Women with Disability across Europe : issues on Updated and Available Data

The collection of comparable estimates of Women with Disability (WwD) is essential for successful policy-making, and can be directly addressed to the reduction of the barriers that WwD have to face so to achieve full participation in all aspects of their lives. In order to minimize and prevent barriers for WwD, a common policy and a research framework is needed within the European countries. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to underline the issues related to availability, type, and comparability of European data about WwD, and to suggest how to overcome some of the open needs. In particular, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) issued by the World Health Organization could be the core conceptual model for collecting data and measuring disability, acting as the basis for relevant social policies, since information at all levels on the functioning of WwD is essential for policy purposes.