Social model of disability: discovery phase interim report

The report sets out the findings from the first (discovery) phase of research to develop and test survey questions that reflect the social model of disability.

The aim of this phase was to understand the different models of disability, examine how data users generate statistics related to disabled people from survey data, identify existing questions sets that collect data about disabled people, and understand disabled peoples’ perspectives on how and what information should be collected in survey measures for disabled people.

Workshops with users of data highlighted the importance of harmonised and comparable data but reflected that current questions could exclude or create barriers for some disabled people. They engaged positively with the prospect of using social model-informed questions but felt survey usability and in-depth data collection should be balanced.

A systematic review of existing survey measures evaluated whether they met, or could be adapted to meet, the needs of data users and whether they align with language of the social model of disability. It found that some existing measures partially align with the social model of disability, but most would require substantial adaptation to fully reflect its principles and meet the needs of data users.

Deliberative research conducted with disabled people found that a variety of terms to were used to describe ‘disability’. Most participants felt inclusivity was more important than data comparability. They liked the idea of a social model-inspired survey question. Most participants were in favour of using it along with a question about impairment, to produce more actionable data.