CONCEPT OF DISABILITY,

IMPAIRMENT AND
HANDICAP
Suellen Concessio Fernandes
 HEALTH
◼ Complete physical, social, mental and emotional well being with the
absence of disease. (W.H.O.).

◼ Health is a condition of being sound in body, mind and spirit and it implies a
freedom from any physical disease. – Websters Dictionary
 DISEASE
◼ Disease = without ease

◼ A condition where body health is impaired, a departure from health, alteration of

the human body that interrupts vital functions. (Webster Dictionary).

◼ A condition where the body or a particular organ function is deranged or

disrupted. (Oxford Dictionary).

◼ Disease implies both types of problems – mind and body.

◼ Disease is a pre-requisite for impairment, disability and handicap.

 IMPAIRMENT
• Impairment

◼ Any loss or abnormality of physiological or psychological function or body

structure.

◼ Defect at an organ level.

◼ Eg. Loss of a limb, defective vision, defective mental capacity. (W.H.O.

1980).
 DISABILITY
◼ Any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in a manner or within
the range that is considered normal for a human being of that age and sex.
(W.H.O. 1980).

◼ Eg. Inability to walk, inability to see, inability to study well.

 HANDICAP
◼ The disadvantage of a given individual from an impairment or disability that
limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal (depending on the
age, sex, social and cultural factors for that individual).
(W.H.O. 1980).

◼ Eg. Not being able to join the army.

 EXAMPLE 1
• Physical impairment pertains to a loss of an anatomical structure; Eg.
the person lost a leg due to an accident. He can wear prosthetics as a
replacement of the lost leg.
• Physical disability refers to the inability to walk. To be able to navigate the
surroundings, the person can use a wheelchair.
• Physical handicap means that this person faces disadvantages that prevent
him or her to perform a normal role in life, such as not being able to climb
stairs anymore. Or run a marathon. Or be a basketball player. Here is where
the environment plays a part. By providing wheelchair access or lift for the
person with physical disability, he or she will have no problem going up to
the next floors of a building. By providing multi-sport events for athletes with
physical disabilities, such as Paralympics, the person will still able to
participate in sports.
 EXAMPLE 2
• Dyslexia is an example of learning impairment, a reading impairment in particular.
Let’s say the student has an above-average intelligence as well as good vision and
hearing. Therefore, the impairment is the brain’s inability to decode words to be able
to read. The brain cannot correctly associate the sounds with the letter symbols.
• The inability to read is now the student’s learning disability. It can be improved by
employing specific intervention programmes such as multi-sensory instruction in
teaching reading.
• The person may experience various learning handicaps in school, and he or she
may fail in class. For example, the student may not be able to complete the reading
requirements in class. However, if certain adjustments are provided for the learner,
such as taping lectures and listening to books on audiotapes, then he or she may
fare well, similar to his or her peers. This will decrease the student’s handicap and will
not interfere with his or her progress in school.
 DISABILITY
◼ Any restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in a manner or within
the range that is considered normal for a human being of that age and sex.
(W.H.O. 1980).

◼ Eg. Inability to walk, inability to see, inability to study well.

 TYPES OF DISABILITIES
The most widely accepted disability categorization is by symptoms and manifestations, not cause or
source (Smart, 2000). This categorization is more specific than that previously mentioned. It is also the
means by which the government officially categorizes disabilities. In this system, disabilities fall into
one of four broad categories.
• Physical Disability – a condition that limits one or more basic physical activity, including mobility and
sensory activities. Examples include: spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputations,
cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, visual impairments and hearing
impairments.
• Intellectual Disability – a disability originating prior to the age of 18, characterized by significant
limitations in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills, for example, mental retardation.
• Cognitive Disability – an impairment that affects an individual’s ability to access, process, or
remember information, for example, learning disabilities (dyslexia, attention deficit disorder) and
traumatic brain injury.
• Psychiatric Disability – a disability characterized by emotional, cognitive, and/or behavioral
dysfunction, for example, autism, substance abuse, different types of mental illnesses.
 TYPES OF DISABILITIES 2
• Visible Disabilities – disabilities that can be
objectively observed and measured by
others. These disabilities often lead to
marginalization or to the development of
stereotypes of the person having the
disability.
• Invisible Disabilities – disabilities whose
manifestations do not evoke outward signs
that may alert casual observers of a person’s
condition (Falvo, 2005).
 TYPES OF DISABILITIES 3
Based on AT – Adaptive technology
• Physical Disability - a condition that limits one or more basic physical activity
• Sensory Disability - a condition affecting one of the five senses, typically
vision, hearing, or touch
• Communication Disability - an impairment to the capacity to use expressive
and/or receptive language in one or more of the following areas: speech,
conveying information, understanding information
• Cognitive Disability - an impairment that affects an individual’s ability to
access, process, or remember information
Disease /
Impairment Disability Handicap
Disorder
 Society -
Handicap

Individual -
Disability

Organ -
Impairment
 Biology

Social and
Lifestyle
Physical
Behaviour
Environment
 REHABILITATION
◼ Combined and coordinated use of medical, social, educational and vocational measures for the
training and re-training of the individual to the highest possible level of functional ability.

◼ Reduces the impact of disability and handicap.

◼ Enables the individual to achieve social integration. Social integration – active participation of the
individual into mainstream community life. (W.H.O. 1984).

◼ Medical – restore disrupted bodily function.

◼ Vocational – enable the earning of a livelihood.

◼ Social – enable living in society and with the family.

◼ Psychological – development of the personality and the self.

• It is very important to know that we have a vital role in helping individuals
with special needs.
• By adapting and modifying the environment to be able to assist and
accommodate them, their disability does not have to be a handicap.
• A handicap is a disadvantage, and it is the environment that causes the
disadvantage.
• When we do our part to meet their needs, they are able to fulfil a role similar
to their peers.