Disability, Impairment and Handicap

The terms “Disability”, “Impairment” and “Handicap” are used in place of each other or can be interchanged. They all have different meanings. The different meanings have different impact for understanding the effects of injury. The most common definition is provided by the WHO (World Health Organization) which distinguishes between the three terms i.e disability, impairment and handicap.

Disability – Disability is defined as any limitation or unable to perform an activity due to mental or physical disability.

Impairment – It is defined as any damage or weakening of physiological, psychological and anatomical function or structure.

Handicap – A handicap is a drawback for an individual which results from a disability or impairment and preclude an individual from being normal.

There was confusion between all the terms defined by the World Health Organization. Impairment is linked with the inability to speak or walk. Disability is linked with the social restrictions imposed on the individual because of the society. A child named David who is four years old and suffers from cerebral palsy which results into tight and stiff legs and he is unable to stand, move and walk. The terms Disability, Impairment and Handicap explained in his case as:-

Disability

David cannot walk is defined as disability. Special equipment and physical therapy can be used to improve his disability. If he will use a walker with braces then his disability will surely improve.

Impairment

David’s inability to bear weight on the feet and inability to move the legs is impairment. If this condition increases then it can lead to deformed bone growth and hip dislocation due to imbalanced muscle contraction. Till now, no treatment is available to reduce his impairment.

Handicap

David has cerebral palsy, this is called handicap which became an obstacle for him to perform a normal role in the school, home and in the society. He was able to play with other children and interact with the family members and actively participate in the activities as his level of handicap is very mild. But as he grows old, his handicap also increases and he is unable to walk properly. Appropriate equipments and services reduce the cerebral palsy of David to some extent.

According to the United Nations Standard Rules, these terms are defined as:-

The term disability means that the person can become disabled due to mental illness or medical conditions and intellectual, physical and sensory impairment. Such conditions may be transitory or permanent in nature.

The term handicap means that person cannot take active part in the activities of community like others. This term emphasizes on the organized activities of disabled people like communication, information etc and limitations in the environment. These limitations prevent the disabled people to take part with other people.