Table of contents

1. Background to the guidelines

1.1 The ESCAP Project on improving disability measures and statistics in Asia‐Pacific

1.2 Aims of the guidelines

2 Current trends in disability measurement and statistics

2.1 Shift of thinking on disability and its influence in measuring it

2.2 Washington Group on Disability Statistics (WG)

3 Reasons for, and overview of cognitive and pilot testing

3.1 Question evaluation

3.2 Self reporting in surveys and censuses

3.3 Cognitive testing

3.4 Pilot testing

4 The cognitive testing

4.1 Aim and objectives

4.2 Developing the questionnaire

4.3 Training of interviewers

4.4 Number and selection of respondents

4.5 Practice interviews

4.6 Summarising notes

4.7 Analysis

4.8 Revision of questions for pilot testing

4.9 Analysis examples

4.9.1 A domain where questions perform as intended: Hearing

4.9.2 A domain where questions require further testing: Pain

4.9.3 A domain where questions are rejected: Learning

5 The pilot testing

5.1 Aims and objectives of the pilot test

5.2 Developing the questionnaire

5.3 Sample size and spread

5.4 Selection and training of interviewers

5.5 Data capturing

5.6 Analysis

6 Information dissemination

6.1 Developing the questions for testing

6.2 Reporting on cognitive test results and preparing for pilot testing

6.3 Analysis and reporting of pilot test results

6.4 ESCAP project experiences

7 Translation of cognitive and pilot questionnaires

7.1 Forward and backward translations

7.2 Translation by committee

7.3 The translation process in the ESCAP Project

8 Concluding remarks and lessons learnt

8.1 Lessons learnt

8.2 Beneficial outcomes of combining cognitive and pilot testing

8.3 Using this approach in areas other than disability

8.4 Conclusion

9 Resources

9.1 Websites and programmes

9.2 Resource persons

9.3 Articles

10 Appendices

10.1 Appendix A: ESCAP project cognitive and pilot test questionnaires

10.2 Appendix B: Examples of narratives from three domains and comments on the Interpretations

10.2.1 Points about the narratives

10.2.2 Hearing – Do you have difficulty hearing, even if wearing a hearing aid? (no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, cannot do at all)

10.2.3 Learning – Do you have difficulty understanding and using information like following directions to get to a new place? (no, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, cannot do at all)

10.2.4 Pain – Do you have frequent pain (yes/no)