IJPDS International Journal of Population Data Science

Disability is difficult to define and measure accurately. When a survey directly asks, "Do you have a disability?" respondents may be unclear about what "disability" means. In places where disability is stigmatised, people may be hesitant to answer or may say "no" even if they have disabilities.

However, gathering reliable data on the human rights situation of persons with disabilities is crucial. This data helps track national and international laws, policies, and commitments, including the United Nations (UN) Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Thanks to the work of researchers, national statistics offices, and especially the United Nations Washington Group (WG) on Disability Statistics, new questionnaires are now available to measure disability across different countries. These questionnaires can reveal both the prevalence of disability and the inequalities that persons with disabilities face. For example, the WG has developed a short set of six questions that ask about difficulties with seeing, hearing, walking or climbing stairs, self-care, concentrating or remembering, and communication.

The Disability Data Initiative (DDI) has prepared a new database, the Disability Statistics - Questionnaire Review Database (DS-QR Database), to track the availability of these questions in population censuses and national surveys worldwide. The DDI is an international and interdisciplinary research programme that provides analyses of disability data to help advance the rights of persons with disabilities and sustainable human development for all.

The DS-QR Database has reviewed 3,027 censuses and surveys from various countries and regions over time, indicating whether they include the WG’s six questions or similar ones. The data shows that the availability of disability-related questions is increasing.

Currently, 101 countries were found to have at least one dataset that includes the WG’s short set of questions. However, there are regional differences. For example, in Sub-Saharan Africa, the availability of questions about functional difficulties has grown significantly, while in Europe and Central Asia, these questions are still rare. In some regions, targeted efforts and regional cooperation may be needed to improve the collection of disability data using internationally comparable questions.

DDI’s principal investigator and senior author, Sophie Mitra, explained “The DS-QR Database can help researchers, policymakers, advocates, and citizens identify which countries and datasets include internationally comparable disability questions. It can also highlight countries where persons with disabilities may not be adequately represented in official statistics. Additionally, the database could serve as a model for reviewing data availability through questionnaire reviews for other population groups, such as those based on migration status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.”

Access to the datasets is possible through this link. The results are available through an interactive platform, can also be downloaded in a table and will be updated from time to time.

 

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DDI researchers

Carpenter, B., Kamalakannan, S., Saikam, P., Alvarez, D. V., Hanass-Hancock, J., Murthy, G., Pinilla-Roncancio, M., Rivas Velarde, M., Teodoro, D. and Mitra, S. (2024) “Data resource profile: the disability statistics questionnaire review database (DS-QR Database): a database of population censuses and household surveys with internationally comparable disability questions”, International Journal of Population Data Science, 8(6). doi: 10.23889/ijpds.v8i6.2477.