Statistics Canada: Labour market and income

Description: the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (HALS), together with the 1983-84 Canadian Health and Disability Survey, is part of Statistics Canada’s National Disability Database Program. HALS collects data on persons with disabilities living in Canada; it provides a wide range of information on the nature and severity of disabilities, and the barriers that persons with disabilities encounter with household tasks, employment, education, accommodation, transportation, finances and economic self-sufficiency, and recreation and lifestyles, as well as their use of and need for assistive devices, and their out-of-pocket expenses related to disability.

Who/what was surveyed: the Census of Population was used as the sampling frame for this post censal survey. Individuals who responded affirmatively to question 18 (on activity limitation) and/or question 19 (on long-term disability) on the census questionnaire were identified as the target population. A sample of the target population was then selected to participate in the survey. There are two components to the Health and Activity Limitation household surveys, one for adults (aged 15 and older), and one for children (under 15 years of age). The survey was also conducted in institutions where the questionnaire was administered to adults (aged 15 and older) with disabilities who had spent a continuous six months or more in a health-care institution.

How the data were collected: A sample of approximately 35,000 individuals was selected for the two household components of the survey, and 10,000 for the institutions survey. A significantly large sample of 113,000 persons who responded negatively to census questions 18 or 19 was also selected in order to test for false negatives. For the household surveys, interviews were conducted by telephone; the institutions survey was conducted through face-to-face interviews with the selected individual or, when this was not possible, with the institutional staff or next-of-kin. The data were collected approximately six months after Census day.

Geographic detail:
1986 - Canada, provinces, territories, 19 census metropolitan areas, 200 sub-provincial areas for all age groups;
1991 - Canada, provinces and territories for all age groups, and 17 census metropolitan areas for the population aged 15 to 64

Demographic detail: age, sex, marital status, household relationship, ethnic and cultural origin, mother tongue, language spoken at home, knowledge of official languages, place of birth, citizenship, and period or year of immigration

selected census variables
age, sex, nature and severity of disability
difficulty experienced in carrying out everyday tasks (for example, preparing meals, shopping, personal finances)
use of technical aids and services
level of education and barriers to education
employment and barriers to employment
modifications required to the work or home environment
need of and access to transportation
type of accommodation
extent of participation in recreational activities

Sample size: 35,000 persons for household survey; 10,000 for institutions survey

Response rates: for the household surveys—87%; for the institutions survey—96%

What makes the data valuable:
This data can help individuals and agencies to:

establish the size of the population of adults and children with disabilities
determine the nature and severity of disability among adults and children
develop policies, programs and services for persons with disabilities
improve services and facilities at home, at work, and in other areas for adults with disabilities
evaluate existing employment programs
design employment programs and identify needed training programs
assess educational trends
plan school curricula and training programs
develop recreational activities for children with disabilities
improve services and facilities at home, at play, and at school for children with disabilities
establish the size of the population of adults with disabilities living in institutions.

Health and Activity Limitation Survey—1991 User’s Guide (free of charge)
Adults with Disabilities: Their Employment and Education Characteristics (Catalogue no. 82-554-XPB)
Selected Characteristics of Persons with Disabilities Residing in Households (Catalogue no. 82-555-XPB)
Methodology: The Health and Activity Limitation Survey 1991 (Household component) (non-catalogued document)
Methodology: The Health and Activity Limitation Survey 1991 (Institutions component) (non-catalogued document)

The Health and Activity Limitation Survey User’s Guide (free of charge)
Highlights: Disabled Persons in Canada (Catalogue no. 82-602-XPB)
Subprovincial/Subterritorial Data (Catalogue nos. 82-603-XPB to 82-614-XPB)
Special Topic Reports (Catalogue no. 82-615-XPB, Volumes 1-6) selected characteristics of sub-groups with disabilities
A Profile of Persons with Disabilities in Canada (Focus on Canada Series) (Catalogue no. 98-126-XPB)
Disability and the Labour Market (STC 2208) . A Profile of Three Disabled Populations (82-559-XPB)
Children and Youth with Disabilities in Canada (82F0004XPB)
Sample Design for the Health and Activity Limitation Survey (STC 2960)
Microdata file for adults living in households (1986 and 1991)
Microdata file for adults living in institutions (1986)
Microdata file for children in households (1986)
Custom data tabulations are available on a cost-recovery basis