it

From the people who haven’t tried to get or use devices, 61% of those with disabilities and 84% of those without disabilities reported it would be too expensive; 17% of those with disabilities and 28% of those without haven’t felt they needed it; and 14% of those with disabilities and 16% didn’t know where to get it. Of the people with disabilities and tried to get a device, 5% didn’t like the idea of relying on it; 2% didn’t how to use it; 5% didn’t know what was available that might be useful to them; and 4% thought a device would make things more difficult.

Of the people who currently need an assistive device, 19% needed a motorized wheelchair, cart or scooter; 15% of those with disabilities and 10% of those without said they needed a hearing aid; 8% of those with disabilities and 12% of those without needed a walker or cane; 9% of those with disabilities needed a railing or bar; 5% of those with disabilities and 51% of those without needed computer or software; and 7% of those with disabilities reported a need for a lift, chair or other mechanized assistance and 6% needed a wheelchair.

Four percent of people with disabilities and 24% without needed vision assistance. Five percent of people with disabilities needed oxygen or other devices to assist breathing. Of those with disabilities 4% needed knee or ankle braces; 3% needed exercise equipment; 3% need an adjustable bed; 2% needed hearing assistance and 2% needed a lift or a carrier to handle wheelchairs.

From the people who need assistive devices but do not currently have them, 37% of those with disabilities and 14% of those without disabilities could live more independently; 17% could get more involved in hobbies or things; 25% of people with disabilities and 16% of those without could get around outside; 18% of the people with disabilities could join family and friends for social gatherings more frequently; 8% of people with disabilities and 24% of those without could have access to information or educational materials easily; 4% of people with disabilities said that they could be more productive at work and 7% could get a job that best fits their skills and abilities.

7. Exposure: Forty-nine percent of people who use assistive devices learned about them from their doctor; 22% have heard of them from physical therapists, rehabilitation specialists or a health care professional other than a doctor; 14% heard about devices from family or friends; 13% learned about them from books, magazine articles, or radio or television shows; 5% learned about them from the internet or World Wide Web; 4% heard about them from government offices, public programs, or community centers such as Independent Living Centers; 6% heard about devices from other people with disabilities; 2% learned about them from technology resource centers; 3% learned about devices from schools or organization; 3% thought they were common knowledge; and 1% heard about them from work or their employer.
8. Funding: The majority (58%) of people who used an assistive device received assistance in paying for it, while only 35% paid for their device on their own. From those who received assistance paying for their device, 62% reported that their health insurance paid for it; 19% said a public program should be the funding source; 16% said a family member or friend; health insurance should pay for it; 7% said worker’s compensation; and 9% said their current of former employer paid for their device.

When asked who they thought should be primarily responsible for paying for special equipment and assistive devices, 49% of people with disabilities and 51% of those without said health insurance companies; 28% of people with disabilities and 19% of those without said the government; 10% of people with disabilities and 16% of those without said the people who need them or their families and 2% of all people said employers should pay for the device.

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