Pilot: Comparative Data and Monitoring

Using data from pan-European statistics, such as EU-SILC, examples were presented to illustrate the potential for comparisons in a range of areas:

• Disability Rate / Demographics
• Recipients of disability benefits
• Happiness
• Personal and Family Life: proportions who live alone, and proportions who are parents
• Choice and Control: proportions of disabled people who feel their support needs are met
• Access to Goods And Services: proportions voting in national elections; perceived quality of public transport; proportions satisfied with housing
• Education and Lifelong Learning: proportion completing tertiary education
• Work and Employment: transition probabilities from education to work; and employment, unemployment and economic activity rates.
• Incomes and Poverty: risk of poverty

Figures were generally presented to enable comparison with non-disabled people in each country, and could often also be disaggregated, for example, by gender, age or severity of impairment.

Presentation Prof. Stefanos Grammenos:
Audio recording (mp3 28 min)
Powerpoint (PDF 194 kB)
Handout (PDF 112 kB)

Professor Jerome Bickenbach (Disability Policy Unit, Swiss Paraplegic Research) commented specifically on the challenge of measuring disability equality in relation to the UN Convention.

He emphasized the necessity of interpreting rights in a focused and precise way.  This would help avoid the danger of rights becoming purely empty rhetoric, because they are too broadly framed to be implemented.

He stressed that there needs to be a clear analysis of the precise scope and contents of the rights in the UN Convention before consideration can be given to developing indicators of progress.

Presentation Professor Jerome Bickenbach:
Audio recording (mp3 21 min)
Powerpoint (PDF 140 kB)
Handout (PDF 139 kB)

Lucian Agafitei (Eurostat) gave a presentation on current statistical and data developments relevant to measuring disability equality in Europe, beginning with the policy context for the development of new statistical instruments.

The European Disability Action Plan (2003-2010) and now European Disability Strategy (2010-2020) generate a need for consistent statistics in the enlarged European Union. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities creates specific statistical obligations for the Member States and the EU (Articles 31, 33 and 35):

• to monitor and regularly report on its implementation
• to collect statistical information on disability

One key new development is the European Survey on Health and Social Integration (ESHSI) which develops a specific module on the participation of people with disabilities in society:

• Piloted in 10 member states in 2009
• Implementation in 2012 in all Member States
• Asks about participation/limitation in daily activities, learning opportunities, work, social activities, mobility, transport and accessibility to buildings
• For those not participating or with limited participation it identifies the barriers, including environmental factors (finances, convenience, lack of assistive devices or personal help). 
• 12 sections :
  • Socio-economic background
  • General health and longstanding health problems
  • Mobility
  • Transport
  • Accessibility to buildings
  • Education and training
  • Employment
  • Internet use
  • Social contact and support
  • Leisure pursuits
  • Economic life
  • Attitudes and Behaviour

The European Commission and the Task Force on Disability Statistics support the idea of repeating this survey every five years.

Without relevant and reliable data, there can be no monitoring, no meaningful implementation, nor meaningful rights….

Presentation Lucian Agafitei:
Audio recording (mp3 12 min)
Powerpoint (PDF 233 kB)
Handout (PDF 232 kB)

Inmaculada Placencia-Porrero (Deputy Head of the European Commission’s Disability Unit) presented initial proposals for an online tool to measure progress on the implementation of the UN Convention and the Disability Strategy in Member States,. The objective is to establish a baseline in 2011, against which future progress can be measured.

The initial focus would be on qualitative indicators of progress on the implementation of law and policy instruments in selected policy areas relevant toimplementation of the UN Convention.  The goal is to establishtools to measure change by the mid-term of the Disability Strategy 2015, involving ANED in collecting data and developing new measures. Consideration would then be given to the development of quantitative indicators in the later years of the Strategy implementation.