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Data and statistics on disability in developing countries

EIDE, Arne H
LOEB, Mitch E
2005

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This report was produced for the UK Department for International Development's (DFID) Disability Knowledge and Research Programme. Disability statistics in low-income countries have so far largely comprised impairment-based prevalence figures. It is argued that prevalence in itself is of limited interest and that there is a need for data that can describe, analyse and compare the situation among individuals with disabilities, as well as contribute to increased knowledge about the link between disability and poverty. By using the conceptual scheme inherent in the ICF (international classification of functioning, disability and health) model, an alternative approach to disability statistics may be developed. As an alternative to dividing the population into disabled and non-disabled, activity limitation and/or restrictions in social participation can be measured as a continuous variable among all regardless of the presence of any impairment. We thus have two different approaches for developing disability statistics, and it is argued that they will both provide useful information

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