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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Rene I. Jahiel, MDPhD, President, International Health Policy Research, 250 Main Street(#732), Hartford, CT 06106, 860-547-1202, jahiel@nso2.uchc.edu
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)was endorsed by the World Health Assembly on May 22, 2001. Efforts now move from the construction of a classification to the development of instructions for its use. Three major concepts have guided disability studies in past two decades: a) social disadvantage; b) environmental modification to meet special needs of people with disability; and, 3) universal design. ICF needs not only to be compatible with ICD, but also to be congruent with these three concepts. The classification itself and the first qualifiers are specified; they leave relatively little room for differing interpretations. Differing thrusts of the ICF may well depend on the second qualifiers. Capacity, a second qualifier for activity/participation is still ill-defined. No second qualifiers are listed for environment. Several alternative specifications for the capacity and for a new set of environmental second qualifiers will be presented in relation to the three concepts listed above. The nature of the second qualifiers and of the instructions accompanying the ICF may well determine its acceptability to the disability community and its success.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Disability Studies, Disability Policy
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.