Canadian Survey on Disability (CSD)

Disability of person, status

Disability refers to whether or not a person is limited in his or her daily activities according to a prescribed level of difficulty with particular tasks due to a long-term condition or health problem lasting, or expecting to last, for a specified period of time.

Person refers to an individual and is the unit of analysis for most social statistics programs.

In the Canadian Survey on Disability, "Disability Screening Questions" (DSQ) are used to evaluate the presence and severity of ten (10) distinct types of disabilities related to a health problem or condition that has lasted or is expected to last for six months or more (the only exception to this is for developmental disabilities where a person is considered to be disabled if the respondent has been diagnosed with this condition). Screening questions emphasize consistency of measurement across disability types. The questions address the following ten (10) disability types: seeing, hearing, mobility, flexibility, dexterity, pain, learning, developmental, mental/psychological and memory. Respondents may report and therefore be classified as having more than one disability type.

The data for this variable are reported using the following classifications and/or lists:

• Status of Disability
  Data tables

  • Adults with and without disabilities, by age group and sex, Canada, provinces and territories Table: 115-0002
  • Adults with disabilities, by type, age group and sex, Canada, provinces and territories Table: 115-0003
  • Labour force status for adults with and without disabilities, by sex and age group, Canada, provinces and territories Table: 115-0005