Why is Data on Disability so Hard to Collect and Understand?

This report explores why data on disability is so hard to collect and understand. There is a reluctance to collect data by the broadening participation in computing (BPC) community even though disability is a recognized demographic in broadening participation. As a result, much less is known about the participation of people with disabilities in computing education and careers than some other groups. The reasons for this reluctance are multi-faceted. Data about disability can vary significantly depending on how you ask the question, making it difficult to understand what the data is actually indicating. Questions about functional limitations may overinflate the numbers of some populations with disabilities while undercounting other groups. This report will help the BPC community move towards collecting and reporting data on disability. Advice is given on how to ask about disability status and resources are provided to find existing data sources about disability.