How the term 'disability' is defined and understood can have implications for how people with disabilities are treated and perceived. The authors understand that there is a tendency to view people with disabilities as one homogenous group and are aware that a range of factors such as gender, class, sexuality and age structure the experience of people with disabilities. There are many definitions of 'disability' and the issue of a definition has proven to be one of the most contentious issues facing the delegates of the United Nations committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. In 2006 the following definition was proposed as a 'working proposal'
'Disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments, conditions, or illnesses and the environmental and attitudinal barriers they face. Such impairments, conditions, or illnesses may be permanent, temporary, intermittent, or imputed, and those that are physical, sensory, psychosocial, neurological, medical or intellectual.'
The International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF) provided the following definition of disability:
'Disability is a decrement in functioning at the body, individual or societal level that arises when an individual with a health condition encounters barriers in the environment'.
Either of the 2 above definitions clearly express the essential structure of the concept of disability as a result of an interaction between features of an individual with a health condition and features of the physical, individual and societal environment. It clearly recognises the 3 dimensions of disability (body, individual and societal levels) to increase inclusiveness and to be applicable to the full range and diversity of disability experience at the same time. It further ensures inclusiveness and the complete coverage of all relevant disability rights issues, by defining disability as to apply to a person with impairment alone, or an activity limitation alone, or a participation restriction alone (WHO, 2001).
The definition used in the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995 (United Kingdom Parliament,1995) is as follows:
'A physical impairment that has a substantial and long term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day to day activities'.
The Disability Act (Government of Ireland, 2005) defines disability as 'a substantial restriction in the capacity of the person to carry on a profession, business or occupation in the Irish State or to participate in social or cultural life in the Irish State by reason of an enduring physical, sensory, mental health or intellectual impairment (pg.6).'The definition of disability contains the concept 'substantial restriction' and this is seen as a restriction which - (a) is permanent or likely to be permanent, results in a significant difficulty in communication, learning or mobility or in significantly disordered cognitive processes, and (b) gives rise to the need for services to be provided continually to the person whether or not a child or, if the person is a child, to the need for services to be provided early in life to ameliorate the disability (Government of Ireland, 2005).
Explanations of:
Impairment
The definition covers physical and mental impairments. These include:
Substantial
For an effect to be substantial, it must be more than minor.
The following are examples that are likely to be considered substantial:
Long-term
These are effects that
Long-term effects include those which are likely to recur. For example, an effect will be considered to be long-term if it is likely both to recur, and to do so at least once beyond the 12-month period following the first occurrence.
Day-to-day activities
Day-to-day activities are normal activities carried out by most people on a regular basis, and must involve one of the following broad categories