ABSTRACT
This chapter demonstrates that the reader get different answers depending on the definition of disability used and the way in which the definition is operationalized. Measuring disability and measuring the impact of living with a disability are exercises that are both culture-bound and definition-bound. The set of questions used to measure disability in the United States may or may not be completely applicable in other countries because they are designed to operationalize a specific definition of disability within a specific context. The National Health Interview Survey is a multi-stage probability sample survey that permits continuous sampling of the non-institutionalized civilian population in the United States. The National Population Health Survey is designed to collect information related to the health of the Canadian population. Through consultations with Canadians with disabilities, advocates, and organizations of and for persons with disabilities, support was obtained for use of the functional model of disability to identify the population with disabilities.
