Learning Evaluation of the Disability Rights Fund

The Disability Rights Fund (DRF) is a partnership between funders and the disability community that provides grants and other support for work at country-level towards the realisation of rights affirmed in the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. DRF believes that enhancing the participation of persons with disabilities in the realisation of their rights will have an impact on poverty among persons with disabilities.In 2012, DRF conducted its first external evaluation. The evaluation, which was conducted by Universalia, concluded with an overall positive assessment of the Fund's performance, highlighting the Fund's relevance and progress towards its stated results. In 2013, DRF concluded another partnership agreement with DFID of the duration of 3 years. Both as part of the conditions set in this partnership agreement and as DRF being a learning-oriented organization, DRF launched a call for proposals to conduct a learning evaluation, consisting of two interrelated components: the development or adjustment of DRF's tools for data collection, recording, and management; and the mid-term evaluation of DRF grantmaking operations.The Learning Evaluation had the following objectives: i) provide an update on progress made towards the achievement of the output-, outcome- and impact-level results in DRF's logical framework; ii) identify DRF's contributions to results achieved and factors affecting performance; iii) make an overall assessment of DRF's value for money; and iv) provide DRF staff with a clear set of lessons learned to improve current interventions and guide future ones

Evaluating the effectiveness of the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order (2006) duties

This report evaluates the effectiveness of the Disability Discrimination (NI) Order (2006) duties. These duties require public authorities in Northern Ireland to promote positive attitudes towards disabled people and to encourage the participation of disabled people in public life. The duties also require public authorities to produce disability action plans and to report annually on progress towards disability equality. The report provides a framework for evaluation of progress and applies this to provide an assessment of the implementation of these duties up to 2009 and makes recommendations to improve the effectiveness and implementation of the duties

Evaluation of Disability Employment Policy Demonstration Programs

[Excerpt] Having characterized the intermediary approach from published literature, as well as impressions of those who are using this approach in their demonstration projects, and reviewed ODEP’s requirements regarding implementation of the intermediary approach, Westat determined that the intermediary approaches required in the SGAs for the State Intermediary and Faith-based Mentoring demonstration programs have much in common with other ODEP demonstration programs. Other ODEP programs require demonstration projects to partner and collaborate with businesses and business organizations, government, transportation systems, and health and other service providers. They also have goals for ensuring quality and impact and promoting policies to sustain effective practices. The difference, however, is that the State Intermediary and Faith-based mentoring SGAs specifically identified the intermediary approach as the strategy to use. The State Intermediary SGA went even further by delineating specific steps as part of the intermediary process (resource mapping and development of a state plan). Our literature review uncovered a wide variety of examples in which the intermediary approach has achieved useful outcomes on behalf of youth with disabilities. However, all literature we found was descriptive and did not address questions on effectiveness or the most appropriate strategies. Therefore, it is not known whether the intermediary approach is the most fruitful approach for achieving systems change, whether there are some intermediary approaches that are better than others, or whether those approaches would be repeatable and adaptable to other environments. Nevertheless, at our three site visits, we were able to uncover a variety of examples of activities that are consistent with intermediary strategic and operational functions identified in the literature and appear to bode well for success in achieving systems change. Further review of Quarterly Reports and findings from site visits also revealed some systems change already taking place in the systems change focus areas of capacity-building, coordination, consumer choice and employer support, and evaluation of new practices. Subsequent site visits in Phase IV of the independent evaluation are likely to uncover additional examples of intermediary processes, outputs, and outcomes, as well as those practices that appear to be most successful in achieving systems change

ICF-Based Disability Survey in a Rural Population of Adults and Older Adults Living in Cinco Villas, Northeastern Spain: Design, Methods and Population Characteristics

Background: This article describes the methods of a door-to-door screening survey exploring the distribution of disability and its major determinants in northeastern Spain. This study will set the basis for the development of disability-related services for the rural elderly in northeastern Spain. Methods: The probabilistic sample was composed of 1,354 de facto residents from a population of 12,784 Social Security card holders (age: 6 50 years). Cognitive and disability screenings were conducted (period: June 2008-June 2009). Screening instruments were the MMSE and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule. Participants screened positive for disability underwent an assessment protocol focusing on primary care diagnoses, disability, lifestyle, and social and health service usage. Participants screened positive for cognitive functioning went through in-depth neurological evaluation. Results: The study sample is described. Usable data were available for 1,216 participants. A total of 625 individuals (51.4%) scored within the positive range in the disability screening, while 135 (11.1%) scored within the positive range of the cognitive screening. The proportion of positively screened individuals was higher for women and increased with age. Conclusions: Screening surveys represent a feasible design for examining the distribution of disability and its determinants among the elderly. Data quality may benefit from methodological developments tailored to rural populations with a low education level. Copyright (C) 2010 S. Karger AG, Base

Screening disability insurance applications

This paper investigates the effects of stricter screening of disability insurance applications. A large-scale experiment was setup where in two of the 26 Dutch regions case workers of the disability insurance administration were instructed to screen applications more stringently. The empirical results show that stricter screening reduces long-term sickness absenteeism and disability insurance applications. We find evidence for direct effects of stricter screening on work resumption during the period of sickness absence and for self-screening by potential disability insurance applicants. Stricter screening seems to improve targeting efficiency, without inducing negative spillover effects to the inflow into unemployment insurance. The costs of stricter screening are only a small fraction of the monetary benefits.Disability insurance; experiment; policy evaluation; sickness absenteeism; self-screening

Annual Compendium of Disability Statistics: 2015

Statistics are a powerful tool—in research, policymaking, program evaluation, and advocacy. They are used to frame the issues, monitor current circumstances and progress, judge the effectiveness of policies and programs, make projections about the future, and predict the costs of potential policy changes. In the United States, statistics about the population with disabilities and about the government programs that serve people with disabilities—disability statistics—are often difficult to find. Numerous government agencies generate and publish disability statistics, and as a result, disability statistics are scattered and buried in documents and websites all across the federal government. The Annual Disability Statistics Compendium is a publication of statistics about people with disabilities and about the government programs which serve them. It is modeled after the Statistical Abstracts of the United States, published yearly by the U.S. Department of Commerce. The Compendium is designed to serve as a summary of government statistics

Disability employment policy

This paper is the first in a series aimed at analyzing disability employment policy, and developing recommendations for policy reform in middle income countries. As the first paper in this series, this study provides a general overview of the relationship between disability and employment, focusing primarily on disability employment policies in OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) countries. It discusses how well these policies address the dual functions of integration, and income security, and reports on recent trends. A variety of policy tools are examined: full and partial disability cash benefits, vocational rehabilitation and training, supported work, sheltered and public sector employment, hiring quotas, tax incentives for employers, and anti-discrimination laws. A general set of recommendations are offered on designing disability employment policies in emerging economies.Social Protections&Assistance,Health Monitoring&Evaluation,Work&Working Conditions,Gender and Law,Social Cohesion