What Constitutes a Disability?

                   What Constitutes a Disability?

 Disabilities come in many forms, and definitions of disability relate to physical, cognitive, or behavioral characteristics, as well as to an individual's ability to perform specific functions.

 For example, the ability to see, hear, talk, walk, climb stairs, lift, and carry are considered in some definitions, and the ability to perform the tasks involved in independent living, such as housework, or to participate normally in schooling or other social contexts are considered in others.

A person with a severe disability is unable perform one or more essential activities, requires some kind of assistive device, or needs assistance from another person to perform basic tasks.

                                The Legal Model

 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (P.L. 101-336) is the civil rights act of people with disabilities. The framers of this act estimated that some 49 million Americans have some form of disability, and that for 24 million of them, it is severe.

 Under the act, disability is defined as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual, a record of such an impairment, and being regarded as having such an impairment.”

 This definition encompasses individuals with mental retardation, hearing impairment, and other health or physical impairments. Psychiatric disorders, such as depression, bipolar disorder, panic and obsessive-compulsive disorders, personality disorders, schizophrenia, and rehabilitation from drug use or addiction, are also included.

However, some behavioral syndromes that may be classified as psychiatric disorders are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, and those suffering from them would not be considered people with disabilities.