Categorizing Disabilities

Disabilities are categorized for many reasons; a primary reason is to establish protocols for the distribution of benefits and services. Categorizing disabilities helps the government identify needs and allocate necessary resources to various populations of people with similar disabilities. Without categorizing disabilities by diagnosis, third-party payers would not reimburse for services and the government would not provide services (agencies, residential institutions, specialized interventions) (Smart, 2000). In addition, these classifications provide a basis around which individuals with disabilities can organize their legal, social, and advocacy efforts.

There are many different ways to classify disabilities, but no one way has been deemed the standard. The most general way to categorize disabilities is to categorize them into on of the following categories.

• Visible Disabilities – disabilities that can be objectively observed and measured by others. These disabilities often lead to marginalization or to the development of stereotypes of the person having the disability.
• Invisible Disabilities – disabilities whose manifestations do not evoke outward signs that may alert casual observers of a person’s condition (Falvo, 2005).

The most widely accepted disability categorization is by symptoms and manifestations, not cause or source (Smart, 2000). This categorization is more specific than that previously mentioned. It is also the means by which the government officially categorizes disabilities. In this system, disabilities fall into one of four broad categories.

• Physical Disability – a condition that limits one or more basic physical activity, including mobility and sensory activities. Examples include: spinal cord injuries, paraplegia, quadriplegia, amputations, cerebral palsy, seizure disorders, muscular dystrophy, arthritis, visual impairments and hearing impairments.
• Intellectual Disability – a disability originating prior to the age of 18, characterized by significant limitations in conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills, for example, mental retardation.
• Cognitive Disability – an impairment that affects an individual’s ability to access, process, or remember information, for example, learning disabilities (dyslexia, attention deficit disorder) and traumatic brain injury.
• Psychiatric Disability – a disability characterized by emotional, cognitive, and/or behavioral dysfunction, for example, autism, substance abuse, different types of mental illnesses.

For AT purposes, it is easier to categorize disabilities based on the function that the technology device will help improve. Categorizing disabilities this way guides those recommending AT as to what type of technology to pursue. These categories are as follows.

• Physical Disability - a condition that limits one or more basic physical activity
• Sensory Disability - a condition affecting one of the five senses, typically vision, hearing, or touch
• Communication Disability - an impairment to the capacity to use expressive and/or receptive language in one or more of the following areas: speech, conveying information, understanding information
• Cognitive Disability - an impairment that affects an individual’s ability to access, process, or remember information

Although categorizing disabilities is necessary, it can have negative effects. Categorization can perpetuate generalizations, such as the idea that all people with the same disability share characteristics, experiences, and perceptions. Also, these categories tend to focus on the disability and not the strengths, abilities, and assets of the individual. Categorizing disabilities tends to put yet another label on an individual with a disability (Smart, 2000).

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