The Concept of a Person with Disabilities
The legal starting point of disability status is the statutory definition: a person with disabilities is a person with a lasting physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairment whose interaction with various barriers may hinder his full and effective participation in public life on an equal basis with others. The same law defines the limitation of abilities — the absence of equal opportunity for personal development and self-realisation, conditioned by a combination of the physical environment, societal attitudes and other factors — and the biopsychosocial model, which links the assessment of health condition to psychological, biological and social factors.
The conceptual apparatus further frames reasonable accommodation, universal design, accessible environment, sign language, direct and indirect discrimination, independent living and the personal assistant service. For the practical steps connected with status these concepts matter, because it is through them that a person's condition receives its legal qualification.