Defining “Disability”
Nancy M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW
Department of Social Work, Minnesota State University, Mankato
[email protected]
Americans with Disabilities Act definition (US EEOC, 2009)
An individual with a disability is a person who:
 Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities;
 Has a record of such an impairment;
 Is regarded as having such an impairment;
Physical impairment: "Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical
loss affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological, musculoskeletal, special sense
organs, respiratory (including speech organs), cardiovascular, reproductive, digestive, genitourinary,
hemic and lymphatic, skin, and endocrine.”
Mental Impairment: "[A]ny mental or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain
syndrome, emotional or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities.”
Major Life Activities:
 Caring for oneself
 Performing manual tasks
 Seeing, Hearing
 Eating
 Sleeping
 Walking, standing, lifting, bending
 Speaking
 Breathing
 Learning, reading, concentrating, thinking
 Communicating
 Working
 Operating bodily functions (Added in 2008 ADA Reauthorization)
Minnesota definition
A person with a disability is any person who:
 Has a physical, sensory or mental impairment which materially limited one or more major life
activities;
 Has a record of such an impairment;
 Is regarded as having such an impairment;
 or is discriminated against because of an association with a person with a disability (Minn. Stat.
§ 363.
N. M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Department of Social Work
Cognitive disability definition
A disability that impairs a person’s thinking, reasoning, problem-solving, information processing, and/or
memory.
Examples:
 Developmental disability
 Autism Spectrum Disorder
 Intellectual disability
 Traumatic brain injury
 Alzheimer’s disease
 Learning disabilities
 Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Developmental Disability definition
A severe, chronic disability of an individual 5 years of age or older that:
A. Is attributable to a mental or physical impairment or combination [of the two];
B. Manifested before the age of 22;
C. Likely to continue indefinitely;
D. Results in substantial functional limitations in three or more major life activities (self-care,
receptive and expressive language, learning, mobility, self-direction, capacity for independent
learning, economic self-sufficiency); and
E. Reflects need for lifelong individualized supports and services (Developmental Disabilities Act of
2000, as cited in Brown, 2007, p. 7)
Intellectual Disability definition
American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) definition:
 “Mental retardation is a disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual
functioning and in adaptive behavior as expressed in conceptual, social and practical adaptive
skills. Originates before age 18” (Luckasson, 2002 as cited in Brown, 2007, p. 6).
 Intellectual – the ability to think and understand things (Brown, 2007, p.4).
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (2009, November 1). Section 902 definition of the term
disability. Retrieved from: http://www.eeoc.gov/policy/docs/902cm.html#902.1b
Brown, I. (2007). What is meant by intellectual and developmental disabilities. In I. Brown & M. Percy
(Eds.), A comprehensive guide to intellectual and developmental disabilities (pp. 3-16).
Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co.
N. M. Fitzsimons, PhD, MSW, Minnesota State University, Mankato, Department of Social Work