New Standard for Assessing Health Status of People with Disabilities

International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health

Disability determination is a different assessment than health determination. For example, the United States determines disability status to distinguish qualification for civil rights claims, work disability compensation, or public-funded programs such as childhood early intervention programs, special education, and Medicaid or supplemental income. This type of determination however says very little about the health status of individuals with disabilities.

Beyond disability determination, academics, researchers and clinicians have considered that people with a "disabling" condition can be healthy regardless of the disease or disorder involved. To address this issue, in 2001 after 20 years of refinement, the World Health Organization General Assembly developed a new health classification system, similar to the ICD (International Classification of Diseases and Disorders). The new classification system, 2001 International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health. http://www.who.int  helps understand why two people with the same diagnosed condition have different health outcomes or experiences.

• health status outside of the disabling condition; 
• how the environment hinders assistive technology or helps personal activities; and
• participation and inclusion in society as a critical part of one's health.  

• provides a scientific basis for understanding and studying the functional states associated with health conditions;

• establishes common language for health assessments describing body function, activity, participation, and environment. This language establishment is to help improve communications among health care workers, other sectors, and people with disabilities;

• permits comparison of data across countries, health care disciplines, services and time:

• provides a systematic coding scheme for health information systems

Both the classification system and the conceptual framework provide a sound basis for the CDC disability science. The Disability and Health Team at CDC provided support to the World Health Organization to help develop various components of the new classification system including a recently added section to help assess body function, activities, participation, and environment of children with disabilities. Information derived through the classification framework will improve our understanding of health disparities between people with and without disabilities; and facilitate developing interventions towards preventing diseases or secondary conditions and mitigating environmental and societal barriers to health. 

For detailed information and regular updates on the ICF, please contact Marjorie Greenberg at MGreenberg@cdc.gov. For information about upcoming and regular meetings or major conferences with the North American Collaborating Center ICF, go to www.icfconferences.com and http://cirrie.buffalo.edu/icf/index.html.

2008, June9-19. A course on using the ICF-CY. For follow up information contact the School of Education and Communication, Sweden. www.hlk.hj.se/doc/6756

2005, September 8. CDC Seminar on the new ICF Framework for Children and Youth. International guests presented the framework and the public health utility of the ICF for children. For more information, please contact Don Lollar at DLollar@cdc.gov 

2001, October 17. 8th National Disability Statistics and Policy Forum: Who counts as having a disability? For more information, contact the Disability Statistics Center at the University of California at 415/502-5216 or TTY 415/502-5216 OR the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research.

2001, June 4-6. United Nations International Seminar on Measurement of Disability. For more information, contact Ms. Angela Me at me@un.org

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