Use of \"disability\" instead of \"impairment\".

Name: Mario Batusic
Email: mario.batusic@jku.at
Affiliation: Johannes Kepler Universität Linz, Austria
Document: W2
Item Number: (none selected)
Part of Item: 
Comment Type: general comment
Summary of Issue: Use of \"disability\" instead of \"impairment\".
Comment (Including rationale for any proposed change):
The word \"disability\" stresses a \"dis\"-ability and is negative. I propose using \"impairment\" instead. An impairment is an objective concept based on some physical, psychological deseas/injury. So also \"cognitive difficulty\", \"learning difficulty\", ,\"speech difficulty\" is better as disability. The concept of \"disability\" stands for a misfortunate state of an impaired person, who lacks for some abilities due to additional limitations/barriers in his/her physical or social environment. Disability is exactly the state that we will overcome through the implementation of these Guidelines.

Proposed Change:
General use of \"impairment\" instead of \"disability\"; use of difficulty instead of disability in cases like: learning difficulties, cognitive difficulties etc.

Received on Thursday, 31 January 2008 13:21:10 UTC