Children and adults with disabilities need to be counted just like everyone else in the 2020 Census. People with disabilities or their families may have questions, so here are some key facts:
- There are no questions about a person’s disability on the census.
- There are guides to help people with disabilities fill out the census. There are large print guides. There are also guides in braille.
- If you have questions, you can call 1-800-923-8282 or go to 2020census.gov. The website is fully accessible.
Guidelines for counting people with disabilities:
If your loved one lives in a group home: Our group home staff will count all residents of group homes in the “group quarters count.” This is a separate process from the regular count of households. Please do NOT include your loved one who lives in a group home as part of your household.
If your loved one lives with you: Please count the family member with a disability as you would any member of your household. Only 1 person in each household fills out the form on behalf of everyone.
If you are a Family Care Home provider: Please count the person with a disability as a member of your household.
How do you fill out the Census?
Every household will receive mail in March asking you to fill out the brief Census questionnaire. The letter will give you instructions for each of these options for filling it out:
1) on the computer or on your smartphone (you will need an internet connection) OR
2) talking to someone over the phone OR
3) filling out and mailing back the paper survey
What’s the timeline for the 2020 Census?
Mid-March: Initial invitations to respond online and by phone will be delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. Areas that are less likely to respond online will receive a paper questionnaire along with the invitation to respond online or over the phone.
Later in March and early April: Reminder letters will be delivered, followed by reminder postcards to households that have not responded.
Throughout April: Two final reminders, along with paper questionnaires, will be delivered to remaining households that have not yet responded.
Mid-May through July: If a household does not respond to any of the invitations, a census taker will follow up in person.
If you do not want a census taker to come to your door, please complete the 2020 Census when you are first invited! It takes 10 minutes to complete.
