Thursday, May 27

9:00–9:15 a.m.

Welcome and Introduction

Dorothy Rice, Chair

9:15–9:30 a.m.

Welcoming Remarks

Jane Ross, Deputy Commissioner, SSA

9:30–10:30 a.m.

Overview of the Two Background Papers: Opportunities for Methodological Research on Survey Measures Related to Disability

Elizabeth Badley, Alan Jette, and Nancy Mathiowetz

Contributor: Allan Sampson

An examination of the various conceptual models of disability and the disablement process and their ability to address SSA's disability program requirements.

• The challenges related to the translation of conceptual models to valid and reliable questions which can be administered to the general population.

• The identification of the coverage, nonresponse, and measurement error properties of current measures of work disability.

• Potential problems in cross-walking among measures of disability collected in a variety of settings and under varying survey conditions.

10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

Implications of Different Concepts for Survey Measurement Problems

Discussion Leader: Robert Groves

Contributors: Ellen MacKenzie and Allan Hunt

• How do the various conceptual models address the dynamic nature of disability and how do these models address SSA's disability program requirements?

• How do the various conceptual models address the role of environment, adaptation, expectations, and perceptions?

• What measurement gaps exist between the various conceptual models of disability and the current set of disability measures used in federal surveys?

1:00–2:00 p.m.

Sampling, Accessing, and Measuring People with Disabilities

Discussion Leader: Colm O'Muircheartaigh

Contributors: Lawrence Branch and Ronald Kessler

• To what extent do varying modes and methods of data collection facilitate participation among persons with disabilities?

• If access to a person with a work disability is limited (due to the interface between the survey design and the nature of the disability), how is the measurement of disability affected by the role of the proxy respondent—caregiver as respondent, other proxy respondent? Can tradeoffs be assessed between nonresponse and measurement errors?

• What gaps exist in our knowledge of the relative impact of coverage, nonresponse, and measurement error on estimates of disability?

2:00–3:00 p.m.

Questionnaire Development Issues for Measures of Work Disability

Discussion Leader: Seymour Sudman

Contributors: Roger Tourangeau and Jack McNeil

• In light of developments related to the integration of

cognitive theory and survey methodology, how should measures of work disability be evaluated?

• How does the dynamic nature of disability and the disablement process impact the measurement of work disability?

• How is measurement affected by the role of the person providing the information—self-respondent, caregiver as respondent, or other proxy reporters?

• To what extent should we look to statistical modeling related to scale reduction as a means for reducing the effects of measurement error?

• How will the measurement of work disability in a variety of settings (the DES and other ongoing federal data collection efforts) impact SSA's ability to monitor the pool of people potentially eligible for disability benefits?

• What research needs to be conducted to develop robust measures of work disability, and to address the gaps in our knowledge about the measurement error properties of current measures?

3:30–5:00 p.m.

Role of Environment in Survey Measurement of Disability

Discussion Leader: David Gray

Contributors: Sandra Berry and Lois Verbrugge

• How is the measurement of work disability affected by environment, perceptions, and expectations?

• Is there a differential impact of environment on the reporting of disability as a function of the role of the person providing the information—self-respondent, caregiver, or other proxy respondent?

• What do we know about the measurement of the role of environment, expectations, and perceptions with respect to the various sources of survey error, specifically, nonresponse and measurement error?

• What gaps exist in our knowledge of how to adequately measure environment and its impact on the measurement of work disability? What research needs to be conducted to address these gaps?

5:00–5:30 p.m.

General Discussion

5:40–6:40 p.m.

Adjourn—Reception for all attendees

Friday, May 28

9:00–10:30 a.m.

Defining a Research Agenda

Discussion Chair: Dorothy Rice

• What are the criteria for a “successful” measurement of functional capacity to work?

• Feasibility and practicality of designing and administering (i.e., safety, cost, etc.) measures of functional capacity to work.

• Technical issues of incorporating reliability, validity, sensitivity, and specificity in the context of SSA's disability decision process.

• How can these measurement approaches be linked to work requirements in the context of SSA's disability decision process?

10:45 a.m.–12:00 p.m.

General Discussion

Moderator: Robert Groves

12:00–12:15 p.m.

Concluding Remarks

Dorothy Rice

12:15 p.m.

Adjourn