# Presentation: 506522

## The OECD experience in using survey-based disability data:  An illustration of current possibilities and limitations 

**The OECD experience in using survey-based disability data:  ****An illustration of current possibilities and limitations**** **

- Washington City Group on Disability Statistics
- Ottawa (Canada), 9-10 January 2003

## OECD involvement in the area of disability statistics 

**Past (late 1970s - early 1980s)**
- 	-	lead role in trying to harmonize disability 	statistics as part of broad OECD Social 		Indicators project (“OECD long-term 		disability list”)
- 	-	set of questions still used in some countries
- 	-	but lack of follow-up and lack of 			international collaboration limited 	take-up

## OECD involvement in the area of disability statistics

**Current**
- 	-	mainly *user* of disability statistics
- 	-	*no survey program* on health and 	disability
- 	-	relying heavily on availability of comparable 	data from national or international surveys
- 	-	keen interest therefore in promoting 		harmonization of survey questions

## Recurrent demands for OECD to analyse disability data 

- To *monitor* health progress for different populations (younger and older) across countries and over time
- To *forecast *pressures on health and social services (for planning purposes)
- To *evaluate* the outcomes of health and disability policies

## Example of recent OECD use of disability statistics Planning for aging populations 

- OECD study (1998) reviewed trends in elderly disability rates, to forecast needs and costs:
- 	-	evidence of decline in *severe* disability in 	many countries, but not all
- Now planning to update this study:
- 	-	do recent data show general decline in 		elderly disability rates across countries?
- 	-	if not, how to explain differences?
- Analysis limited to *trends *within country, due to data comparability problems

## Example of recent OECD use of disability statistics  “Transforming disability into ability”

- Goals of recent OECD study:
- 	1)	To review the economic and labour market 	integration of working-age disabled people 	across 20 OECD countries
- 	2)	To analyse the (in)consistency between 		income support and employment-oriented 	disability policies in each country

## Example of recent OECD use of disability statistics  “Transforming disability into ability”

- Key findings:
- 	-	income levels of households with a 		disabled person broadly *similar* to those 		with no disabled person
- 	-	employment rates of working-age disabled 	persons rather *low* however
- 	-	so income transfer programs *do* play an		important role in guaranteeing income 		security

## Example of recent OECD use of disability statistics  “Transforming disability into ability”

*First *data issue:  How to identify working-age people with disabilities?
- 	-	used general question on disability 		from national population surveys and 		European Community Household Panel
- 	-	also found people reporting to be 	severely 	disabled do *not* necessarily receive 		disability benefit, and vice versa
- 	-	so *no easy & single answer* to this question

## Average disability prevalence of 15% across 16 OECD countries, ranging from 21% in Sweden to 7% in Italy 

## Interpreting cross-country variations in general disability  

- _Not_ driven by differences in definition:
- 	-	“disability” defined consistently as self-reported 		activity limitation due to a health problem
- But differences can be driven by:
- 	1)	differences in survey questions (can be addressed 	by further harmonization)
- 	2)	cultural factors (might be addressed by use of more 	culturally-neutral questions, or attempts to calibrate)
- 	3)	availability of disability-related programs
- 	4)	“real” variations in disability prevalence