International views on disability measures : moving toward comparative measurement / edited by Barbara M. Altman, Sharon N. Barnartt.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Altman, Barbara Mandell.

Barnartt, Sharon N.

Series:

Research in social science and disability ; v. 4.

Research in social science and disability ; v. 4

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Disability evaluation.

People with disabilities--Statistics.

People with disabilities.

Statistics.

Physical Description:

vi, 290 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; Boston : Elsevier JAI, 2006.

Summary:

Disability policy has become an increasingly important issue in countries around the world. More and moe, as populations are exposed to war and civil conflicts, natural disasters, and environmental poisons along with the effects of normal aging, accidents and poverty, disability has become a growing public health and civil rights issue. In order to facilitate policy development, countries need accurate, reliable estimates of the size and make up of their disabled populations. Comparisons of policy solutions cross-nationally require that the data used as the basis for the policy decisions be comparable. However, those data that are available are still haphazard and not comparable.

The UN began to address this need in 2001 with a publication called the Guidelines and Principles for the Development of Disability Statistics. It also authorized the formation of the Washington Group, an informal, temporary organization of a type known as a City Group. As a voluntary organization of National Statistical Office representatives, the purpose of the Washington Group is to address selected problems in statistical methods associated with the measurement of disability internationally.

The papers in this volume reflect a sampling of the work done by the Washington Group. The collection describes the background of disability measurement from an international perspective and identifies other work being done in this area. It also provides snapshots of the data currently available and in use along with how disability data are used in a variety of countries. Finally, a section on methodological issues suggests solutions to key problems that will need to be addressed if the Group, and disability statisticians generally, are to be able to accomplish the task of studying disability cross-nationally.

Contents:

Introduction: Measuring Disability in the International Community / Barbara M. Altman 1

The Washington Group: Origin and Purpose / Barbara M. Altman 9

Survey Measurement of Disability: A Review of International Activities and Recommendations / Gerry E. Hendershot 17

Cultural Beliefs and Practices That Influence the Type and Nature of Data Collected on Individuals with Disability Through National Census / Nora Groce 41

Reflections on Disability Language and the ICIDH/ICF / Yerker Andersson 55

Section II Country Specific Experiences

Review of Practices in Less Developed Countries on the Collection of Disability Data / Angela Me, Margaret Mbogoni 63

Production, Dissemination and Utilization of Disability Statistics in Uganda / Helen Namirembe-Nviiri 89

Paradigms Lost: The Changing Face of Disability in Research / Mitchell E. Loeb, Arne H. Eide 111

People with Disability in Brazil: A Look at 2000 Census Results / Alicia Bercovich 131

Monitoring People with Disabilities: The Italian Experience / Roberta Crialesi, Elena De Palma 159

Section III Methodological Issues

Testing A Disability Question for the Census / Ken Black 179

Participation and Environment: Out of the Melting Pot and Into ...? / Ros Madden 225

The Impact of Assistive Device Use on Disability Measurement / Elizabeth K. Rasch, Barbara M. Altman, Jennifer H. Madans 247

Disability Measurement Matrix: A Tool for the Coordination of Measurement Purpose and Instrument Development / Barbara M. Altman, Elizabeth K. Rasch, Jennifer H. Madans 263.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN:

0762312823

OCLC:

63137489

Publisher Number:

9780762312825