Impairment, Disability & Handicap
- Malisa
- Nov 22, 2015
- 2 min read
TOPIC: Impairment, Disability & Handicap
The words impairment, disability and handicap are all used interchangeably, but they all differ in meaning. (Carter, n.d).
Impairment is an underlying condition that interferes with normal functioning (UWI, n.d.). It could be an injury, illness, or congenital condition that causes or is likely to cause a loss or difference of physiological or psychological function (Centre for Disability Studies, n.d.). 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.(WHO, n.d).
Disability is the loss or limitation of opportunities to take part in society on an equal level with others due to social and environmental barriers. According to Department of Pediatrics 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 (Carter, n.d).
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 culture factors) for that individual (Frederiksen, Martin, Pereira, Bellacasa & von Tetzchner, n.d.).
Example:
My grandmother lost a leg due to diabetes. The loss of the leg is an impairment for her. If she attempts to reach for things overhead she is unable to balance on her own and this has resulted in a few falls.
The loss of her leg has resulted in a disability because she is unable to get around as easily as before. The use of crutches has considerably improved her ability to get around safely. The crutches have restored some amount of mobility.
She is handicapped due to the fact that she doesn’t have prosthetic leg and her crutches only provide limited mobility in terms of how far she can walk or even climb the stairs. Simple things like hanging the clothes on the line would be made easier with a prosthetic leg.
References
Carter, L.S (n.d).Impairment, disability and handicap. Retrieved from
Frederiksen, J. , Martin, M., Pereira, L. M., de la Bellacasa, R. P., von Tetzchner, S. (n.d.).
Impairment, Disability, and Handicap. Retrieved from http://speech.di.uoa.gr/hestia/books/issues91/05imp.html
UWI. (n.d.). Information and Communication Technologies in Education - Unit 6
WHO (n.d.). Disabilities. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/topics/disabilities/en/
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