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IDS How to Take Part

Illustration of people with different disabilities and access needs, including a wheelchair user, a guide dog user, a young child, and a person using a walking aid.

The Irish Disability Survey is a nationwide survey of individuals carried out by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).

Your participation in this new survey is important, as it will gather data on the issues facing disabled people today.

How to Take Part?

You can take part online (Q4 2026) or with a CSO interviewer (Q1 2027).

If you wish to participate in the online survey, you can:

Scan the QR code in the letter using a mobile device, or copy or type the link into a browser: https://socialsurveys.cso.ie/weblogin/
Enter your access key
Please complete the survey within two weeks of receiving the invitation letter

If you have not completed online, an interviewer might call to meet you at home to complete the survey with you in Q1 2027.

Can Someone Assist Me?

Preferably, we would like to hear directly from you, because your voice matters. You can find support materials to complete the survey on our website. If needed, a family member or friend can also assist you to answer to the IDS.

Alternatively, if you would like someone from the CSO to assist you, you can call us on 021 453 5110 (Mon to Fri: 9.00-17.00) or email CSOTakePart@cso.ie, and the IDS team will arrange an interviewer to help you complete the survey.

A parent or guardian will be asked to complete the survey on behalf of children who are under 15 years old.

What support materials are available?

Support materials are available in the IDS Alternative Formats section of our website in different formats.

We have also answered some of the frequently asked questions about this survey in our IDS Frequently Asked Questions.

Accessibility

The Irish Disability Survey (IDS) has additional accessibility features built into the survey.

Please see the different accommodations listed below that have been developed to meet different responder needs.

If you have difficulty seeing

You can choose to answer to the survey online or have an in-person interview.
If in-person, interviewers can schedule a time and date that suits you. Interviewers can read out the questions and record the responses on your behalf. These interviewers are trained to help people understand the questions and guide them through the survey.
You can answer to the survey at your own pace. You can take a break at any point during the survey and resumed later, without losing any information.
You can get assistance to compete the survey from a family member, friend, carer or personal assistant, if you wish.

If you have difficulty hearing

You can choose to answer to the survey online or have an in-person interview.
If in-person, interviewers can schedule a time and date that suits you. Interviewers can read out the questions and record the responses on your behalf. These interviewers are trained to help people understand the questions and guide them through the survey.
An Irish Sign Language translator can be arranged to accompany the interviewer during the in-person interview.
You can answer to the survey at your own pace. You can take a break at any point during the survey and resumed later, without losing any information.
You can get assistance to compete the survey from a family member, friend, carer or personal assistant, if you wish.

If you have any physical difficulties

You can choose to answer to the survey online or have an in-person interview.
If in-person, interviewers can schedule a time and date that suits you. Interviewers can read out the questions and record the responses on your behalf. These interviewers are trained to help people understand the questions and guide them through the survey.
You can answer to the survey at your own pace. You can take a break at any point during the survey and resumed later, without losing any information.
You can get assistance to compete the survey from a family member, friend, carer or personal assistant, if you wish.

If you have intellectual or cognitive difficulties

You can choose to answer to the survey online or have an in-person interview, depending on your needs.
If in-person, interviewers can schedule a time and date that suits you. Interviewers can read out the questions and record the responses on your behalf. These interviewers are trained to help people understand the questions and guide them through the survey.
The survey uses plain English practices, where possible, to help make the survey questions easy to understand.
You can answer to the survey at your own pace. You can take a break at any point during the survey and resumed later, without losing any information.
Additionally, you can get assistance to compete the survey from a family member, friend, carer or personal assistant, if you wish.

While not all needs can be anticipated, we expect the following may help if you have any other difficulty

You can choose to answer to the survey online or have an in-person interview, depending on your needs.
If in-person, interviewers can schedule a time and date that suits you. Interviewers can read out the questions and record the responses on your behalf. These interviewers are trained to help people understand the questions and guide them through the survey.
The survey uses plain English practices, where possible, to make the survey questions easy to understand.
You can answer to the survey at your own pace. You can take a break at any point during the survey and resumed later, without losing any information.
Additionally, you can get assistance to compete the survey from a family member, friend, carer or personal assistant, if you wish.

How do I know my information is secure?

Protecting your confidentiality is at the heart of everything we do. Your confidentiality is guaranteed by law under the Statistics Act, 1993, which means no individual, household or enterprise can be identified from the data we publish. The information you provide is generalised, so nobody is identifiable from the data you provide and it is only used for statistical purposes. We’d like to thank you for your trust in us.

Because confidentiality is so important to our work, we have developed a Trust & Transparency page.

Further information on the Irish Disability Survey

Statistical releases on the National Disability Survey
Methodology

Contact Us

If you have any questions about the Irish Disability Survey, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Email: CSOTakePart@cso.ie

Phone: 021 453 5110

CSOSurveys

Why you can Trust the CSO

Learn about our data and confidentiality safeguards, and the steps we take to produce statistics that can be trusted by all.

go to trust & transparency