Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD) An Introduction Prepared by: Ruben Mercado and Peter Kitchen McMaster Research Data Centre
Outline Overview Abstract Survey Framework General Content Target Population Sample Size Geography Data Users CSD versus Past Disability Surveys Key CSD Questions/Topics Linked content from the National Household Survey (NHS) Disability Screening Questions Caveats on Comparing CSD with Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS) References CSD Data Access
Overview Abstract. The CSD is a national survey of Canadian adults whose everyday activities are limited because of a long-term physical or mental condition or health-related problem who were living in Canada at the time of Census. developed by Statistics Canada in collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) - formerly Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). Input obtained from the ESDC Persons with Disabilities Technical Advisory Group which consists of experts in the field of disability, including academics and representatives from various community associations across Canada conducted from September 24, 2012 to January 13, 2013. Survey Framework. The CSD is based on a social model of disabilities (versus the medical model). the premise that disability is the result of the interaction between a person s functional limitations and barriers in the environment, including social and physical barriers that make it harder to function day-to-day. disability is a social disadvantage that an unsupportive environment imposes on top of an individual s impairment (Mackenzie et al, (2009). Living with disability series, Defining disability in the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, Canadian Social Trends, 2009/12. Statistics Canada, catalogue no. 11-008-X.).
Overview (2) General Content. CSD provides a range of data on: Types and severity of disability Use of aids and assistive devices; Help received or required by respondents; Educational attainment and labour force status Experiences of persons with disabilities and accommodations made at school or work; Ability to get around the community (+ public transit); Sources of income; Socio-economic indicators linked from the 2011 NHS. Target Population. The population covered by the CSD includes persons who reported an activity limitation on the 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) and who were 15 years of age or older as of the date of the NHS, May 10, 2011. since the NHS excludes the institutionalized population and other collective dwellings, as well as the population living on First Nation reserves, these populations are also excluded in the CSD the CSD only covers persons living in private dwellings in Canada.
Overview (3) Sample Size. @ 45,500 individuals with 75% overall response rate Geography. Provinces and territories of Canada, Census Metropolitan Areas (CMAs) Detailed age breakdowns are also available by province. Census Subdivision (CSD) estimates have to be examined for reliability on a case by case basis Survey design / Weights. CSD is based on a complex sampling. For survey results to be representative of the population, person weights are available for use for both those with disability and without disability. Bootstrap weights are also available to produce accurate coefficient of variation (CV), a measure of the sampling error. Data Users. Can be used for analysis by disability and social policy analysts at all levels of government, organizations or associations for persons with disabilities and researchers working in the field of disability policy and programs.
CSD versus Past Disability Surveys Disability concepts and survey methods have evolved over time from a medical towards a fuller social model Canadian Health and Disability Survey (Labour Force Survey Supplement) 1981 HALS (Health and Activity Limitation Survey) 1986 & 1991 PALS (Participation and Activity Limitation Survey, 2001 & 2006) CSD (Canadian Survey on Disability), 2012 CSD is more comprehensive Identifies both type and severity of disability with greater consistency Greater coverage of disability types including mental health-related/ learning and memory disabilities NHS record linkage CSD survey data are linked with the information they provided on the NHS. Respondents are informed at the time of the NHS. Benefits include: Reduced response burden Established better survey weights leading to more valid estimates More comprehensive microdata file on persons with disabilities in Canada not available from any other source
Key CSD Questions/Topics Disability screening questions Filter questions Screeners Disability questions Main underlying condition Aids and assistive devices Recurring aids and assistive devices questions Medication use Received and needed help with everyday activities Education Recent school attendance Past school attendance Educational experiences Educational background Employment Labour force status Employment details The unemployed Not in labour force Retirement Workplace training Employment modifications Labour force discrimination Getting around the community Public transit use Specialized transport use Problems encountered
Linked Content from the 2011 NHS (200 variables linked to the final CSD file) Household level variables Geography, including census metropolitan areas Housing, including tenure, number of rooms in dwelling and need for repairs Family, including presence of spouse/partner in household, number of children in census family Person-level variables Activity limitations, including activity difficulties/reductions at home, work and school Aboriginal identity and ancestry Demographics, including age, marital status and common-law status, place of birth Immigration, citizenship and ethnicity Education, including school attendance, location of study, postsecondary certificates, diplomas and degrees, types obtained, major field of study Employment, including labour force status, weeks worked in 2010, class of worker, fulltime or part-time work Place of work, including place of work status, type of commute and distance Mobility, including mobility status 1 and 5 years ago Income, including family income, employment income, low-income status (before and after tax) Language, including knowledge of official languages, mother tongue, language spoken at home and language of work
Disability Screening Questions (DSQ) DSQ identify the presence and severity of 10 distinct types of disabilities related to a health problem or condition that has lasted or is expected to last for six months or more. Seeing Pain Hearing Learning Mobility Developmental Flexibility Mental / Psychological Dexterity Memory
DSQ (2) The following provides the model for disability identification: * For each of the 10 disability types, the DSQ always have at least one question on the level of difficulty (no difficulty, etc.) and a question on the frequency of the limitation of daily activities (never, etc.). How much difficulty do you have? How often are your daily activities limited by.? Never Rarely Sometimes Often Always No difficulty Some difficulty A lot of difficulty Cannot do No disability No disability No disability No disability No disability No disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability Disability * Except for developmental disabilities where a person is considered to be disabled if the respondent has been diagnosed with this condition.
Caveats on Comparing CSD with PALS Comparison of CSD data to PALS data is neither possible nor recommended. New method of screening for disability. The CSD has adopted the newly developed DSQ which is being used for the first time to identify disability in Canada. Screening questions in the CSD more closely reflect a social model of disability than the PALS screening questions. CSD is more consistent across all types of disabilities, unlike the PALS. Changes to CSD content. CSD content has been streamlined and updated to reflect current technology and to correct weaknesses in question wording. Better identification of persons with mental health-related and cognitive types of disabilities in the CSD Methodological Changes The longer lag time between the NHS and CSD follow-up required a different method for calibration of weights which was not done in the 2006 PALS. Sampling frame for the CSD was derived from the 2011 NHS rather than the 2006 Census
References CSD Product Profile As of December 3, 2014, a webpage is available on Statistics Canada s website with detailed information about the CSD (www.statcan.gc.ca/csd) including : Fact Sheets Data tables Articles Technical reports Questionnaire CSD and PALS http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb-bmdi/document/3251_d6_t9_v1- eng.pdf The Daily http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/131203/dq131203a-eng.pdf http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/141203/dq141203-eng.pdf
CSD Data Access RDC Program http://www.statcan.gc.ca/rdc-cdr/ RDC Access at McMaster RDC: http://socserv.mcmaster.ca/rdc/ E-mail: rdc@mcmaster.ca Phone: 905-525-9140 ext. 27968 CSD Documents available for RDC Researchers CSD, 2012: Concepts and Methods Guide CSD, 2012: User Guide to the Analytical Data Files CSD, 2012: Analytical File for Persons With Disabilities CSD, 2012: Analytical File for Persons Without Disabilities CSD, 2012: Bootstrap Weights File CSD, 2012: Data Dictionary for Analytical File for Persons With Disabilities CSD, 2012: Data Dictionary for Analytical File for Persons Without Disabilities CSD, 2012: Supplement to the Data Dictionaries CSD, 2012: Questionnaire with skip patterns