Table 1 Disability inclusive health information and data 

Disability data is essential for countries to be able to develop evidenced-based health policies to monitor the implementation of the CRPD [6] and to measure progress towards national targets, as well as to take stock of the challenges that remain unresolved. Historically, countries have used different methods to collect information and data about disability. It has been found, however, that the most effective and sensitive way of understanding disability is to ask questions about difficulties in undertaking specific activities like walking, seeing, or hearing, as well as barriers in the environment that may contribute to those limitations [56, 57].

The World Health Organization (WHO) has a long tradition of supporting countries to collect valid and reliable data on disability, developing a range of tools and resources grounded in the conceptual framework of the ICF. The Model Disability Survey (MDS) provides comprehensive information about the distribution of disability in a population as well as information about what environmental factors contribute to the experience of disability [58]. Similarly, the WHO Disability Assessment Schedule II (WHO-DAS II) is a valid and reliable instrument that measures individual’s level of functioning in six major life domains: 1. Cognition – understanding & communicating; 2. Mobility– moving & getting around; 3. Self-care– hygiene, dressing, eating & living alone; 4. Getting along– interacting with other people; 5. Life activities– domestic responsibilities, leisure, work & school; and, 6. Participation– joining in community activities [59]. Lastly, the new Functioning and Disability Disaggregation Tool (FDD11) (pending publication) can be used when the focus of the data collection is disaggregation by disability of the information collected by another survey.