1. Measuring Disability in Population and Housing Censuses
Group One
United Nations Regional Workshop on the 2020 World Programme on Population and Housing Censuses: International Standards and Contemporary Technologies; DARES-ES- SALAAM 29 May- 1 June, 2017
Measuring Disability in Population and Housing Censuses

2. 1. What questions were asked on disability in the last census or will be asked if it will be taken in 2017 or 2018?
Based on the last experience and plan for the 2017 and 2018 PHC,
Some countries used the Questions on disability as recommended by the Washington Group on Disability, International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health(ICF),
Other countries added optional or country specific questions like Main causes and other categories of impairments like Cleft palate, mental health problems, .... Or didn’t ask the question on degree/level of impairment: No difficult at all, Some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, cannot do (smthg)at all.
Retained are: Q 1. “Does [NAME ] has any difficulty or problems of ……”?
a)Walking, b)Seeing, c) Hearing, d)Cognition, d )Self-care, e )Communication (mandatory for comparability) others categories will be optional or country specific.
To each categories will be asked if “YES” or “NO” the HH member has difficulties of Walking, Seeing, Hearing…. (Multiple responses)
Q2. “What is his/her level of difficulties in….(cfr Q1)? a ) No difficult at all, b)Some difficulty, c)a lot of difficulty, d) cannot do (some thing) at all
The plan for 2017 and 2018 will ask questions on disability with respect to the Washington Group recommendations with or without country specific questions and categories.

3. Were the Questions on Disability tested
Were the Questions on Disability tested? If so, what was tested and what were the results?
Yes the questions on disability were tested. In some cases it is difficult to get the right translation in local language, the wording was corrected to meet country context and to get the common word that are not regarded as stigma to people/ (Ikimuga /useless, maskini in Swahili…). For example in Rwanda we don’t say Disable person or person living with disability (You live with some thing/some one you like) we say “people who have difficult of….. “
Where ambiguity was found during the test, it has been taken into consideration and the wording corrected to meet country context and to get the common word that are not regarded as negatively to people.
Some times you have to ask themselves/associations on how to word the disability types that are not regarded as negatively in the common sense.

4. What is the experience on the use of proxy respondents to obtain data on disability about other members of the household?
It is difficult to get correct answers with proxy respondents unless the respondent is some one adult or household head who knows about the disability of anyone of the HH and conscious to cooperate thus willing to give correct answers.
Some of the respondents don’t like to talk about impairments of their loved ones living with disabilities that are at high level or same what they are ashamed to pronounce in public.
It requires to be humble to them, cooperate, and consent to the confidentiality…

5. What is the experience on the translation of questions on disability into different local language in the country?
It is difficulty to get the real words/very common wording that are not regarded in negatively way. Some times it is kept in both local language and English in order to be easier understood by both interviewer and respondent.
Some times we refer to them/associations to know the appropriate wording that is not seen in negative sense.

6. If the Question(s) on disability included the use of scaled response categories, what was the experience? Are they easily translated into local language and easily understood by respondents?
There is no major issue when disability question(s) on disability are of scaled response categories. Respondents are trying to give the scale categories that they feel are for the concerned persons.
Disability is sensitive. The categories are easily translated into local languages even it may require to reread or reword the categories in order to get the right answer.

7. What is the overall experience in how the questions on disability worked in the field? Did respondents easily provide the information? Did the interviewers ask the questions as intended?
Overall, there is no major issue on how disability questions worked in the field.
Problems arise when respondent don’t like to cooperate or give a right answer because of social stigma it may cause or when interviewers don’t take time to pause/probe where required in order to get the correct answers.