Regional Workshop on Monitoring the Implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework for Action towards an Inclusive, Barrier-free and Rights-based Society for Persons with Disabilities in Asia and the Pacific (BMF)
Bangkok, Thailand, 13-15 October 2004

Statistical Indicators for Monitoring Disability

Presented by Chol-O Han
Statistics Division
UN ESCAP

Slide 1

Statistical Indicators for
Monitoring Disability

Chol-O Han, Statistics Division, UNESCAP

Regional Workshop on Monitoring the Implementation of the Biwako Millennium Framework, 13-15 October 2004

2

Outline of the presentation

• Issues of disability statistics
• Data collections on disability in ESCAP region
• ESCAP project for improved disability measurement
• Development of disability indicators
• Way forward

3

What is a disability indicator ?

An indicator that uses quantitative or qualitative information to give insight into the situation of persons with disabilities, capture the changes and highlight issues for improving their livelihood

In other words, it is a fact-check of where we stand and where we are going in relation to specified goals and targets concerning the people with disabilities

4

What instruments can provide bases for developing disability-related indicators?

• Global level
  • World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons (UNGA, 1982)
    Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (UN, 1993)
  • Draft <International convention on the protection and promotion of the rights and dignity of persons with disabilities>
  • Millennium Declaration and Millennium Development Goals, and other global action programmes
• Regional level
  • Biwako Millennium Framework
• National level
  • National action plans, policies, programmes and strategies

5

UN’s work to develop disability statistics

• UN Guidelines and Principles for the Development of Disability Statistics
• Manual for the Development of Statistical Information for Disability Programmes and Policies
• 2000 World Population and Housing Census Programme, Principles and Recommendations, Rev.1
• UNSD DISTAT
• WHO’s ICF

6

Important variables to use in disability statistics

(UN recommendations for 2000 Census)

“For the purpose of developing statistics on the situation of people with disability the principle topics in census recommendations include, inter alia (a) sex, (b) age, (c) place of residence, (d) type of household, (e) marital status, (f) type of disabilities (including multiple disabilities), (g) cause of disability, (h) educational attainment and attendance, (i) activity status, (j) status of employment, (k) industry and (l) occupation”

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Equalization of Opportunity

Equalization of opportunity is achieved when the ‘disabled’ and non-’disabled’ populations have the same rates of role participation in areas like education and employment.

Chart showing 10% of children with disabilities and 70% of non-disabled children are enrolled in primary schooling. The BMF Target 6 goal in 2015 is 100% of all children enrolled in primary schooling.

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BMF indicators: range of measurement

• To measure policy, institutional and legal environment
• To measure equal access to opportunities by PWDs (decision-making, employment, education, ICT, etc.)
• To measure the rights of women with disabilities

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Disability is not a standard variable used for data collections

The history of data collections on disability is not long

Unlike age and sex, disability is not commonly used in questionnaires except for census, disability module or dedicated disability survey

One of the reasons is that disability is a multi-dimensional concept which cannot be reduced to a single question

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Synopsis of disability statistics in ESCAP region

Comparison of census and survey sources of data on disability

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Prevalence of disabled persons

Percent of population disabled, from as low as .5% to 19.5%

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Disability information from censuses

• A couple of questions in the census
  • identification of the disabled persons, type of disability, cause of disability (sometimes)
• Response rate: Near 100%
• Type of questions asked mostly impairment based:
  1. Does this household have any physical or mental disability?
  2. What type of disability does it have?

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Disability information from surveys

• Most surveys did not focus on disability
• Sample size: - from 250 households in Kyrgyzstan to 369,816 households (1,579,314 persons in China)
• Response rate: Typical 70-100%
• Type of information:
  • disabled persons/households
  • disability type, cause and severity of disability
  • basic demographic information (sometimes)
  • educational level, employment (sometimes)
  • income and disability pensions (sometimes)
  • use of support services, special equipments
  • unmet needs and care-takers (rarely)

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Diagnosis of the region’s disability statistics

• Most use measurement instruments that only covers the most severely disabled, i.e censuses
• Most use an impairment-based approach
• Most use a generic question to identify PWD
• Lack of a common conceptual framework means that data are not comparable across or between different sources within countries

15

ESCAP response to improve disability measurement

Purposes:

• to know how many disabled people there are in the region
• because available data are not adequate for policy formulation
• to promote common standards so data can be compared
• BMF recommends the improvement of national disability information systems

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ESCAP Disability Project (2004-2005)

• Training in the use of ICF for disability collection
• Capacity building in data collection methodologies
• National action plans for improving disability information systems
• Prepare a disability manual and training materials
• Establish a disability forum and network to share experiences in developing disability statistics
  Website: http://www.unescap.org/stat/

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ESCAP Disability Project (2)

After two workshops, the accomplishments were as follows:

• Training in ICF
• Preparation of national action plans
• Manual on disability statistics
• Working for a set of protocols on testing census or sample-based questions

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Example of a set of disability indicators

1. Frequency and distribution of disabilities
2. Type of disability
3. Causes of disability
4. Severity of disability
5. Duration of disability
6. School attendance of persons with disabilities
7. Educational attainment of persons with disabilities
8. Literacy status of persons with disabilities
9. Labor force participation of persons with disabilities
10. Marital status of persons with disabilities
11. Family characteristics of persons with disabilities
12. Housing characteristics of persons with disabilities
13. Help with everyday activities
14. Special aids used for reducing disabilities
15. Unmet need for special aids
16. Type of health service used
17. Unmet need for health service
18. Total household income by disability status
19. Persons with disabilities living under the poverty line

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Suggested general rules for the development of disability information systems in support of BMF

1. Build from existing datasets and collection instruments
2. Include a couple of disability questions in population census
   • Census is the only way to get small area data
   • Use internationally recommended sets of questions
3. Collect in-depth data via a disability module integrated in other formats of data collection or a dedicated disability survey
4. Collect at regular intervals to monitor changes and identify new needs

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Suggested general rules for the development of disability information systems in support of BMF (2)

5. What data to collect to be defined by countries according to:
   • purposes of data collections (to be worked out through national consultation network)
   • available resources
   • the type of vehicle for data collection (to be determined based on the above)
6. Abide by international standard definitions and classifications, e.g. ICF

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Next steps for ESCAP in disability statistics

ESCAP will:

• Carry out the on-going two-year project to improve statistical capacities in selected countries
• Organize an Expert Group Meeting on Disability Indicators in support of BMF by 2006
• Contribute with a regional input to the UN’s global initiative to revise the Principles and Recommendations on the Population and Housing Census for the 2010 Population Census Round
• Contribute to the work of the Washington Group

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Proposed terms of reference of the expert group

The objective of the EG will be to develop a common set of core indicators on disability applicable in all disability information systems in the region in support of BMF and other global initiatives

Composition of the EG will be constituted by a number of policy makers, disability associations (governmental and non-governmental), service providers and statisticians

Work period: Organize one or two meetings in 2-3 years

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Issues for discussions

• Feedback on the proposal to form an expert group to discuss a minimum set of indicators
• Feedback on the terms of reference of the expert group

Thank you

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