Peter David Blanck, PhD, JD, Glenn Pransky, MD, MOccH
1999
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Impairment and disability are distinct concepts. An impairment is a "deviation from normal in a body part or organ system and its functioning; any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomical structure or function." "Normal" is not an absolute term, and typically there is a range on the distribution of normal in a population with variations in age, gender, and other factors.17,18 Impairment is assessed and measured by health care providers, although many impairments do not require medical treatment.
In contrast to impairment. disability, as a medical term, refers to the inability to perform an activity or task, reflecting an alteration in an individual's capacity to meet personal, social, or occupational demands because of an impairment.2 A medical disability arises from the interaction between an impairment and external requirements. Disability refers to limitations in activities or functions that are part of everyday life: seeing, hearing, walking, caring for oneself, and other functions. Work disability refers to the effect of impairment on ability to work, either in one particular job or in a range of jobs.
Blanck, P. D., & Pransky, G. (1999). Workers with disabilities. Occupational Medicine (Philadelphia, Pa.), 14(3), 581-593.
Keywords: disability, employment