Defining Disabilities
by: Christina Fitzpatrick

Special care needs to be taken when serving clients who have disabilities. Serving those with disabilities proves to more of a challenge for many, simply because they have a lack of knowledge about how the individual experiences life. When looked at in more detail one learns that a disability, impairment and handicap all have different definitions. The definitions below are accepted by the World Health Organization and can be used to assist your company in understanding what each term means so you may serve your clients more effectively.

Impairment: a medical condition, which is an actual injury, disease or other disorder, which produces a reduction in physical or mental function.

Disability: a restriction in a person’s functional capacity, which results from an impairment.

Handicap: describes the difficulty an individual may have functioning in an environment

By knowing the meaning of these terms your company will be better prepared to assist your client because you will be capable of asking the more suitable questions so you may serve your client to the best of your ability.

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