Launching of the Humanitarian Disability Needs Estimation Tool (HD NEST) for Inclusive Humanitarian Response

In humanitarian emergencies, accurately identifying persons with disabilities and their specific needs is crucial to ensuring inclusive aid distribution and support. The Humanitarian Disability Needs Estimation Tool (HD NEST) was developed to bridge this gap by providing a structured approach to collecting and analyzing data on people with disabilities in crisis situations.

The HD NEST tool was designed to supplement traditional disability identification methods, such as the Washington Group Short Set (WGSS) of questions, by incorporating a focus on support needs. While WGSS is widely accepted as a standard for identifying people with disabilities, it does not explicitly capture their specific requirements in emergencies. HD NEST aims to fill this gap by asking targeted questions about assistance requirements, medication reliance, and the use of assistive products.

Field testing of HD NEST in Indonesia and the Philippines provided several critical insights:

1. Discrepancies Between Self-Reported and Proxy Responses:

• • Individual responses did not always align with those provided by proxies (community representatives or household members).
  • Proxy responses tended to overestimate dependency levels, especially in tasks such as collecting relief items independently.
  • Household representatives’ responses were more closely aligned with individual self-reports compared to community proxies.

2. Effectiveness of Different Question Combinations:

• • The five-question combination was the most effective, identifying over 90% of individuals needing support, as validated by the WGSS methodology.
  • A shorter three-question version also performed well in identifying people in need, making it a viable option when survey length is a constraint.
  • Asking a single direct question—”How many people in your community or household would not be able to access emergency assistance or collect relief items on their own?”—captured around 80% of those identified using the full set of questions.

3. Importance of Inclusive Sampling Methods:

• • A combination of local records, community health workers’ insights, and the snowball sampling method was necessary to ensure all individuals with disabilities were included.
  • Many respondents initially misunderstood the term “essential medication and medical equipment,” highlighting the need for clear phrasing and context-specific translation.

Practical Application in Emergency Settings

HD NEST is particularly useful in the chaotic first 72 hours of a crisis, where quick and effective data collection is essential. The tool’s flexibility allows it to be adapted to different contexts, ensuring that people with disabilities receive timely and appropriate assistance. Some best practices for implementation include:

1. Using Multiple Question Formats: Direct questioning of individuals is preferred, but when proxies are needed, choosing representatives with a deeper understanding of disability-related needs (e.g., local disability organizations or community health workers) improves accuracy.
2. Ensuring Accessibility of Surveys: Humanitarian actors should consider translating questions into local languages and offering alternative formats (e.g., audio, pictorial, and easy-to-read versions) to accommodate different disabilities.
3. Leveraging Existing Administrative Data: Where comprehensive administrative data on disability and support needs exist, HD NEST can complement these datasets rather than replace them.
4. Involving Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPDs): OPDs play a vital role in ensuring accurate data collection and linking individuals to the right support services, including medical evaluations and social assistance.

HD NEST is a powerful tool that enhances the identification of people with disabilities and their needs in humanitarian settings. By incorporating both disability identification and support requirement assessment, it provides a more holistic approach to inclusive disaster response. The tool’s validation in Indonesia and the Philippines demonstrates its effectiveness, while its adaptability ensures relevance across diverse emergency contexts. Future efforts should focus on refining question wording, improving accessibility, and integrating HD NEST into broader humanitarian data collection frameworks to maximize its impact. Access a quick practice guide of HD NEST here.