International Census/Survey Data and the Short Set of Disability Questions Developed by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics

Abstract

The production of cross-nationally comparable data on disability has been one of the primary goals of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG) since its inception in 2002.

The first task taken on by the WG was the development of a short set of questions on functioning that would be suitable for national censuses. The WG short set of six questions was adopted in 2006, and in the ensuing years the WG has worked to disseminate information on disability data collection and encourage countries to implement the short set on their censuses.

In recent years countries have begun to report back on the 2010 round of censuses (2006–2014) – and this paper examines recent results from our ongoing survey to collect and compare international disability data.

While far from complete in terms of compliance with WG guidelines, we have begun to collect evidence that adopting the WG approach to measuring disability in censuses can produce data that are valid and internationally comparable.

Appendices

Appendices

Appendix 1: Detailed Results from Census and Survey

(Information sorted by source [census followed by survey] and is then presented in chronological order by year of data collection.)

Results from Censuses
	Country	Year	Questions asked	Answer categories – cut-off in bold	Pre-valencea
1	Mauritius	2000	Does the person experience any disability (i.e. any limitation to perform a daily-life activity in a manner considered normal for a person of his/her age), because of a long term physical/mental condition or health problem?	Yes/No	3.5
			If Yes, insert as many disabilities as applicable as follows: speaking and talking; hearing and listening even with hearing aid; seeing disabilities even with glasses; walking, running and other ambulation disabilities; manual activity disabilities such as fingering, gripping and holding; disturbance of ability to learn and acquire education; disturbances of behavior, including antisocial behavior, maladjustment and liability to self-injury; inability to look after oneself with regard to personal care and hygiene, feeding etc.; other disabilities (specify)
2	Dominican Republic	2002	Blind in one eye	Yes/No	0.4
			Blind in both eyes
			Deaf
			Mute
			Any loss or limitation in the movement of the arm(s)
			Any loss or limitation in the movement of the leg(s)
			Mentally retarded
			Any other limitation(s)
3	Jordan	2004	Does he/she suffer from disability?	Yes/No	1.2
			What kind of disability does (…) have? Deaf/dumb, physical, cerebral palsy, mental, visual, multiple handicaps, other
4	Morocco	2004	For all family members, select the type of disability:	Yes/No	2.3
			Nothing	Mark all that apply
			Mobility
			Sensory
			Mentality
			Chronic disease
5	Egypt	2006	1. Blind	Yes/No	0.6
			2. One-eyed
			3. Deaf
			4. Dumb
			5. Deaf-Dumb
			6. Mentally retarded
			7. One-handed or handless
			8. One-legged or lost both legs
			9. Infantile paralysis
			10. Quadriplegia or paralysis
			11. Other (mention)
6	Palestine	2007	A single question covering five domains of functioning:	No difficulty	2.0
			Does the individual suffer difficulty in: Visual; Hearing; Moving; Comprehension; Communication?	Some difficulty
				Major difficulty
				Completely unable
7	Peru	2007	If a person is disabled, it means that they have a permanent difficulty, physical or mental, that limits one or more of their daily activities; so tell me: Does someone in this home have a difficulty of permanent limitation:	Yes/No	10.9 (households)
			(read each alternative and circle one or more numbers)
			1. To see, even when using glasses?
			2. To hear, even when using hearing aids?
			3. To speak (to intonate/to vocalize)?
			4. To use arms and hands/legs and feet?
			5. Some other difficulty or limitation?
			6. Nobody has a disability
8	Cambodia	2008	Physical/mental disability, if any:	Yes/No	1.4
			If the person is physically/mentally disabled, give the appropriate code number from the list below (Otherwise enter 0):	Mark all that apply
			1. In seeing
			2. In speech
			3. In hearing
			4. In movement
			5. mental
9	Malawi	2008	Does NAME have difficulty or problems in the following?	Yes/No	3.97
			1. None
			2. Seeing
			3. Hearing
			4. Speaking
			5. Walking/climbing
			6. Other
10	Israel	2008	1. Do you have difficulty hearing, even if using a hearing aid? (All ages)	No, no difficulty	6.4
			2. Do you have difficulty walking around the house or walking up and down stairs? (Age 5+)	Yes, some difficulty
			3. Do you have difficulty remembering or concentrating? (Age 5+)	Yes, severe difficulty
			4. Do you have difficulty dressing or bathing? (Age 5+)	Yes, can’t do it at all
11	Oman	2010	Is the person suffering from any difficulty/disability in the exercise of everyday life?	Yes/No	3.19
			What is the main type of difficulty/disability the person is suffering from?
			1. Seeing, even if wearing glasses
			2. Hearing, even if wearing earphone
			3. Walking or climbing up steps
			4. Remembering or concentrating
			5. Taking care of him/herself
			6. Communicating in normal language
			7. Movement of the upper part of the body
			What is the level of this difficulty/disability?	Some/enormous/cannot do at all	1.48
12	Aruba	2010	The following questions concern difficulties you may have when doing certain activities – due to a health problem	No, no difficulty	6.85
			1. Do you have difficulty seeing, even if wearing glasses/contact lenses?	Yes, some difficulty
			2. Do you have difficulty hearing, even if using a hearing aid?	Yes, a lot of difficulty
			3. Do you have difficulty walking or climbing steps?	Cannot do it at all
			4. Do you have difficulty remembering or concentrating?
			5. Do you have difficulty (with self-care such as) washing all over or dressing?
			6. Because of a physical, mental of emotional health condition, do you have difficulty communicating? (e.g. understanding others or others understanding you)
13	Mongolia	2010	Do you have any disability?	No	4.08
			If you have any disability please specify the type:	Yes: Congenital
			1. Seeing	Yes: Acquired
			2. Speaking
			3. Hearing
			4. Mobility
			5. Cognitive
			6. Other
14	Mexico	2010	In his/her daily life, (NAME) has any difficulty to perform the next activities:	Yes/No	4.07
			Read all the options and circle affirmative answers
			Walking, moving or climbing steps?
			Seeing, even if wearing glasses?
			Speak, communicate or chat?
			Hearing, even if using a hearing aid?
			Dressing, bathing or eating?
			Paying attention or learning simple things?
			Has any mental limitation?
			So, he/she doesn’t have physical or mental limitations?
15	Panama	2010	Health Limitation	Yes/No	8.4
			a) Even with hearing aids for deafness, do you have trouble hearing?
			b) Even wearing glasses, do you have difficulty seeing?
			c) Do you have any permanent difficulty walking or moving?
			d) Do you have any permanent difficulty using arms and/or hands?
			e) Do you have any permanent difficulty speaking or communicating?
			f) Do you have any permanent difficulty learning?
16	Philippines	2010	Does [name] have any difficulty in:	Yes/No	3.1 (5 years and older)
			Seeing, even when wearing eyeglasses?
			Hearing, even when using a hearing aid?
			Walking or climbing steps?
			Remembering or concentrating?
			Self-care (bathing or dressing)?
			Communicating using his/her usual language?
17	Bermuda	2010	Please look at the card and tell me which of the following health conditions, if any, lasted more than 6 months	Yes/No	4.9
			No conditions present (list of 34 health conditions, plus other, including: learning disabled, learning difficulties, and difficulties hearing, seeing, speaking, gripping/holding, behavioral, moving/mobility, body movement and limited use of arms or legs)	Mark all that apply
18	Republic of Korea	2010	Does this person have mental or physical limitations that have existed for 6 months or have been diagnosed to last longer?	Yes/No	7.6 (5 years and older)
			Visual/hearing/language disabilities	Mark all that apply
			Difficulties in walking, taking stairs
			Mental deficiencies or disorders
			Learning, remembering, concentrating
			Dressing, bathing, eating
			Shopping, going to hospital
			(16 years old or over) Job activities
			None
19	Argentina	2010	Do you have difficulty or permanent limitation …	Yes/No	12.9
			Seeing, even with glasses or glasses on?
			Hearing, even when using hearing aid?
			Walking or climbing stairs?
			Grasping objects and/or containers with open hands?
			Understanding and/or learning?
20	Ghana	2010	Does [NAME] have any serious disability that limits his/her full participation in life activities (such as mobility, work, social life, etc.)?	Yes/No	3.0
			1. Sight
			2. Hearing
			3. Speech
			4. Physical
			5. Intellect
			6. Emotional
			7. Other
21	Macao (China)	2011	1. Do you have difficulties carrying out daily activities due to your physical, mental or emotional conditions (daily activities include: self-care, mobility, communicating with others, and other activities, e.g. bad hearing, weak eye-sight, sprain, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, nervousness, seeking job, doing housework, studying, participating in community life etc.)?	Yes/No	2.0
				Yes/No
				Yes, difficulties still persist after using…
				YES, Difficulties disappear after using…
			2. Have these difficulties been lasting, or will expect to last, for 6 months or more?	No
			3. Do you use any auxiliary equipment?
			Supplement:
			a) What are the activities you have difficulties in carrying out?	a) self-care, mobility, communicating with others, other
			b) What are the physical, mental or emotional conditions that cause such difficulties when carrying out the above-mentioned activities?	b) vision disorder, blindness, speech disorder, speech impairment, hearing disorder, deafness, impaired limbs or trunk, mental retardation, psychiatric conditions, autism, chronic illness, emotionally disturbed, other
			c) When did you start having such difficulties
22	Hungary	2011	1. Do you have any long lasting disease or deficiency?	Yes/No	6.2 (excluding 20.7 % of sample that chose not to respond to this question)
			2. What deficiency do you have?	Mark all that apply
			Movement deficiency
			Autism
			Mental deficiency/Mental injury (psychic injury)
			Speech handicap/Speech deficiency
			Hard of seeing/Blind
			Hard of hearing/Deaf
			Deaf and blind
			Serious deficiency of internal organs
			Other
23	Iran	2011	Is there anybody in the household with at least one of the following disabilities?	Yes/No	1.4
			Blind
			Deaf
			Voice and speech disorder
			Hand amputation
			Hand impairment
			Leg amputation
			Leg impairment
			Torso impairment
			Mental disorder
24	Turkey	2011	1. Do you have difficulty in seeing? (even if you use glasses or contact lenses)	Not at all	6.9
			2. Do you have difficulty in hearing? (even if you use hearing aid)	Some difficulty
			For those 3 years and older:
			3. Do you have difficulty in speaking such as speech impairment, lalopathy, stammering, etc.?	A lot of difficulty
			4. Do you have difficulty walking or climbing stairs?	Cannot do it at all
			5. Do you have difficulty holding or lifting something?
			6. Do you have difficulty learning, doing simple calculations, remembering and concentrating when compared to your peers?
25	Sint Maarten	2011	1. Do you have problems with sight even with glasses/contact lenses?	No problems	1.8
			2. Do you have problems with your hearing even with a hearing aid?	Yes, some problems
			3. Do you have problems walking or going up the stairs?	Many problems
			4. Do you have problems remembering things or concentrating?	Cannot do it at all
			5. Do you have taking care of yourself like bathing and or dressing?
			6. Do you have difficulties communicating due to a physical, mental or emotional problem? (for example, understanding others or making yourself understood?)
26	USA	2012	1. Is this person deaf or do they have serious difficulty hearing?	Yes/No	12.2
			2. Is this person blind or do they have serious difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses?
			3. Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions?
			4. Does this person have serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
			5. Does this person have difficulty dressing or bathing?
			6. Because of a physical, mental, or emotional condition, does this person have difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping?
Results from surveys
	Country	Year/source	Questions asked	Answer categories – cut-off in bold	Pre-valencea
27	Argentina	2002–2003:	Is/Does the person mentioned on the list:	Yes/No	7.1
		National Survey for Persons with Disabilities	Blind?
			Have permanent difficulty to see, even with glasses or lenses?
			Close?
			From afar?
			Or have other difficulties to see?
			Read and write in Braille or uses other forms of aid?
			Deaf? (you can hear no sound)
			Have permanent difficulty to hear what is said?
			Require and/or use hearing aids or implant to hear what is said?
			Read lips to understand what is being said?
			Mute?
			Have permanent difficulty speaking?
			Use sign language?
			Lack or have paralyzed or atrophied one or both
			Feet or legs?
			Lack or have paralyzed or atrophied one or both
			Arms or hands?
			Have permanent difficulty to get up, lie down,
			Keep standing or sitting?
			Have permanent difficulty to grasp objects with
			One or two hands?
			Have permanent difficulty walking or climbing stairs?
			Need or use (permanently) a wheelchair?
			Require or use (permanently) Walker, crutches, Canadian sticks, splints, prostheses, etc.?
			Have some delay or mental retardation that hinders learning, work, and/or ability to relate?
			Have permanently some other mental problem that will hinder their ability to relate and/or work? (e.g.: child psychosis, autism, etc.)
			Per retardation or mental problems concurs or attended a hospital day or therapeutic educational center?
			Have any other permanent mental or physical difficulty not asked?
28	Lithuania	2005: Health Interview Survey	Based on absence/presence of functional difficulties (without aids):	Have difficulty	N/A presented as case/control study (15 years and older)
			Clearly see newspaper print	Do not have difficulty
			Clearly see the face of someone 4 m away
			Hear what is said in a conversation with one other person
			Walk 500 m
			Walk up and down a flight of stairs
			Use fingers to grasp or handle a small object
			Turn on tap or unscrew the lid of a jar of coffee
			Bite and chew on hard food
			Reach out (stretch out an arm) to shake someone’s hand
			Bend and kneel down
			Lift and carry a full shopping bag weighing 5 kilos
			Make him/herself clearly understood by others
29	Yemen	2005/2006: Multi-Purpose Household Budget Survey	Does the family have an individual with a disability or chronic illness?	Yes/No	2.0
			The response categories were as follows:
			Blindness (blind)
			Difficulty hearing sounds
			Slurred speech
			Deaf/Persians
			Difficulty walking from one place to another/hemiplegia
			Difficulty of the movement of the body holistically
			Difficulty constipation and move things
			Mental difficulty prevented him from learning or behavior control or self-care
			Multiple disability
			Other
30	Japan	2005/2006/2008/2011	Impairment-based definition of disability, divided into three independent groups*:	Not indicated	Physical: 2.8 (updated 2011: 3.7)
			Physical/2006/2011 (visual; hearing/speech; internal; orthopedic);		Intellectual: 0.3
			Intellectual/2005 (…manifested during the developmental period [birth-18 years] and displays functional deficits in skills for daily life which require supportive services);		Mental: 2.3
			Mental/2008 (epilepsy; Alzheimer’s; neurotic/stress-related; mood disorders; schizophrenia; psychotic disorder, personality disorder; other mental disorder).		TOTAL: 5.4 (Persons living at home)
			*No reference made to those with multiple impairments		5.8 with those in facilities
31	Canada	2006: Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS)	Filter questions:	(1) Yes, sometimes	14.3
			Do you (Does …) have any DIFFICULTY hearing, seeing, communicating, walking, climbing stairs, bending, learning or doing any similar activities?	(2) Yes, often
			Does a physical condition OR mental condition OR health problem REDUCE THE AMOUNT OR THE KIND OF ACTIVITY you (…)	(3) No
			Can do at home?
			Can do at work or at school?
			Can do in other activities, for example, transportation or leisure?
32	New Zealand	2006: New Zealand Disability Survey	Preamble: I am going to ask you some questions about long-term difficulties that some people have doing things. By long-term, I mean difficulties that have lasted 6 months or more, or are expected to last for 6 months or more	Easily	16.6
			The questions cover a range of difficulties that some people will have	With difficulty
			Hearing a conversation with one person	Not at all
			Hearing what is said in a group	or/
			Speaking and being understood	Yes/No
			Seeing ordinary newspaper print
			Seeing across a room
			Walking the distance around a rugby field
			Walking up and down stairs
			Carrying 5 kilos while _walking
			Moving between rooms
			Standing for 20 min
			Bending down and picking up something off the floor
			Getting dressed and undressed
			Cutting toenails
			Grasping or handling things like scissors or pliers
			Reaching in any direction
			Cutting food
			Getting in and out of bed without help
			Learning
			Remembering
			An intellectual disability
			An intellectual disability and you go to a special school or receive special education
			Everyday activities because of a long-term emotional, psychological or psychiatric condition
			Communicating, mixing with others or socializing
33	Peru I	2006	Do you have difficulty or limitation that has lasted 6 months or more?	Yes/No	8.4
			1. To see, even using glasses or contacts
			2. To hear, even using hearing aids
			3. To speak
			4. To use your arms or hands/hold things
			5. To use your legs or feet/walk or use stairs
			6. Understand/learn (concentrate or remember)
			7. Communicate, understand others or that others understand you
			8. Some other difficulty or limitation (specify)
34	Zambia 1	2006	The next questions ask about difficulties you may have doing certain activities because of a health problem:	No, no difficulty,	8.5
			1. Do you have difficulty seeing, even if wearing glasses?	Yes, some difficulty,
			2. Do you have difficulty hearing, even if wearing a hearing aid?	Yes, severe difficulty
			3. Do you have difficulty walking or climbing steps?
			4. Do you have difficulty remembering or concentrating?
			5. Do you have difficulty (with self-care such as) washing all over or dressing?	Yes, can’t do it at all
			6. Because of a physical, mental or emotional health condition, do you have difficulty communicating, e.g. understanding or being understood by others?
35	Thailand	2007/2012: Disability survey	Persons with disabilities identified by activity limitations and impairments as follows:	No difficulty	2.2
			Activity limitation (asked person aged 7 years and over) such as; seeing, hearing, speech, learning, understanding, remembering, gripping or holding things, raising hand, sitting up from lying down, squatting, walking on even surface for 50 m, climbing steps, mental or emotional condition, recurrent pain or discomfort, breathing, blackouts or fits or loss of consciousness, and self-care	Some difficulty
			Impairments such as; blindness, deafness, loss of hand, paralysis, paresis, psychosis, autistic, etc.	A lot of difficulty
			Selecting the 6 WG domains	Cannot do it at all
				A lot/cannot do	1.6 (7 years and older)
36	Norway	2008: Living Conditions Survey	1. Do you have difficulty seeing newspaper print? Please answer with normal use of glasses or contact lenses	YES/NO	7.0 (16 years and older)
			2. Do you have difficulty recognizing someone 4 m away?	If Yes: Do you have…
			3. Do you have difficulty hearing what is said in a conversation between two people, with normal use of a hearing aid?	Some difficulty
			4. Do you have problems concentrating or remembering things?	A lot of difficulty
			5. Do you have difficulty walking up or down a flight of stairs one floor without resting?	Cannot do
			6. Do you have difficulty walking for 5 min at a reasonably fast pace?	Without difficulty
			7. Are you able to dress and undress yourself?	With some difficulty
			8. Are you able to bathe or shower yourself?	only with help from others
37	Spain	2008: Survey on Disability, Personal Autonomy and Dependency Situations	Preamble in Appendix 2	Yes/no (Significant difficulty)	8.5
			44 activities listed under 8 domains:
			Sight (4)
			Hearing (3)
			Communication (6)
			Learning & application of knowledge and development of tasks (4)
			Mobility (9)
			Self-care (9)
			Home-life (3)
			Interactions & interpersonal relations (6)
38	Maldives	2009: Demographic and Health Survey	1. Does (name) have difficulty seeing, (even when (he/she) is wearing glasses or contact lenses?	No problem
			2. Does (name) have difficulty hearing, (even when (he/she) is using a hearing aid?	Some difficulty	22.0
			3. Does (name) have difficulty communicating (for example understanding others or other understanding him/her)) because of a physical, mental or emotional condition?	Lot of Difficulty	9.6
			4. Does (name) have any difficulty with remembering or concentrating?	Cannot do it at all	1.3 (5 years and older)
			5. Does (name) have any physical condition that makes it difficult for (him/her) to walk or climbing steps?
			6. Does (name) have any physical condition that makes it difficult for (him/her) (with self-care such as) washing all over or dressing?
39	Poland	2009: European Health Interview Survey (EHIS)	Do you wear glasses or contact lenses?	Yes, with no difficulty	13.8 (15 years and older)
			Can you see newspaper print?	With some difficulty
			Can you see the face of someone 4 m away (across a road)?	With a lot of difficulty
			Do you wear a hearing aid?	Not at all
			Can you hear what is said in a conversation with several people?
			Can you walk 500 m on a flat terrain – without any aid or assistance?
			Can you walk up and down a flight of stairs – without any aid or assistance?
			Do you usually have difficulty doing any of these activities by yourself?
			Dressing and undressing
			Bathing or showering?
40	Australia	2009: Survey of Disability, Aging and Carers	I now have some questions about health conditions that have lasted, or are likely to last, for 6 months or more	Yes/No	7.4
			Does anyone in this household have any loss of sight
			Can … see normally wearing glasses or contact lenses?
			Does … have total loss of sight?
			Does anyone in this household have any loss of hearing?
			Does … have total loss of hearing?
			Does … ever need help or supervision when going to, or getting around, a place away from home?
			Does … ever need help or supervision when moving about the house?
			Does … ever need help or supervision to get in or out of bed or a chair?
			Is … in a wheelchair?
			Does … ever need help or supervision to shower or bathe?
			Does … ever need help or supervision to dress themselves, for example doing up shoelaces, buttons or zips?
			Does … ever need help or supervision when eating a meal, for example cutting up food?
			Does … ever need help or supervision using the toilet?
			Does … have any difficulty controlling their bladder or bowel?
			Does … have any difficulty understanding someone they don’t know?
			Can … understand them at all?
			Does … ever need help with this?
			Does … have any difficulty understanding family or friends?
			Can … understand them at all?
			Does … ever need help with this?
			Does … have any difficulty being understood by someone they don’t know?
			Can … understand them at all?
			Does … ever need help with this?
			Does … have any difficulty being understood by family or friends?
			Can … understand them at all?
			Does … ever need help with this?
			Is … able to communicate more easily with others using any of these non-spoken forms of communication?
41	Netherlands	2009: Netherlands Health Interview Survey (NethHIS)	Functional limitations are observed in the module ‘Health and Labor Conditions’ of the Integrated System of Social Surveys in two groups of questions:		A. 12.8 (12 years and older)
			A. The OECD indicator		B. 12.5 (55 years and older)
			1. Be able to follow a conversation in a group of three or more persons (with or without a hearing aid)	Easily
			2. Have a conversation with one person (with or without a hearing aid)	With a bit of effort
			3. Read the small print in the newspaper (with or without glasses or contact lenses)	With a lot of effort
			4. Recognise somebody’s face at a distance of 4 m (with or without glasses or contact lenses)	Impossible
			5. Carry an object of 5 kg, for instance a shopping bag over a distance of 10 m
			6. Pick up something from the floor from an upright position
			7. Walk 400 m without stopping (with or without a stick).
			B. The GDA (General Daily Activities) indicator
			1. Eating and drinking	Easily
			2. Sit down in a chair and rise from a chair	With a bit of effort
			3. Get into and out of bed	With a lot of effort
			4. Dress and undress	Only with the help of others
			5. Go to another room on the same floor
			6. Walk up and down the stairs
			7. Leave and enter the house
			8. Move outdoors
			9. Wash one’s face and hands
			10. Wash one’s whole body
42	Bangladesh	2010: Household Income and Expenditure Survey (HIES)	1. Does (name) have difficulty seeing, even if wearing glasses?	No, no difficulty	9.1 (5 years and older)
			2. Does (name) have difficulty hearing, even if wearing a hearing aid?	Yes, some difficulty
			3. Does (name) have difficulty walking or climbing steps?	Yes, severe difficulty
			4. Does (name) have difficulty remembering or concentrating?
			5. Does (name) have difficulty (with self-care such as) washing all over, dressing, feeding, toileting etc.?	Yes, can’t do it at all.
			6. Does (name) have difficulty communicating, e.g. understanding or being understood?
43	Togo	2010: Demographic and Health Survey	Does [Name] have a handicap? Please specify.	Yes/No	1.4
44	Hungary	2011: European Health Interview Survey (EHIS)	Now I would like you to think about situations you may face in everyday life. Please ignore any temporary problems.	Questions 2/3/5–7:	11.1 (15 years and older)
			1. Do you wear glasses or contact lenses?	Yes, with no difficulty
			Yes/No/I’m blind or cannot see at all
			2. Can you see newspaper print?	With some difficulty
			3. Can you see the face of someone 4 m away (across a road)?	With a lot of difficulty
			4. Do you wear a hearing aid?	Not at all
			Yes/No/I am profoundly deaf
			5. Can you hear what is said in a conversation with several people?	Question 8/9:
			6. Can you walk 500 m on a flat terrain without a stick or other walking aid or assistance?	No difficulty
			7. Can you walk up and down a flight of stairs without a stick, other walking aid, assistance or using the banister?	Yes, some difficulty
			8. Do you usually have difficulty doing any of these activities by yourself? (Dressing and undressing)	Yes, a lot of difficulty
			9. Do you usually have difficulty doing any of these activities by yourself? (Bathing or showering)	I can’t achieve it by myself
45	South Africa 2	2009/2010/2011:	Does… have difficulty in doing any of the following?	No, no difficulty	2009: 4.0
		General Household Survey	1. Seeing (even with glasses if he/she wears them)		2010: 4.6
			2. Hearing (even with a hearing aid, if he/she wears one)	Yes, some difficulty	2011: 3.7 (5 years and older)
			3. Walking a kilometer or climbing a flight of steps	Yes, a lot of difficulty
			4. Remembering and concentrating
			5. With self-care, such as washing or dressing
			6. In communicating in his/her usual language including sign language (understanding others and being understood by others)	Do not see at all
46	Lesotho	2011: Demographic Survey	Is (name) disabled? Note: state the main disability	Yes/No	2.6
			Amputation of fingers
			Amputation of arms
			Amputation of hands
			Amputation of toes
			Amputation of foot/leg
			Lame/Paralyzed limb
			Blind (total/partial)
			Deaf (total/partial)
			Speech problem
			Mental illness
			Mental retardation
			Not disabled
			Other (specify)
47	Costa Rica	2011: National Disability Survey	Does [Name] have some permanent limitation:	Yes/No	10.5
			To see even when wearing glasses?
			To hear even with headphones?
			To speak?
			Walking or climbing stairs?
			Using arms or hands?
			Intellectual: (mental retardation, Downs syndrome, etc.)
			Mental: (bipolar, schizophrenia, etc.)
48	Israel	2012: Social Survey	1. Do you have difficulty seeing, even if wearing glasses?	No, no difficulty	14.8 (20 years and older)
			2. Do you have difficulty hearing, even if using hearing aid?	Yes, some difficulty
			3. Do you have difficulty walking or climbing stairs?	Yes, a lot of difficulty
			4. Do you have difficulty in getting dressed or washing?	Do not do at all
			5. Do you have difficulty remembering or concentrating?
49	Mexico	2012: National Household Survey of Income and Expenditure	In his/her daily life, (NAME) has any difficulty to perform the next activities:	Yes/No	6.6
			Read all the options and circle affirmative answers
			Walking, moving or climbing steps?
			Seeing, even if wearing glasses?
			Speak, communicate or chat?
			Hearing, even if using a hearing aid?
			Dressing, bathing or eating?
			Paying attention or learning simple things?
			Has any mental limitation?
			So, he/she doesn’t have physical or mental limitations?
50	Peru II	2012: First National Specialized Survey on Disability	DISABLED refers to people who have some limitation or physical, mental, intellectual or sensory (sight, hearing, touch, smell, taste) difficulty that PERMANENTLY prevents them from participating in society as anyone else. In their daily activities:	Yes/No	5.2
			1. Does [name] have permanent limitations in their ability to move or walk/to use their arms or legs?
			2. Does [name] have permanent limitations in their ability to see even using glasses?
			3. Does [name] have permanent limitations in their ability to speak or understand, even if using sign language or other means of communication?
			4. Does [name] have permanent limitations in their ability to hear, even using headphones?
			5. Does [name] have permanent limitations in their ability to understand or learn (concentrate or remember)?
			6. Does [name] have permanent limitations in their ability to relate to others (thoughts, feelings, emotions or conduct)?
51	USA	2010/2011/2012/2013: National Health Interview Survey (NHIS)	7. Do you have difficulty seeing, even when wearing glasses?	No, no difficulty	2010: 8.9
			8. Do you have difficulty hearing, even when using your hearing aid(s)?	Yes, some difficulty	2011: 8.5
			9. Do you have difficulty walking or climbing steps?	Yes, a lot of difficulty	2012: 7.9
			10. Do you have difficulty remembering or concentrating?	Yes, can’t do it at all	2013: 9.5 (18 years and older)
			11. Do you have difficulty with self-care such as washing all over or dressing?
			12. Using you usual language, do you have difficulty communicating, for example, understanding or being understood?

1. ¹Source: (Eide and Loeb 2006)
2. ²Source: Statistics South Africa, 2010/2011/2012. Data presented here differs from published data in: http://www.statssa.gov.za/publications/P0318/P0318April2012.pdf (see page 19) due to use of different thresholds for determination of disability
3. ^aPrevalence rates are not age-adjusted. Unless otherwise indicated all ages considered
4. Data from other sources
5. Armenia: Register data (prevalence 6.2 %)
6. Croatia: Register data (prevalence 11.7 %)
7. Czech Republic: Register data (prevalence estimated at 10 %)
8. UAE: Register data
9. No data supplied
10. Denmark: will conduct the EHIS in 2012
11. Singapore: disability data not collected on census
12. Lebanon: currently conducting the Household Budget Survey that includes the WG questions
13. Kazakhstan: due to census form constraints, recommended questions on four domains of disability (vision, hearing, walking, and speech) were combined into one question, which was: “Do you have difficulty with walking, hearing, vision and speech?” The response options were: “Yes”, “Yes, often” and “No”
14. Slovak Republic: No current plans to collect disability data
15. China: China National Monitoring Survey on Disability – 2012: data not yet available
16. Sweden: do not use the WG Short Set of Questions
17. Kenya: currently completing disability monograph following the 2009 Kenya Population and Housing Census; other statistical survey on people with disabilities will be realized next year and results will be available in mid-2014
18. Paraguay: census 2012 – WG questions included “with adjustments according to our reality”
19. England: Life Opportunity Survey (2009–2011) includes participation restriction questions (learning, work/economic life, transport, community/leisure/civic life), questions on accessibility in and outside the home, services and policies, domestic life, caring for others and discrimination. There is a suite of questions intended to capture Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) disability which would enable analysis of the number of individuals that are likely to have rights under the act. Finally, a series of 55 questions are included that cover impairments and health conditions. These include the following domains: seeing, hearing, speaking, mobility, dexterity, pain, learning, intellectual difficulty, behavior, memory, and emotional/psychological/mental difficulties. Questions similar to the WG short set are included among these
20. France: WG questions tested in third wave of the Etudes des relations familiales et intergénérationnelles/Studies of family and intergenerational relations (2011)
21. Botswana: 2011 Population and Housing Census uses an impairment approach listing 13 possible impairments including vision, hearing, speech, lower/upper body, intellectual impairment and mental health disorder

Appendix 2: Additional Notes, Observations or Other Qualifications and/or Disclaimers Provided by the Country

Censuses
	Country	Notes
2	Dominican Republic	Questions used in the 2010 Census
		Does (Name) have permanent difficulty…
		To see, even if you use glasses or lenses?
		To hear, even if you use headphones?
		For walking or climbing steps?
		To move one or two arms?
		To move one or both legs?
		To remember or focus?
		To grab objects or open containers with your hands?
		To speak?
		Is he/she mute?
		Does he/she have mental problems?
		Does he/she lack one or two legs?
		Does he/she lack one or two arms?
3	Jordan	Population and Household Census/Disability Survey scheduled for 2014
4	Morocco	Population and Housing Census planned for 2014
5	Egypt	Cause of disability included in 2006 Census
		1. Congenital
		2. During delivery
		3. Epidemic diseases
		4. Other diseases
		5. Abuse (Physically, Psychologically)
		6. Injuries/Accidents
		7. Aging
		8. Others (mention)
		2013/WG questions to be used in pre-test population census
6	Palestine	Reasons coded:
		1. Congenital
		2. During pregnancy
		3. Illness
		4. Psychological/physical abuse
		5. Aging
		6. Work injury
		7. Traffic accident
		8. Other accident
		9. Israeli measurements
		10. War
		11. Other
7	Peru	735,334 households had at least one disabled person
8	Cambodia	Coded for since birth/after birth
9	Malawi	Includes cause:
		Congenital
		Disease/illness
		Injury/accident
		Not known
		Other
10	Israel	Vision question not asked – Israel has an available administrative source of people who have heavy vision impairment and who are eligible to receive special benefits.
11	Oman	Additional question:
		What is the main reason for this difficulty/disability?
		1. Since birth
		2. Disease
		3. Car accident
		4. Work injury
		5. Old age
		6. other
12	Aruba	Also includes question on handicaps and type of handicap: motor dysfunction, visual, auditory, organ, light mental, severe mental other
13	Mongolia	Includes WG domains as type of difficulty following a disability screener
14	Mexico	It is important to point out that, even that it is true that international recommendations for the design of questions about the topic of disability, the ones from the Washington Group and United Nations specifically, adaptations that, according to the pilot test for such an statistical exercise responded adequately to Mexico characteristics and INEGI’s possibilities, were performed. For example, a question about the cause of the difficulty was included, and the request of the Mexican civil society to explicitly asking about mental limitation was attended; however, the grade of difficulty that an individual may present in each one of the activities included in the questionnaire couldn’t be collected due the effect such intent had in the interview’s time and cost
26	USA	The 2010 American Community Survey (ACS) operationalizes questions that elicit serious difficulty in six domains and have yes/no response options. Five of the six are similar to the WG questions (seeing, hearing, walking/climbing steps, remembering/concentrating, and dressing/bathing) while the communication question is dropped in favor of a participation question: difficulty doing errands alone such as visiting a doctor’s office or shopping
Surveys
	Country	Notes
27	Argentina	Planned 2010/National Survey for Persons with Disabilities
		She/he has difficulty or permanent limitation:
		Seeing, even with glasses or lenses?
		Hearing, even when using a hearing aid?
		Walking or climbing steps?
		Grabbing objects or opening containers with your hands?
		Understanding and/or learning?
		Response options: Yes/no
28	Lithuania	European Survey on Health and Social Integration planned for 2012
29	Yemen	Other questions were as follows:
		What type of disability/chronic illness suffered by the individual patient?
		What the cause of this disability/chronic disease?
		When the individual became disabled or chronically infected with the disease?
		Did the individual require aid as a result of disability/chronic illness?
30	Japan	The number of Persons with mental disabilities corresponds to the number of patients of ICD-10 “Chapter V: Mental and behavioral disorders,” excluding the number for intellectual disabilities and adding the number for epilepsy and Alzheimer’s
		Outpatients in the “patient survey” are considered to be persons living at home, and inpatients are considered to be persons staying at facilities
31	Canada	We have only used the short set for one survey as a test to replace our current disability identification questions. We inserted the WG short set along with selected questions from the extended set on our national health survey as a test from January to April this year. During that period, the survey was administered to about 27,000 cases but I’m not sure what to expect in terms of a disability rate
32	New Zealand	Plans for a New Zealand Disability Survey in 2013
		CENSUS: Mark as many spaces as you need to answer this question.
		Does a health problem or a condition you have (lasting 6 months or more) cause you difficulty with, or stop you doing:
		Everday activities that people your age can usually do
		Communicating, mixing with others or socialising
		Any other activity that people your age can usually do, or
		No difficult with any of these
		Do you have any disability or handicap that is long-term (lasting 6 months or more)?
		Response options: Yes/no
33	Peru I	Continuous National Survey (ENCO)
		382,000 private dwellings at the national level
34	Zambia a	Data derived from additional analyses of an independent source: Eide AH, Loeb ME (eds.) (2006); Living Conditions among people with activity limitations in Zambia: A national representative study. Report No. A262, SINTEF Health Research, Oslo. Available online at: http://www.sintef.no/lc
36	Norway	The Survey of Living Conditions is a national survey, covering the population 16 years and older and living in private households. It includes 10 questions on activity limitations in 6 functional domains and 7 questions on participation restrictions. Eight questions were selected that reflect 5 WG domains (seeing, hearing walking/climbing, remembering/concentrating, dressing/washing)
		The domain on communication is not covered in the survey and is thus not a part of the definition
		Preamble to questions 1–3: The following questions are about more permanent problems, do not consider passing problems or temporary problems that you may have at the moment. With permanent or long lasting problems we mean problems that have lasted, or are expected to last for 6 months or longer
		Preamble to question 4: I will read out some everyday activities to you, and I would like to know if you have difficulty performing any of these activities. Think about what you manage when you have your normal aids (assistive devices) available or when you are receiving the assistance you normally get
		Questions 5/6 to only those who have a health problem that affects their everyday activities to a great extent
37	Spain	Preamble:
		I shall ask you a few questions regarding possible difficulties or limitation with carrying out everyday activities. It is intended to detect persons in the household 6 years old and over currently facing them. These questions refer to difficulties or limitations fulfilling two requirements:
		They have lasted or are expected to last more than 1 year (for example, minor accidents such as slight injuries which are overcome in a matter of months are not considered)
		The cause of the limitation or difficulty is a health-related problem or disability
		In order to respond, one should keep in mind persons when they are not using aids or supervision. If someone overcomes their limitation through use of an aid or receiving supervision, they must still be considered to be facing the corresponding difficulty. For example, if someone can only eat when assisted by another person, then he or she does have a limitation. However, an exception is made in the case of visual impairment (myopia, astigmatism …): If the person has these difficulties and overcomes them with spectacles or contact lenses, he or she is regarded as not having the limitation
		By assistance we mean two types thereof: technical aids and personal aids
		aAny technical product or instrument used or aimed at use by a disabled persons, which compensates or lessens the limitation. For example: earpieces, illuminated lenses, external prostheses, sticks, wheelchairs, hoists, oxygen, cutlery with adapted handles, access ramps, guide dogs, …
		aPersonal assistance in regarded as all collaboration by another person, necessary for carrying out an activity
		Supervision is regarded as the need for another person to be overseeing what someone else does, in the event that problems arise in an everyday activity
		Plans: European Survey on Health and Social Integration/2012
39	Poland	June 2011: Module on the employment of disabled people – will not use the WG questions
40	Australia	The survey includes 136 questions covering impairments, activities of daily living and the need for help or supervision in performing the activity. The reported prevalence rate of 7.4 % is based on a subset of questions that reflect the WG domains
		2012/Survey of Disability, Aging and Carers underway
41	Netherlands	The OECD indicator (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) is based on 7 questions as listed in Appendix 1
		The respondents are persons in the age category 12 years and older. As from 2001, a question has been added concerning speech impediment: can you speak audibly? This question does not affect the indicator
		The GDA (General Daily Activities) indicator is based on the following 10 questions (Appendix 1)
		The questions were asked to persons in the age category 55 and older in the oral part of the module ‘Health and Labor Conditions’. From 2001, questions 2, 3 and 6 have also been asked to persons in the age category 12–54
42	Bangladesh	Each question is followed by:
		How old were you when the difficulty began?
		What was the cause?

1. ^aData collected independently