Statistics of handicapped person in Europe: an international comparison

Statistics of handicapped persons in six European countries (Austria Belgium, Denmark, Great Britain, Netherlands, West-Germany) were analyzed respectively as to (1) the basic definitions of "handicap', (2)the applied survey methods, and (3) the publication of survey and results. These surveys were more effective and less biased where (1) clinical-causal as well as social-final aspects were used defining "handicap', (2) interview data were verified by specialists (physicians) or standardized methods (tests), and (3) survey and results were represented differentiatedly. Examples for good statistics are the surveys in Great Britain and especially those in the Netherlands.