A Standardised Disability Flag for Australia

Poster 532Mark Cooper-Stanbury and Jenny Hargreaves

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

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Context• Australian governments have a commitment to

promoting the rights of people with disability

• This includes the need to ensure that all mainstream programs address the needs of people with disability.

• ‘Mainstream’ services and programs are those that people encounter in everyday life – healthcare, education, housing, transport, community services.

• Accurate identification of people with disability is needed to monitor gaps in health and social outcomes, and service use and needs.

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Development principles

• Data should be readily collectable• The ‘Flag’ should be consistent with concepts

underpinning the ICF• Data should be comparable among sectors• Data should be meaningful – sensitive, specific,

broad• Aligned with population disability data• Use existing national standards where possible

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Development process• Critical review of

– concepts underpinning ICF– Survey and census-based instruments used by ABS– International work, including WHO-DAS and

‘Washington Group’ questions

• Consulted with experts in disability concepts and measurement

• Focus groups, cognitive interviews, pilot testing• Each with inputs from people with lived

experience of disability

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Representation of the Flag

• A combination of two data elements:

– Person—activity and participation life area, disability flag

– Person—need for assistance with activities in a life area, disability flag

• Additional questions about participation in work and education

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Representation of the StandardisedDisability Flag

• )

Always/sometimes need help and/or supervision

Havedifficulty, but don’t need help/supervision

Don’t have difficulty but use aids/equipment/ medications

Have no difficulty

Self care x

Mobility x

Communication x

Learning, applying knowledge

x

Managing things aroundthe home

x

Managing tasks and handling situations

x

Personal relationships x

Community life x

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• At individual or aggregate level:

– Extent of activity limitation

– Activity limitation flag (a summary of extent of activity limitation)

– Extent of core activity limitation

– Education participation restriction flag

– Employment participation restriction flag

• Relevant metadata in ISO/IEC 11179 format on AIHW’s METeOR metadata repository

Outputs

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Meteor.aihw.gov.au

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Next steps• Australia’s National Disability Strategy aims to have

a disability identifier in data for mainstream healthcare, education, housing, transport and community services

• Has been piloted with the Specialist Homelessness Services data collection

• Currently being implemented in other housing collections

• Discussions relating to healthcare and other sectors yet to occur