The California Disability Survey: Design and Execution of a Computer-Assisted Telephone Study

Abstract

This article discusses the study objectives and survey methods associated with the California Disability Survey (CDS), a large-scale telephone study of the California household population. The CDS project was designed to estimate the prevalence of disability and disabling conditions for the state as a whole and in a variety of smaller administrative areas, and to assess the service needs of the disabled and the degree to which they utilize existing forms of governmental assistance. The CDS project was also the first large-scale academic or governmental study to use the new survey methods associated with computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI). This article reviews the rationale for the general CDS design and its use of computer-assisted methods, and emphasizes those aspects of the CDS experience that may be relevant for other large-scale studies in the area of human services.