General Definitions and Concepts

First: Survey objectives

• First: Adopt the long list of the Washington disability group (ES-Q) questions with a view to including persons with disabilities within the target population.
• Second: Access to realistic indicators on the prevalence of disability, its characteristics, and the level of difficulties they face.
• Third: To assist decision-makers and national policy makers of the disability sector to adopt realistic principles and indicators in their decisions, ensuring the rights of persons with disabilities and meeting their needs and priorities.
• Fourth: Identify the services provided to persons with disabilities and their nature, and enable interested bodies in this sector to prioritize and formulate their policies.
• Fifth: Provide data and indicators periodically to measure changes in population characteristics over time, and to make local, regional and international comparisons.
• Sixth: Provide data on individuals with disabilities in the Kingdom in terms of levels, types, causes, social and demographic characteristics of the disabled and their geographical distribution.

Second: Survey sample

1. Sample design 

The Survey of Persons with Disabilities is considered a household survey conducted by the General Authority for Statistics(GASTAT)by using the framework of the updated version of the general Census of Population and Housing (2010-2010). And to obtain highly efficient and effective estimates, the survey community is divided into non-overlapping parts characterized by relative homogeneity in their units. Each part is considered as a layer, and each layer is treated independently. So that a random sample is drawn from each layer in an independent way, and eventually all the scanned units are combined to form the total sample. Taking into account the need for household surveys to be relatively larger in size than in other household surveys, because the survey variables are related to detailed levels such as age groups by gender and nationality, to ensure that the representative's results are given to the demographic variables at the administrative regions level.

2. Steps to design and select the survey sample

Prior to the design of the survey sample and the selection of the appropriate method, the objectives of the Survey of Persons with Disabilities (2017) and the sample of the previous survey (2016) were studied and examined. The SD and CV variables were also analyzed for some of the main demographic variables in the survey, hence, the sample size of the new survey was estimated. The selected sample was a randomized cluster-stratified sample, which was selected in two Stages according to the following:

Stage one: 

After selecting the optimal sample size of the households for each administrative region, the process of withdrawing the primary sampling units (PSU), which are the counting areas, has started from the main sampling frame. About (1300) enumeration areas were drawn from (3600) enumeration areas in the main survey sample of Households. they are distributed across all the levels in all administrative regions using the proportional method of size and are distributed as follows:

Stage two: 

The secondary sampling units (SSU) were randomly drawn from the enumeration areas selected in the first stage using the regular random sample. Twenty-five households were selected from each enumeration area, a total of (33575) households at the Kingdom’s level are distributed as follow:

3. Survey sample’s scope 

The Disability Survey sample includes Saudi and non-Saudi households residing in Saudi Arabia and Saudis who are temporarily outside the Kingdom for any reason, such as treatment, study, tourism, etc., and they are included within their households members as long as their households were included in the sample. The survey sample covered all administrative regions in the Kingdom.

Third: Survey form: 

The form was designed and prepared by specialists in the General Authority for Statistics, and the paper form was transferred to electronic, also, the design of the questionnaire has considered the international recommendations, standards and definitions, and the international and local requirements. The form included a set of questions classified into several main sections as follows:

Questions about the data and characteristic of the person with disabilities, included:

• Household characteristics
• Demographic characteristics
• Social characteristics
• Economic characteristics

Questions on Disability / Functional Difficulties According to the Washington Group's long list, taking into account the nature of the community (where the main questions were adopted, and the use of a number of sub-questions that provided information relevant to disability-related bodies (eg, use of glasses or medical lenses, use of hearing aids, And the use of sign language.) The main questions include: 

• Visual impairment 
• Hearing impairment
• Difficulty when walking or climbing stairs (movement difficulties) and the aids used for movement. 
• Communication and understanding difficulty
• Remembering and concentrating difficulty
• Difficulty with personal care
• Feelings of anxiety and depression

Important questions to understand disability conditions and causes, including the following:

• Duration of the difficulty
• Cause of disability
• Services obtained from the Ministry of Labor and Social Development and the type of services
• Relationship between mother and father
• The usual place of residence
• If there was a previous diagnosis of any type of disability

Fourth: Data collection and time reference of the survey:

The survey was conducted during the period from 17/7/1438 to 22/8/1438 H corresponding to 14/4/2017 to 18/5/2017. The interview method was used with the head of the household in the process of completing the survey form. Data collectors conducted field visits to households for the sample and data collection.    

The data of the persons with disabilities survey form, in terms of time reference, are divided into the following:

•  Refer the basic data for all household members in terms of their number and basic characteristics such as: age, nationality, educational status and marital status to the date on which all the form data are completed.
•  Refer the case data to the week preceding the household visit.

Fifth: Definitions: 

Administrative Region:

Part of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that is administered by a government agency which is directly affiliated with the Ministry of Interior such as Riyadh and Makkah ... etc. And each administrative region has a capital city.

Building:

Building is every structure; whether permanent or temporary, single- or multi-storey, with one or more rooms, and has one or more doors through which to access it. A building might and might not be inhabited; and it could be intended for housing, or for economic, social or religious purposes ... etc., such as such as a complex, a palace, a villa, a popular house, a tent, a hut, a shack, a shanty, a government body, a shop, a mosque… etc.

Note that annexes to a building or a villa such as a garage or a shop are not counted as separate buildings. Likewise, bridges, power rooms, water pumps are not counted as buildings unless used for residential purposes during census period. In addition, buildings under construction are counted as buildings unless bases, foundations and walls are built. 

Dwelling:

It is a single- or multi-room unit which is primarily prepared for one family and has one separate door, whether it was still under construction, occupied or inhabited during the survey and enumeration. The dwelling might accommodate one or more households, one or more businesses, or a household and a business simultaneously. For the purposes of census and field studies, every inhabited building during the numbering period shall be counted as a dwelling, even if it was not set up for that purpose such as workshops and schools. A villa, house, apartment, tent, shack and formwork are types of dwellings.

Household:

A 'household' refers to a person or a group of persons - with or without kinship binding them to one another - who share residence during the enumeration. The household includes: 

. Saudi and non-Saudi nationals who usually live with the household but they were absent while the survey was conducted for being temporarily away; for example, businessmen, tourists, people who are travel for medication, students on scholarship beyond the borders of the kingdom.

. Individuals who stay with the household and were absent during conducting the study for the reason of being serving at work night shifts; for example, guards, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and airport employees, in addition to household members who were at some public dwellings during the researcher's visit to the household. 

. Servants, drivers and the like who are members of the same household.

. Family members who are on a trip in the Kingdom.

Head of the household:

It refers to the person regarded by the household members as its chief member. Usually, he is responsible for undertaking the responsibility of the household and his age must not be under (15) years old. If the household consists of children and their mother, and they are cared for by a relative who does not live with them, such a relative shall not be deemed as the head of the household, nor shall he be recorded as one of its members, since he shall be recorded with his own family. In this case, the mother shall be deemed as the head of the household. 

Population:

All individuals residing in the Kingdom at the time of the survey, both Saudis and non-Saudis.

 Survey population:

Household members selected in the sample, living in dwellings and known as a household.

Age:

Is the estimated or calculated time period between the date of birth and the date of the visit expressed in full years with the neglect of months and days, whatever their number.

Nationality:

Is the individual legal subordination to a particular State represented by its name and is usually determined by the passport held by the individual or to which he is entitled.

Person with Disability:

Every person who has deficiencies in any of the functions or physical structures that result in his limited ability to participate as a result of environmental and personal factors. Therefore, the term "difficulties" was used to reflect the limitations of functions and physical structures, and to avoid using the term "disability" because of the stigma that leads to the denial of its existence. According to the Washington Group of Disability Classification, difficulties are measured in their three degrees (mild - severe –extreme).

Medical Eyeglasses:

 Is the medical device used by a person to help him overcome a problem with vision (which may be glasses or medical lenses).

Hearing aids:

Is the medical device used by a person to help him overcome a hearing problem (i.e. mild, sever or extreme hearing impairment). The hearing aid can be a headset outside the ear or a very small and invisible earphone, and the speakers can be used in the auditory classes or halls.

Aids used for movement:

Is the medical device used by the person to help him or her to move (e.g., crutches, wheelchair or electric wheelchair, walker or standing frame, upper or lower prostheses, or even assistance from someone else).

Communication difficulties: 

Are the problems a person experiences in expressing and communicating what he wants to others, or problems in understanding what others are saying or both. This problem is mainly related to expressive or independent language abilities and is the problem of expression, understanding, or both.

Sign language:

Is the method used to communicate with the deaf using the movement of fingers and hands - essentially - to express letters, numbers and words. Facial expressions, lip movement, and body movement are also used to express words, concepts, numbers, and places. 

Remembering and concentrating: 

Indicates the ability to retrieve information and events recent or old from memory. Concentrating refers to the ability to pursue one topic without distraction. 

Personal care:

Means the skills and practices to maintain appearance and health (e.g. washing hands and face, cleaning teeth, bathing or washing, wearing clothes or shoes, etc.).

Anxiety:

Anxiety is defined as a psychological condition that appears to be continuously tense as a result of the individual's feeling of danger. This danger may already be present or may be false, which does not exist in reality and its prolonged duration is considered a diseased condition requiring treatment.

Depression:

Depression can be defined as a state of continuous sadness that may last for two weeks or more and it is considered a diseased condition that requires treatment.

Diagnosis:

Is the description issued by an approved report to determine the type or severity of the condition or disease (mild, severe, extreme) and in many cases involves the method of treatment.

Special Education Centre (Care and Rehabilitation):

 It provides training, rehabilitation and educational services for children with disabilities in the public or private sectors or in the voluntary sector.