Health topics
Disabilities
Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.
Thus disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives.
General information
Multimedia
WHO programmes and activities
Disabilities in WHO regions
Technical information
Publications
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Joint position paper on the provision of mobility devices in less-resourced settings
pdf, 1.75Mb - Guidelines for training personnel in developing countries for prosthetic and orthotic services [pdf 722kb]