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OUR MAIN DONORS
Department
for International Development
Handicap
International
European Commission
European Initiative for Democracy and Human Rights
*This website has been produced with the assistance of
the European Union. The contents of this website is the
sole responsibility of Handicap International South East
Europe and can in no way be taken to reflect the views
of the European Union.
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| FOCUS
I |
INTERNATIONAL FRAMEWORK ON DISABILITY
AND STATISTICS
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Both
the UN Standard Rules and the UN Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities outline the importance of disability
statistics and set guidelines for collecting comprehensive
data on a national level. Each of these documents points
to the states responsibility to collect statistics on disability
and involve people with disabilities in the processes of
data collection and dissemination of information and in
the analysis of the findings.
At the international level, there is an on-going debate
to develop standards on the measurement of disability in
population-based surveys known as the Washington Group.
The Washington Group aims to guide the development of a
small set or sets of general disability measures suitable
for use in censuses, sample-based national surveys, or other
statistical formats for the primary purpose of informing
policy on the equalisation of opportunities.
Finally, the OSCE promotes the desi gn
of evidence-based policies which requires statistics in
order to formulate the policies. The monitoring of these
national policies, as well as the monitoring of the International
Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will
also require the construction of a new set of indicators
on disability.
On the European level, the EU statistical office, EUROSTAT
has developed different tools with a standardized methodology
producing comparable information for Member States of the
European Union, with 3 general disability/health items and
questions. They have also composed a draft list of 30 specific
core items for the measurement of disability in European
population surveys which correspond to the priorities established
within the Washington Group.
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The UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities,
Article 31 Statistics and Data Collection
1. States Parties
undertake to collect appropriate information, including
statistical and research data, to enable them to formulate
and implement policies to give effect to the present Convention.
The process of collecting and maintaining this information
shall:
(a) Comply with legally established safeguards, including
legislation on data protection, to ensure confidentiality
and respect for the privacy of persons with disabilities;
(b) Comply with internationally accepted norms to protect
human rights and fundamental freedoms and ethical principles
of statistics.
2. The information collected in accordance with this article
shall be disaggregated as appropriate and used to help assess
the implementation of States Parties obligations under the
present Convention, and to identify and address the barriers
faced by persons with disabilities in exercising their rights.
3. States Parties shall assume the responsibility for the
dissemination of these statistics and ensure their accessibility
to persons with disabilities and others.
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UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for
Persons with Disabilities
Rule 13 - Information and research
States assume the ultimate responsibility for the collection
and dissemination of information on the living conditions
of persons with disabilities and promote comprehensive research
on all aspects, including obstacles that affect the lives
of persons with disabilities.
States should, at regular intervals, collect gender-specific
statistics and other information concerning the living conditions
of persons with disabilities. Such data collection could
be conducted in conjunction with national censuses and household
surveys and could be undertaken in close collaboration,
inter alia, with universities, research institutes and organizations
of persons with disabilities. The data collection should
include questions on programmes and services and their use.
States should consider establishing a data bank on disability,
which would include statistics on available services and
programmes as well as on the different groups of persons
with disabilities. They should bear in mind the need to
protect individual privacy and personal integrity.
States should initiate and support programmes of research
on social, economic and participation issues that affect
the lives of persons with disabilities and their families.
Such research should include studies on the causes, types
and frequencies of disabilities, the availability and efficacy
of existing programmes and the need for development and
evaluation of services and support measures.
States should develop and adopt terminology and criteria
for the conduct of national surveys, in cooperation with
organizations of persons with disabilities.
States should facilitate the participation of persons
with disabilities in data collection and research. To undertake
such research States should particularly encourage the recruitment
of qualified persons with disabilities.
States should support the exchange of research findings
and experiences.
States should take measures to disseminate information
and knowledge on disability to all political and administration
levels within national, regional and local spheres.
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