IN THIS ISSUE:
Welcome to Readers | Canadian Data Sources | Research Themes
Welcome to Readers of this first Disability Information Sheet published by the Canadian Council on Social Development (CCSD). This edition is part of an occasional series of information sheets that the CCSD will make available (as resources permit) as part of its commitment to produce and disseminate research on persons with disabilities. The CCSD plans to disseminate research information on persons with disabilities to a broad range of users, including the following groups:
Each year, the CCSD receives countless requests for information about statistics and potential data sources related to persons with disabilities. This kind of information can be critical to people working with persons with disabilities, whether they deliver services directly, design programs and policies, or develop proposals, research projects, and program initiatives.
The short-term objective of the CCSD's disability research program is to identify information gaps in the area of persons with disabilities and to try to fill those gaps by using existing research databases that have not been fully explored. With funding support from Human Resources Development Canada, the CCSD will produce three information sheets this year. As resources permit, we will produce more information sheets on specific disability-related data needs identified by our readers. Ultimately, input from readers of these information sheets and other potential users of disability research information will help direct the topics covered.
In order to make the research information as accessible as possible and available to as many users as possible, each of these three initial information sheets will be produced in both English and French-language versions. Each issue will be mailed (or e-mailed) to potential user groups, with bulk copies sent to groups with large affiliated memberships so that they can distribute additional copies throughout their communities. As well, this disability research information will be accessible on a new subsite on the CCSD's award-winning website at www.ccsd.ca/drip (see page 12 for more details).
In this first issue, we present information about two important and frequently asked questions:
One of the most commonly asked questions about disability research involves the availability of different data sources. People want to know what kinds of data are available on persons with disabilities. In this first section, we provide a brief overview of some of the major databases that are available in Canada today and several that will be available in the near future.
Some of these databases provide cross-sectional data. That means they provide a "snapshot" of information about people at the time the data were gathered. While respondents to a cross-sectional survey may be asked questions about things that happened over time in the past, the survey does not follow these same individuals to determine how things may change in the future. If a particular survey is later repeated, it draws upon a new sample of individuals that cannot be linked to the original survey sample. Most of the surveys listed below are cross-sectional.
Other databases provide longitudinal data. That means the same group of individuals is surveyed more than once. Typically, the same respondents are surveyed once a year or once every two years, which allows data users to track specific changes in the lives of these individuals. Longitudinal surveys listed below are specifically noted as such.
Unfortunately, most surveys do not cover the following subgroups of the Canadian population:
But of course there are a few exceptions. The Census is the most notable, as it covers the entire Canadian population. The APS, HALS, PALS, NPHS, CCHS and the NLSCY (described below) include the Territories, although sometimes in a separate survey. Only the APS and the Census gather data on people living on Indian Reserves. By excluding data on persons living on Indian Reserves and those living in the Territories, most survey databases do not include a representative sample of Aboriginal persons - since this population is highly concentrated in these two areas.
The following is a summary of some of the major Canadian databases which contain a "flag" for disability status. The years listed for each survey are the years in which that survey was, or will be, conducted. There is usually a gap of time between the gathering of survey data and the release of that data for analysis. Many of the surveys conducted in 1999 or later are not yet available for analysis.
Each cycle of the GSS features a specific topic of interest:
Personal Risk: GSS Cycle 8 (1993)
Victimization: GSS Cycle 13 (1999)
Work, Education, Retirement: GSS Cycle 9 (1994)
The Family: GSS Cycle 10 (1995)
Social Supports: GSS Cycle 11 (1996)
Access to Information Technology: GSS Cycle 14 (2000)
There are two surveys which go beyond the norm in gathering rich data on the labour market experiences of individuals. The SLID provides data at both the individual level and the job level, in order to better capture the dynamic nature of the labour market experience. The WES focuses on the nature of the workplace itself and provides data at the individual level and the workplace level. Together, these two surveys can provide research data on "employment and persons with disabilities" at three levels of analysis: the individual, the workplace, and the job.
In 1994, the National Population Health Survey (NPHS) began. It was designed to provide both longitudinal and cross-sectional data on the health of Canadians over a 20-year period, with data being gathered every two years. In 2000, a second health survey began - the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS). The NPHS will continue as a longitudinal survey every two years. The CCHS will be a cross-sectional survey conducted each year, but the sample size and design will alternate. One year, the CCHS will gather provincial-level data and the next year, it will gather data at the level of the health region (a much larger sample size). For more information about health regions, see www.statcan.ca/english/concepts/health/regions.htm.*
To gather detailed information on persons with disabilities, the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS) was conducted in 1986 and 1991. Both surveys were post-censal, which means that information from the Census was used to generate a large sample of individuals with disabilities. In 2001, another post-censal survey will be conducted to gather detailed information on persons with disabilities. This new survey will be called the Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS).
Throughout the 1990s, a number of surveys were conducted which focused on youth and young adults, particularly their school-to-work transition. The National Graduate Surveys provide information on recent post-secondary graduates and the School Leavers Survey provides information on youth who left high school before graduation. A new survey, the Canadian Longitudinal Youth in Transition Survey (YITS), will focus on youth and young adults with a particular emphasis on their transition from school to work.
Survey 1: 1990 graduates interviewed in 1992 and again in 1995
Survey 2: 1995 graduates interviewed in 1997
The Canadian data sources listed above provide a number of research opportunities for users of disability data. While some of these data sources are not yet available for analysis and others may be difficult to access, that list can be a useful resource in planning research. In this next section, we provide some examples of the kinds of research questions and themes that could be pursued using those data sources.
While almost all working people experience some conflicts in maintaining a balance between their work and family responsibilities, some persons with disabilities have a much more complex balancing act. For some persons with disabilities, their responsibilities for domestic labour may require extra time, particularly if they do not live in an accessible environment. Some possible areas of research here include the following:
Given the close relationship between age and disability, there has long been a concern for the situation of older workers with disabilities, many of whom became disabled later in life. Some possible areas of research here include:
Past research has indicated that increased levels of education and training have a positive impact on the labour force outcomes of persons with disabilities - such as higher rates of labour force participation and higher earnings - but this basic relationship has not been fully explored. There are now databases available that would permit a more detailed analysis of these issues, such as the following:
Recent changes in the labour market might affect persons with and without disabilities differently. But how are persons with disabilities affected by this segmentation of the labour market and changing conditions? Research currently underway indicates that during the mid-1990s, persons with disabilities in the paid labour force were increasingly more likely to be among the lowest wage earners. This suggests that persons with disabilities might have had fewer opportunities to find and maintain jobs in some labour markets, particularly those in the core sector (typically associated with more secure jobs, higher paying jobs, those with better benefits and greater potential for upward mobility, and so on). Further analysis could be done to determine what transformations have been taking place in the labour market and how these changes have affected persons with disabilities.
Until the new PALS is released, there are few survey databases that can provide information on supports and services for persons with disabilities. For ongoing research in this area, see information from the Office for Disability Issues at HRDC at http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/hrib/sdd-dds/odi/documents/disability_bulletin/toc.shtml.
Citizenship issues cover a wide range of topics. The following areas might be explored:
Research questions involving health care, school patterns, activities, poverty, and the like can be explored for some age groups of children using the NLSCY, NPHS, and CCHS. As well, a wide range of activities - such as educational activities, employment patterns, and lifestyle pursuits - for young adults with disabilities will be covered in the YITS when it becomes available.
There are only two national surveys that can identify Aboriginal persons with disabilities: the APS (1991 & 2001) and the Census (1991, 1996 & 2001). Although dated, information from the 1991 APS has not been fully explored for issues pertaining to Aboriginal persons with disabilities.
As noted earlier, the exclusion of people living in the Territories and those on reserves from most databases results in a significant proportion of the Aboriginal population not being represented in the data that are collected. Although some databases attempt to identify Aboriginal persons living off reserves, it is often difficult - if not impossible - to identify different groups of Aboriginal persons, particularly persons from the Métis Nation.
In lieu of having national-level databases, information gathered by various groups at the community level - such as in program or administrative files, registries, and so on - should be considered for research analysis. However, these data would best be analyzed by those from the relevant communities, particularly those who have an understanding of how the data were gathered, what biases might exist, what meaning is attached to the data within the community, and so on.
Another popular area of research among data users has been the development of a wide range of "social indicators" in order to construct an accountability framework for persons with disabilities. Background research in support of this would require data from surveys that are repeated at equal intervals over time (such as yearly, every second year, or every three years), with common content collected in each survey. It would also require very careful consideration of the kinds of indicators desired. One possible research task in this area would be to try to develop a methodology to use existing data or gather new data that could be used to construct concrete indicators of well-being for persons with disabilities.