A short talk given at the Disability Innovation Summit: Inclusive Interactions conference organised by GDI hub on 13 Sep 2023.
The use of published datasets on the prevalence of disability is reviewed. The numbers of datasets and their harmonisation is described and the advantages, limitations and opportunities for use are outlined.
The Independent Evaluation Office (IEO) presents its evaluation of disability-inclusive development at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). This work was carried out in 2016 and analyses UNDP’s contribution to disability-inclusive development during the period 2008-2016, which corresponds to the current and past UNDP strategic plans, and to the period within which the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has been in force. The work of UNDP was considered through the four key principles of the CRPD, namely nondiscrimination, participation and inclusion, accessibility and accountability. Eleven country office visits were made and 337 people interviewed. Key findings (24) are provided, conclusions made and future strategic planning put forward.
Report available in summary (32 p) or in full. Video also available (51 min).
A video highlighting the critical importance of collecting data on child functioning, its feasibility and its powerful results. It addresses a new series of questions put together by UNICEF/Washington Group on Disability Statistics that go beyond labels and diagnoses to explore children’s actual experiences and the difficulties that they encounter in performing daily activities.
And every child is entitled to equal opportunity to realize their full potential. So say the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
But the hard truth is that millions of children with disabilities are deprived of opportunity.
A brief history of the Washington Group on Disability Statistics and their development of standard questions for the collection of statistics on disability worldwide is presented. A short set of 6 questions was originally developed and an extended set of 30-35 was finalised in 2009. Two modules have been developed in partnership with UNICEF for children: one for 2-4 year olds and one for 5-17 year olds. A module concerned with inclusive education has also been developed
The general approach to the collection of statistics on disability by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics is outlined. The group uses the social model of disability, looking at what in the environment makes it difficult to participate. They use neutral language, asking about difficulties rather than disabilities and consider there to be a spectrum of disabilities (mild-severe)
Recommendations for data collection of the short set of 6 questions devised by the Washington Group for Disability Statistics are given. The questions are phrased to ask whether the subject has difficulty with any of the domains of functioning. They have been field validated. It is recommended that the questions are presented without initial screening questions, that the enumerators are well trained and that the translations from the original English are appropriate. Four domains are highlighted from the 6 if required by space or time.
The process of devising the short set of six questions by the Washington Group on Disability Statistics and recommendations for their use are discussed. The questions were cognitively tested to determine patterns of interpretation and out of scope patterns. Translations were made to give feasible language to get to the same concepts. Cognitive testing was then repeated to examine cross national comparability. Field testing of 1000 people followed. The importance of enumerator training and of using the exact questions and response categories is emphasised.
A collection of videos by Kasimir Burgess on the experiences of children with disability in Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu. In these videos, the lived experiences of disabled children are featured providing useful insights into their hopes and aspirations as a useful research tool
This seminar video the findings and recommendations from a four year CBM-funded project in Bangladesh and Pakistan to identify children with disabilities and connect them with appropriate rehabilitative services