[Data on disability and participation in Germany : Requirements, analysis options and results]

As a basis for political decisions and to meet the statistical requirements of the CRPD, reliable data and reporting on the situation of people with disabilities are essential. Based on results of the preliminary study for a German participation survey, this article firstly defines data requirements and areas of participation. Secondly, data sources regarding participation and disability in Germany that were identified in a literature search are described in detail. Only sources providing population-based data that are collected on a regular basis and that could contribute to participation reporting were taken into account. This includes data from official statistics, (panel) studies or surveys, administrative data and reporting systems. Finally, we exemplarily present the main statistical findings of the 2012 European health and social integration survey (EHSIS), a survey that was specifically designed to investigate participation of persons with disabilities. In addition to the surveys identified in the preliminary study for a German participation survey that could be used or expanded for participation reporting, and the data sources used in the participation report published by the federal government in 2013, the research yielded further publicly available data sources with a high potential for a participation reporting system.