What is the definition of disability?
The following definitions of impairment, disability and handicap are taken from the World Health Organization: Impairment: any disturbance to the bodys mental or physical structure or functioning. The impairment is characterized by a permanent or temporary loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function in a tissue, organ, limb, functional system or mechanism of the body. Disability: reduction or loss of functional capacity or activity resulting from an impairment. Disability is characterized by excesses or deficiencies of customarily expected behavior or functions and represents the objectification of impairments through their effects on everyday activities. Handicap: the disadvantage resulting from impairment and/or disability, entailing a divergence between the individuals performance or status and that expected of him by his social group.
There are over 40 different definitions of disability in United States federal law but NIDRR is guided by the definition of disability in the ADA. The ADA definition sets out the following criteria: • a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities • a record of such an impairment • being regarded as having such an impairment. The definition lends itself to activity measures and therefore to measures of political activity.
Disability is defined in the Social Security Act as the inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental impairment which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.
