Functional difficulty questions cover either WG-SS (Washington Group Short Set) or Other functional difficulty questions. "Functional difficulty questions assess challenges individuals face in performing bodily functions or everyday activities due to disabilities, such as sight, hearing, walking, thinking, self-care, and communication, collecting data to understand their impact on independence and daily life."
The WGSS has questions covering six different domains as follows:
The WGSS uses a four-level scale (no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or cannot do at all).
Questions on functional difficulties in the six domains above may have different wording or different answers compared to the WG-SS. In case, they are considered as "Other functional difficulty questions".
If there are no questions on selfcare or communication, they are considered as "Other functional difficulty questions" as they would have the four core domains as per the United Nations guidelines on disability data collection for censuses.
Go to Analyze and select the language and disabilities to search (select ‘Select all disabilities’).
Choose a file to upload from your computer and select a country to assign the files.
You can choose multiple files to review at a time by uploading your documents to a single directory (folder) and selecting all the files you want to search.
It is best to review only 10-20 files at a time to avoid issues with the website’s performance.
The tool supports files in the following formats: .pdf, .xlsx, .xls, .csv, .txt, and .docx.
This tool works with OCR-compatible files. If a document is not OCR-compatible, the tool may not be able to identify relevant keywords. Users should then either make files OCR-compatible before using the tool or review the document manually.
If the country you want to assign the file is not listed yet, please tell the Fordham team. A few countries are not in the list as we have not analyzed questionnaires for them before and will add them for you.
In general, no change of keywords is necessary as the goal is to use a consistent set of keywords across regions for a consistent process.
If needed, add or modify keywords to search under each functional difficulty category (i.e., seeing, hearing, walking, cognition, self-care, and communication).
Other relevant keywords that do not fit into the six functional domains can be added to ‘Other disabilities keywords’.
Please let the Fordham team know if you use additional or modified keywords.
Once you selected "submit form", if you get an error message you can try the following.
Refresh your browser; disconnect any active VPNs; clear cache and cookies.
Some file formats may not be compatible with the tool; double check that the uploaded files are supported.
The tool supports files in the following formats: .pdf, .xlsx, .xls, .csv, .txt, and .docx.
The most relevant matches tend to be listed first when reviewing documents (i.e., keywords that fit the WG-SS or other functional difficulty questions will usually be found in the first few matches).
If a document has a large number of matches, focus on looking closely at the first 20-25 or so; if matches become less relevant as you go through them, you can skim through the last ones.
A match can contain several types of difficulty/question. The tool allows you to mark a match with different difficulties by clicking on one or more buttons per match. This allows you to select the part of the text that corresponds to the type of difficulty.
Record matches that have questions on the six functional domains by selecting the appropriate categories at the bottom of the page (i.e., seeing disability, hearing disability, etc.).
Write or edit the text to contain only the relevant disability question and indicate what type of disability question it is:
"Functional difficulty" is used for the WG-SS or Other functional difficulty questions.
Impairment.
Activity of Daily Living (ADL) questions.
Broad Activity Limitation question.
General disability question.
"Other disability questions" is used for all questions that do not fit into the other categories such as a question asking about disability benefit receipt.
If a questionnaire has functional difficulty questions in domains other than the six such as upper body functioning, anxiety, or questions on pain, click on the "Other disability questions" button and then select "Functional disability".
Make any comments about the dataset in the "User notes" box
Examples of comments you might want to make include if the dataset has questions on child disabilities.
Note that user notes are, at the moment, only able to be saved for one file.
When all matches are recorded or if a file has no disability questions, select the "I have finished with this file" button and fill in the information about the dataset.
Make sure to fill in all relevant fields.
When all fields are filled out, select ‘Save’ to move on to the next file; if all files have been analyzed, select ‘Generate report’ to generate the log.
Once the log generated, copy, paste, and save the columns for each questionnaire reviewed in the generated report into a master log, which we refer to as automated log below.
This automated log is a starting point to build upon to develop your final log for your region.
The final log requires the researcher to check the document manually and to make judgement calls.
It is best to review only 10-20 files at a time; this means that multiple reports will need to be generated and saved or pasted in the automated log.
Review the automated log for any errors and check the questionnaire to confirm the tool’s findings, if needed.
Note that images cannot be captured by the tool. Files with embedded images would need to be made OCR compatible first or should be reviewed manually.
The tool allows pdfs to be viewed while reviewing; these files can be read through while using the tool to confirm the tool is finding the right questions.
Since the tool does not display excel files, it may be a good idea to check Excel files manually to ensure the tool found all relevant questions.
Make appropriate edits to the automated log as needed.
During the review process or at the end, you can include a note in the form for any comments you wish to make.
If applicable, please note if the questionnaire includes one of these question sets:
The WG-SS Enhanced is comprised of 12 questions in these eight domains of functioning: seeing, hearing, walking or climbing stairs, remembering or concentrating, self-care, communication (expressive and receptive), upper body activities, and affect (depression and anxiety). The six WG Short Set on Functioning questions are embedded in the WG-SS Enhanced.
The following functional domains are included in the WG-ES: vision, hearing, mobility, cognition, self-care, communication, affect (anxiety & depression), upper body functioning, pain, fatigue. The WG-ES also includes additional on functioning with and without the use of devices/aids where applicable.
The CFM assesses difficulties in the following functional domains: vision, hearing, mobility, communication/comprehension, behavior and learning (all ages); dexterity and playing (2-4 years); and self-care, remembering, focusing attention, coping with change, relationships and emotions (5-17 years)
The LFS-DM was intended for inclusion in Labor Force Surveys and is also suitable for use in population-based surveys that collect data on employment. The module includes five sections: (1) disability identification; (2) barriers; (3) accommodation; (4) attitudes; and (5) social protection.
Covers 6 Domains of Functioning, including: Cognition – understanding & communicating; Mobility– moving & getting around; Self-care– hygiene, dressing, eating & staying alone; Getting along– interacting with other people; Life activities– domestic responsibilities, leisure, work & school; Participation– joining in community activities
Other question sets