Disability From Different Perspectives

What is the definition of disability?

The concept of disability is complex. The word disability has many different definitions. Disability can be understood differently in medical, social, and legal situations. This document highlights some of the different ways of thinking about disability and explains why these different approaches to understanding disability are important.

Legal approach to disability

Disability is often defined differently by different laws and policies. These laws and policies may focus on rights that disabled people have or services that they are entitled to. One example of a law that contains a legal definition of disability is the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.

Why is the legal approach to disability important?

In the U.S. many laws protect people with disabilities. Each law may have its own distinct definition of disability. For example, while the ADA uses one definition, other laws or government programs may use a different definition. It is important to understand how disability is defined by each specific law, policy, or program to access the protections or benefits the policy or program provides.

What is the definition of disability under the ADA?

The ADA is a key civil rights law passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in most areas of community life. The ADA defines a person with a disability as someone who:

Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, or
Has a history or record of an impairment (such as cancer that is in remission), or
Is regarded as having such an impairment by others even if the individual does not actually have a disability (such as a person who has scars from a severe burn that does not limit any major life activity).

Social approach to disability

Social approaches to disability suggest that barriers in the environment along with negative attitudes about disability exclude disabled people from full participation in society.

Why is the social approach to disability important?

Social approaches to addressing disability may focus on changing an environment to be more accessible or changing negative attitudes about disability to reduce barriers. Laws can support these changes. For example, the ADA mandates that buildings must be physically accessible so that people using wheelchairs can access them. This is a different way of thinking about disability because it requires the building to change, not the person.

Medical approach to disability

Medical approaches to understanding disability often focus on physical and mental conditions or differences between people’s bodies and minds. For example, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) explains that disability is “any condition of the body or mind that makes it more difficult for the person with the condition to do certain activities and interact with the world around them.”

Why is the medical approach to disability important?

Medical approaches to disability can be important when it comes to accessing a specific diagnosis that helps us understand what is happening in the body and mind and determining the best way to provide treatments or supports.

Where can I learn more?

Other resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Disability & Health Overview: cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability.html
Department of Justice: Introduction to the Americans with Disabilities Act: ada.gov/topics/intro-to-ada/

Suggested Citation: Horowitz, E., Garcia-Torres, M., Gonzalez, O., Parker Harris, S., Gould, R., Porter, M., and Harniss, M. (2024). Disability From Different Perspectives. Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA. ADA National Network Knowledge Translation Center.

Content was developed via the ADANN Spanish Language Outreach project, and is based on professional consensus of ADA experts and the ADA National Network.

The content of this product was developed under grants from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR grant numbers 90DPAD0004, 90DPAD0011, 90DPAD0003, 90DPAD0008, 90DPAD0005, 90DPAD0012, 90DPAD0010, 90DPAD0007, 90DPAD0014, 90DPAD0006, and 90DPAD0002). NIDILRR is a Center within the Administration for Community Living (ACL), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). The contents of this product do not necessarily represent the policy of NIDILRR, ACL, HHS, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government.

You are here