Integrating research into policy planning: MHADIE policy recommendations

Abstract

MHADIE project (Measuring Health and Disability in Europe: Supporting policy development) aimed at developing realistic, evidence-based and effective national policies for persons with disabilities. A preliminary step towards this goal was the demonstration on the feasibility of employing the ICF in clinical, educational and statistical fields, which corresponds to the recognised need to enhance the European Union's capacity of analysis of disability, as highlighted in its Disability Action Plan 2006-2007. The ultimate outcome of the project is the production of 13 policy recommendations, dealing with statistics clinical and educational areas, and four general policy recommendations focusing on: (a) the need of coordinating and integrating disability conceptualization at all policy levels and across sectors; (b) the need of conducting longitudinal cohort studies which include children aged 0-6; (c) the need of reviewing transportation policies in light of the requirements of persons with disabilities; (d) the need of reviewing all disability policies to emphasise and support the role of the family, which is a consistent and substantial environmental facilitator in the lives of persons with disabilities.

Systematic literature review on ICF from 2001 to 2009: its use, implementation and operationalisation

“…For the UN Convention to move beyond political rhetoric into concrete action, in short, it too requires the preliminary steps of describing the disability experience in a manner that can assist policy-makers in fulfilling the obligations under the Convention and ICF, with its bio-psychosocial model, and can be the instrument for this [677].…”

A Systematic Literature Review of the Situation of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health and the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health–Children and Youth Version in Education

“…The authors are aware that this literature review did not fully capture the international experience as highlighted by no publications referring to the use of the ICF in educational policy in Japan. In addition, the fact that the original search was done in 2009 implies that a number of recent relevant publications 10,76,92 were not included in the systematic literature review.…”

“…10,92 The ICF and ICF-CY classification and model can serve as frameworks and linking systems to understand which functional components are relevant for educational planning and which are mere descriptions of the functional status of the child or even of an identified disability. Educational goals should be theorized as an artifact of the interaction between the student and the learning context; the ICF/ICF-CY can therefore help identify domains where goals can be set.…”

Measuring health and disability: supporting policy development. The European MHADIE project

“…The recommendations made by the MHADIE project could serve as the basis for welfare policy formulations in these countries [34]. The results of the MHADIE project provided the background and justification for recommendations and guidelines that will help to design new European policy on health and disability, and similar policy around the globe.…”