Conducting Surveys on Disability: A Comprehensive Toolkit

Major Steps in the Design of the
Questionnaire
A certain number of principles must be considered when
designing a questionnaire. The quality of information gathered
relies mainly on the efficient and easy use of this tool.
Logical Order of Questions and Skip
Patterns
The quality of the information gathered depends largely upon
the way the questionnaire is designed (see box, p30).
Single Meaning of Questions
In a well-organised questionnaire, each question should have a
unique meaning and a single possible interpretation. This is
the ideal goal to pursue. Multiple meanings inevitably lead to
incorrect and useless information. This does not allow for any
kind of valid results during the analysis phase.
Possible Link between Questions
A question can be linked to a previous one. Usually, it is better
to have a pattern inside the questionnaire itself which will
explain the link (see box below).
Keep Sensitive Questions for the End
Since disability topics are sensitive in many cultures, particularly
for certain types, the order in which questions are asked is
extremely important for several reasons:
• It reduces non-response and even hostility in some
places like south Afghanistan. The sensitive questions
should be asked at the end of the interview;
• It prevents the interviewee from becoming defensive or
suspicious from the very beginning of the interview, thus
jeopardising the collection of reliable information;
• More generally, it avoids loss of interest and ensures a
higher level of cooperation.
Sensitive questions are not only those about disability. These can
be also questions about:
• Income and loans;
• Sexuality;
• Ill-treatment;
• Access to adequate food, the omnipresence of hunger.
Different Respondents
The design of the questionnaire must take into consideration
that different people will answer the questionnaire. Usually,
the person screened or chosen through random sampling (for
controls) is the one who is interviewed. In a household survey
related to disability, the person with disability is generally the
interviewee. There are some exceptions to this rule:
• The questionnaire is composed of a family module that
consists of general questions about the household. In
this case, the head of household can answer or any adult
member of the household.
• The questionnaire includes a screening tool used to
identify a specific issue: in the case of the NDSA, the
screening tool is a set of questions to identify persons with
disability. Usually, the screening questions are asked to
the head of household. There is a risk of underestimating
Clarity of Meaning in a Question: the Example of the Screening
Tool
In section D of the screening questionnaire Q. 2.19 is worded as follows:
“Does any member of your family make the same gesture over and over again (rocking, biting their arm, hitting
their head…)”
During the training, a discussion arose among trainees about the notion of gesture. The phenomenon of palsy was considered
by some of the trainees as a repetitive gesture. If we consider that a gesture is “the use of motion of the limbs or body as
a mean of expression”, (Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary), then it does exclude an uncontrolled tremble of the hand for
instance.
Link Between Questions
In the Adult Questionnaire, health module, Q. 3.11 asks about the time required to reach the closest available health care
facility.
This question depends on the type of means of transportation used to go to this health care facility, as asked in Q. 3.10.
It also depends on the type of health care facility declared available in Q. 3.8.
The goal of the training is to familiarise the surveyors with this kind of pattern.
Elaborating Relevant Tools
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