Revitalizing "Handicap" for Disability Research

Abstract

This paper argues that the World Health Organization's (WHO) (1980) concept of Handicap from the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps can be used to identify progress toward the four goals regarding individuals with disabilities outlined by Congress in the Americans with Disabilities Act. The article proposes four linkages between ADA goals and ICIDH Handicap survival roles: (a) equality of opportunity to occupation; (b) full participation to social integration; (c) independent living to orientation, physical independence, and mobility; and (d) economic self-sufficiency. To monitor progress toward the goals through promotion of these roles, 10 accommodation indicators of how programs and services affect persons with disabilities are also proposed, with each indicator linked to at least one of the four ADA goals. In so doing, the Handicaps of the nation, as opposed to those of individuals, are assessed.