Sociology of Disability Definitions of Disability

ADA Definition of "disability” The ADA has a three-part definition of "disability." This definition, based on the definition under the Rehabilitation Act, reflects the specific types of discrimination experienced by people with disabilities.

ADA-Definition it is not the same as the definition of disability in other laws, such as state workers' compensation laws or other federal or state laws that provide benefits for people with disabilities and disabled veterans. Specifically a legal definition relating to this specific federal law

ADA Definition of "disability” Under the ADA, an individual with a disability is a person who: 1. Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities 2. Has a record of such an impairment 3. Is regarded as having such an impairment.

The World Health Organization definition: "Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.“

International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH) Three dimensions of disability #1 Impairment: In the context of health experience an impairment is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function. Impairment is considered to occur at the level of organ or system function. Disability is concerned with functional performance or activity, affecting the whole person.

Three dimensions of disability- ICIDH #2 Disability: In the context of health experience a disability is any restriction or lack (resulting from an impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being.

Three dimensions of disability- ICIDH #3 Handicap : In the context of health experience a handicap is a disadvantage for a given individual, resulting from an impairment or a disability, that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal (depending on age, sex, and social and cultural factors) for that individual.

Defining Disability Officially, there are many ways of defining what a disability is, although the two most commonly used models used for deriving the definitions are known as the 'medical model' and the 'social model'.

The medical model The World Health Organization (WHO) created the medical model in the early 1980's and the definitions within were biased toward the convenience of medical personnel. The medical model breaks disability down into three key definition areas: Impairment - which means the loss or abnormality in structure or function; Disability - which refers to the inability to perform an activity within the normal range of a human being because of said impairment; Handicap - The inability to carry out normal social roles because of an impairment/disability

the social model the preferred construct of advocates for getting to the true effects of a disability or impairment. The social model specifically looks at the way in which the lives of people with disabilities are affected by the barriers that society imposes. The social model effectively emphasizes the social, economical and environmental restrictions rather than the physical or mental restrictions of the impairment.

The social model (cont.) The causes of disabilities are many and varied, and affect people of all cultural and social backgrounds. Living and environmental conditions as well as financial circumstances affect how people are able to manage their disabilities. Importance of access to resources

citations Citation: Disabled World News ( ) - Definitions of Disability a word used in daily conversations that holds different meanings for different people: world.com/definitions/disability- definitions.php#ixzz2IFZex71H