The relationship between impairment, disability and handicap

At the mention of the terms impairment, disability and handicap one forms a
mental picture of individuals with special needs. The relationships between the terms are
they are not equivalent but are interrelated and oftentimes used interchangeably. For
example John is an individual who has cerebral palsy and Cindy has hearing
impairments. According to (Carter, n.d), their disability and impairment puts them at a
disadvantage which results in them being handicapped in fulfilling a role that is normal.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), (1980) an impairment is any
abnormality or loss of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function
that results in an individual being restricted to perform an activity. In relation to disability
(WHO, 1980) defines it as the lack of ability or restriction an individual encounters to
perform a task in the range of other individuals that is considered normal. Further,
handicap is defined by (WHO, 1980) as a disadvantage an individual experiences due to a
disability or impairment that limits or prevents them from fulfilling roles that is
considered normal to other individuals.
Research shows that an individual's impairment can lend to them being disabled and as a
consequence becoming handicapped. In some cases the disability can either be temporary,
permanent, reversible, irreversible, progressive, or regressive. In addition there are two models
of disability: the medical model and the social model. The medical model is associated with the
physical and mental impairment of the individual while on the other hand the social model is
concerned with the exclusion of individuals with disabilities from major social domains. This
includes restrictions of the physical environment and social activities. It is suggested by

(Shakespeare, 2006; Davis, 2002. Ch 1; Tremain, 2001; Amundson, 2000, para 15.), that the
social environment plays a significant role in the identification of impairments but also plays a
critical role in creating impairments. Hence, the removal of environmental barriers will result in
the individual not being handicapped even though they still have impairment.
Moreover, there are various categories of impairments and disabilities they include
vision, hearing, speech, language, intellectual, reading, growth, and reduced functions of the
limbs. An individual can have multiple impairments; for example, John who has language
impairment and cerebral palsy, his vocabulary and comprehension skills are limited and his
cerebral palsy causes his legs to become stiff, tight and unable to move them. Therefore, John's
inability to walk is a disability; his disabilities can be improved with speech therapy, physical
therapy and the use of braces. But although the braces, physical therapy and speech therapy
assist in improving his disability he is still handicapped in that, he is unable to fulfil roles at
home, school and the community because of environmental barriers.
In summary, regardless of one's impairment and disability modifications of the physical
and social environment must be considered to meet the individuals needs and interests as this
ensures that the extent of one's handicap is significantly reduced.

Reference
Carter, S. L. (n.d). Impairment. disability, and handicap, Retrieved from

http://www.pediatrics.emory.edu/divisions/neonatology/dpc/Impairment%20MX.html

Frederikson, J., Martin, M., Pereira, L. M., Bellacasa de la Puig, R., & Tetzchner, S. (n.d).
Chapter5: Impairment, disability, handicap. Retrieved from
http://speech.di.uoa.gr/hestia/books/issues91/05imp.html
Standford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. (2011). Disability: Definitions, models,
experience. Retrieved from http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/disability/