There is no single agreed-upon definition of disability.
How we define it changes who gets support, who is excluded, and how we understand ourselves.
This page collects several common lenses.
¶ Lived-experience understanding
Many disabled people describe disability as:
- A bodymind difference (physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional, developmental, or chronic illness related)
- That interacts with barriers in society, environments, and systems
- In ways that limit access to things other people take for granted
Under this view, disability is not just “what’s wrong with your body.”
It’s also about stairs without ramps, paperwork you can’t read, prejudice in hiring, inaccessible transit, and systems designed around a narrow idea of “normal.”
Medical systems often define disability as:
- An impairment or condition
- That causes functional limitation
- Which can be measured, tested, or diagnosed
These definitions influence:
- Eligibility for treatments, rehabilitation, or insurance
- Diagnostic labels (for example, on medical records)
- How professionals talk about “prognosis” or “risk”
This model can provide language and documentation, but it can also:
- Treat disability only as a problem to fix
- Ignore social and economic barriers
- Overlook people who can’t access formal diagnosis
¶ Legal and benefits definitions
Laws and programs create their own definitions of disability, which may not match medical or personal experience.
Examples:
- In the United States, Social Security disability (SSDI/SSI) focuses on your ability to perform “substantial gainful activity” (work for pay).
- Many countries use a percentage rating or “impairment level” to decide benefits.
- Education laws may define disability categories differently from healthcare or employment law.
This means:
- You might be disabled but not meet the criteria for a specific program.
- You might qualify under one law but not another.
- People can be pressured to minimize or exaggerate aspects of their disability to fit requirements.
The social model makes a key distinction:
- Impairment – The bodymind difference (for example, paralysis, chronic pain, hearing loss).
- Disability – The barriers created by society (stairs, no captions, rigid work schedules, poverty).
Under this model:
People are disabled by inaccessible systems, not by their bodies alone.
This has been a powerful tool for advocacy and policy change.
At the same time, it doesn’t always capture pain, fatigue, or internal experiences that are also real.
¶ Disability justice and bodymind
Disability justice frameworks, especially from Black, brown, queer, and trans disabled organizers, emphasize that:
- Disability is shaped by racism, ableism, colonialism, capitalism, and gendered violence.
- Some communities are targeted for debility – being kept in a state of chronic illness, injury, or exhaustion.
- Our bodyminds are not problems to be fixed in order to be worthy of care or rights.
You may see terms like “bodymind,” “crip,” “mad,” “neurodivergent,” and “sick” used as proud identities or political tools.
You might:
- Identify strongly as disabled
- Prefer a specific term (Deaf, autistic, mad, chronically ill, etc.)
- Avoid the word “disabled” but still be impacted by ableism
- Be questioning or shifting how you relate to these words over time
This wiki uses “disabled people” as an umbrella term, while also naming specific identities where it matters. You are invited to use the language that feels most accurate and liberating for you.