NSO Trainings
WASHINGTON GROUP TRAINING WORKSHOPS
The Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG) has conducted or participated in numerous disability training workshops designed to disseminate information on the collection and dissemination of disability data, and the use of data collected using cross-culturally comparable disability tools developed by the WG. A list of these workshops – by topic, host, or targeted audience – is linked here.
Implementation Workshop PowerPoint Presentations:
These PowerPoint presentations contain material used in WG trainings and workshops. The contents are targeted primarily to representatives from National Statistical Offices (NSOs) but are also relevant to Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs)s, Disabled People’s Organizations (DPO) and International Aid Agencies interested in collecting, analyzing, disseminating or using information on persons with disabilities for program purposes.
A summary of each presentation is presented below.
1: Overview of Disability Measurement and the Washington Group on Disability Statistics
This presentation provides an overview of disability data collection and its importance for producing valid and reliable statistics for estimating prevalence and disaggregating outcome indicators by disability status.
A brief background on the Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG) is provided including the role played by the WG in the development of cross-nationally comparable data on disability.
The WG Short Set on Functioning (WG-SS) is introduced as a tool for measuring disability.
Various resources on the WG website including FAQs & Blogs are cited.
2: Cognitive Testing of Questions to Improve Data Quality
This presentation provides an overview of cognitive testing.
Cognitive testing is used to understand how respondents with different characteristics interpret questions and formulate responses. The results of the test are used to develop questions and response options that will produce comparable data on disability across population groups including cross-nationally and cross-culturally.
Cognitive testing is important when developing and evaluating new questions and when translating approved questions.
3: Best Practices for Collecting Information on Disability through Questionnaires
This presentation provides an overview of best practices in collecting disability data.
Issues covered:
- Choice of words to describe disability in the questions
- Wording for the response options for the disability questions
- Importance of careful translation of both the questions and response options
- Assuring cultural appropriateness of the questions
- Interviewer training
Selected FAQs are presented explaining the WG approach and links are provided for additional FAQs.
4: Data Production and Analysis Using the WG Tools
This presentation provides an overview of types of analyses that are possible using the WG-SS for addressing:
- individual domains of functioning
- combinations of domains or
- all domains.
If information from more than one domain is used it is necessary to develop rules for combining information across domains.
Guidelines are provided for analyzing the WG-ES based on the inclusion of different constellations of domains:
- All 11 domains (25 questions)
- Nine domains (20 questions - omitting pain and fatigue)
- Nine domains (12 questions – WG-SS Enhanced)
Creating disability indicators requires establishing a cut-off or threshold for inclusion as a person with disability. Four possibilities are described; one is recommended by the WG for the purposes of generating & reporting internationally comparable disability data.
5: UNICEF/WG Child Functioning Module (CFM)
This presentation provides an overview of the development of a question set specifically designed to capture functioning and disability among children.
Topics covered include:
- The need for accurate and reliable data on child functioning and disability
- Issues of measuring disability during child development
- Background to the development of the UNICEF/WG CFM
- Disability determination using the CFM
- Validation and testing of the CFM
- Supporting documentation
- The CFM in the MICS (Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys)
6: The Importance & Feasibility of Disaggregation by Disability Status: Monitoring the UNCRPD and SDGs
This presentation provides an overview of how the WG tools, the WG-SS, WG-ES, WG-SS Enhanced and the CFM can be used to:
- disaggregate outcome indicators (like access to education or employment)
- monitor the UN CRPD
- fulfill the requirements of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the SDGs.
An example of data disaggregation by disability status is provided based on data submitted from several WG member countries.
7: Measuring the Environment and Participation: Inclusive Education and Employment
This presentation provides an overview of the development of two WG survey modules:
- UNICEF/WG Inclusive Education Module (IEM)
- ILO/WG Labor Force Survey Disability Module (LFS DM)
Each includes a disability determination element. The IEM uses the CFM and the LFS DM uses the WG-SS (with optional inclusion of anxiety and depression questions).
The IEM assesses facilitators and barriers to education for ALL children. These can then be analyzed by disability status to determine whether children with disability are excluded compared to children without disability.
The LFS DM assess environmental facilitators and barriers to employment for those individuals identified as having disability according to the WG tool used.