International Classification Of Functioning, Disability And Health

The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.

The Medical Model is best summarised by referring to the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps developed by the World Health Organisation in 1980. The classification makes the following distinctions:

“The medical model is presented as viewing disability as a problem of the person, directly caused by disease, trauma, or other health condition which therefore requires sustained medical care provided in the form of individual treatment by professionals. In the medical model, management of the disability is aimed at a "cure," or the individual's adjustment and behavioral change that would lead to an "almost-cure" or effective cure.” (Langtree, 2012)

1. Outline the history and development of the medical, social and psycho-social models of disability

Looking back in the past, there have been many features, and true definitions of the word disability. In the 1970s a group called the Union of the Physically Impaired Against Segregation defined disability as the disadvantage or restriction of activity cased by social organizations. U.S disability activists made efforts during the 1970s to form different alliances with the disability community, that protested for the inclusion of disability discrimination under the Rehabilitation act. Thereafter there was a medial model at looking at disability, that views disability as an individual shortfall. In

Participation is the act of participating and being involved in activities, decisions, planning and sharing. Participation is important for the children as well as the parents in school settings. When parents and children are involved in decision-making it allows them to feel connected to the school and feel like their voice is being heard and wishes met. Children feel that their opinions and feelings matter, this is important to social skill development, as they will feel apart of the school community. Children who participate in school activities such as sports gain self-confidence and team building skills. Communication skills improve, stress is relieved and friendships build as children learn to trust and depend on their peers.

Society often focuses on what a person lacks in terms of disability and focuses on condition or illness or a person’s lack of ability. Medical model of disability which views adults has having an impairment or lacking in some way

The exact impact of a disability on the life of an individual varies according to a number

However, the social model concerns what happens after their medical disabilities have been told to them, with their changed environment. For example, someone in a wheelchair will not be able to walk up the stairs without help. There are many alternative views that suggest that some occupational therapists have been less aggressive, but have instead pushed an occupational focus to the background of practice, in favour of the most important features in the medical model. This shows that some therapists have forgotten their true identity and what their job is and instead have been following the Medical Models and not focusing on the client’s occupations. On the other hand, Craddock questioned the social model by stating: "The holistic approach of treating the whole person in the context of his or her environment has not required us to challenge the official definition of all our interventions as treatment"(Craddock 1996, p.76). Craddock is questioning the social model, claiming that it is not doing anything to help the person’s disability but is instead trying to show that it only comes with environmental struggles. Another model, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) is used to "Provide a scientific basis for understanding and studying

Disability in a socio-cultural context can be defined as "a barrier to participation of people with impairments or chronic illnesses arising from an interaction of the impairment or illness with discriminatory attitudes, cultures, policies or institutional practices" (Booth, 2000). The traditional view of disability often focuses on the individual, highlighting incapacities or failings, a defect, or impairment. This focus creates obstacles to participation on equal terms since an individual who seems to lack certain capacities may not be able to attain autonomy.

This is exemplified in the World Health Organisation definition of impairment, disability and handicap. Impairment is a physiological, psychological or anatomical abnormality, while disability is the abnormality in terms of activity and handicap is the inability to fill a normal role due to the impairment. (reference required-1) Notice the emphasis on normality and the specified cause of the

ICF stands for International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. It views disability in terms of body functions and structures, activities, participation and important contextual factors, as stated in the ICF PowerPoint presentation (Francaviglia). At the top of the diagram, shown in the ICF PowerPoint presentation, the health condition is described as any disability, disorder, injury, or trauma, but also includes important conditions such as pregnancy or aging (Francaviglia). Moving to the next level of the diagram, the body structures may include the specific limb or organ deficiency, functioning defect, or impairment from the health condition. These body structures effect “the execution of a task or action by individual”

In this report, the Medical and Social Models of disability are explained, the relevance of both and their importance in society. My own personal views on both are contained throughout and within the conclusion, based on research, referenced and listed in the bibliography.

Here, participation is defined as: the local population’s (targeted community) involvement, in addition to relevant local stakeholders, in the creation, content, and distribution of tools and resources to shape their lives and achieve their own goals.

The Medical Model is best summarised by referring to the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps developed by the World Health Organisation in 1980.  The classification makes the following distinctions: