Definition Of Disability Vs Handicap

On the other hand disability is the condition of having a reduced capacity to perform.

Definition of disability vs handicap. Disability vs handicap. Disability versus handicap comparison chart. However disabilities are of many different kinds and sometimes we are surprised to meet a person categorized as disabled as we find him perfectly normal. Disability can cause disadvantage which again can if recognised be ameliorated by modification of the environment in which the person lives.

A disability may be present from birth or occur during a person s lifetime. In the legal sense disability is the more commonly used term with a definition that often differs from the one used by medical professionals. Handicap as a term has a longer history as records show that it was first used in the 1500s 1600s. Handicap as has already been noted is the most difficult term to use because in a sense it has nothing to do with the disabled person.

It is a fact that whenever we hear the word disability the image of a person sitting in a wheelchair comes to our mind. The term disability also recognises an important fact. Disability describes the person s limitation while handicap refers to the impact the person s disability has on normal life activities such as going to school or driving a car. On the other hand disability has a shorter history as it only replaced handicap in 1990.

Handicap means the difficulty experienced by a person in performing his her tasks. Disability is an impairment of one s ability to function. Disability describes the mental or physical limitation a person has and handicap refers to the disadvantage she experiences because of it. The differences in meaning are important for understanding the effects of neurological injury on development.

An impairment is the abnormality itself and a disability is the restriction that is caused by the abnormality. The words impairment disability and handicap are often used interchangeably. Disability and handicap are close synonyms of each other. Impairment disability and handicap are all related to conditions that make it hard or impossible for an individual to function in a normal capacity and the effect of those conditions.

They have very different meanings however. 2 4 evolving legal definition of disability human rights law is constantly developing and certain conditions characteristics or experiences that are disputed as disabilities today may come to be commonly accepted as such due to changes in the law reflecting medical social or ideological advancements. The impairment can be physical cognitive mental.