Using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) to Improve Understanding of Disability and Functioning

The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) provides a useful framework and classification to better situate disability, health, and functioning. The ICF recognizes disability and functioning as the dynamic individual and environment interaction, promoting a more realistic perspective. This article describes the ICF, its utility, and its strengths/weaknesses

The Need for Culturally Appropriate Strategies in Promoting Self-Determination Among Individuals with Disabilities

While strategies promoting self-determination have been effective in the United States and other Westernized countries, these identical approaches and “best practices” are not necessarily effective in cultures that do not embrace the same individualistic values. In these settings and situations, culturally appropriate approaches are necessary to engage these individuals with disabilities and their families while promoting similar principles underlying self-determination, empowerment, social justice, and rights. This article provides an overview of some traditional strategies promoting self-determination and/or empowerment and then discusses how these are not always useful in practicing with culturally diverse population groups even in the United States. Alternative approaches are described such as the access to culturally diverse resources and community-based rehabilitation that adhere to specific cultural beliefs, values, and practices but still promote some level of empowerment among individuals with disabilities. Evidence drawn from the literature as well as professional experience will be used to discuss the relevance and implementation of these respective strategies in terms of their strengths – namely, empowering individuals with disabilities as well as supporting/embracing family, religion, spirituality, and overall cultural diversity

Exploring Disability and Poverty in Nepal: An Application of the Capability Approach

The primary purpose of this dissertation is to examine the relationships between disability and poverty in Nepal. Linkages between disability, poverty, and deprivation are explored to develop an in-depth understanding of these relationships, to recommend strategies for intervention, and ultimately to improve the situations of individuals and their families experiencing disability and poverty. Since traditional poverty measures such as income and consumption do not fully capture the multi-dimensional construct of poverty, a capability approach was used to further an understanding of the relationships between disability and deprivation at individual and household levels and to address three research questions. What are the ways in which disability contributes to individual deprivations? Is there a correlation between household poverty and the likelihood of having a family member with some type of disability? Do households with a disabled family member experience higher levels of deprivation than households without exposure to disability? Secondary data was taken from two national data sets, A Situation Analysis of Disability in Nepal conducted by New Era and the Nepal Living Standards Survey (NLSS) conducted by the World Bank. Individuals with and without a disability were compared across income poverty and capability poverty using disability, chronic illness and activity limitation as disability indicators. Households with and without a disabled family member were compared across income poverty and asset poverty. Analyses were conducted using various methodologies including chi-square, t-test, ANOVA, odds ratio, and logistic regression. The prevalence of disability was estimated at 1.6% in the SITAN and at 6.4% in the NLSS using chronic illness as a proxy for disability. Differences in disability and deprivation were statistically significant for most demographic variables including gender, marital status, geographical region, and ecological strata. Findings indicated that disability is linked to some degree of poverty and deprivation at both individual and household levels. However, these findings varied by the type of disability indicator used in the analyses

Effects of the 1996 Welfare Reform Legislation on Families with Children on Reservations: What Have we Learned and What Questions Remain Unanswered? (Working Paper 5)

Working Pape

Toward a paradigm shift in healthcare:using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the capability approach (CA) jointly in theory and practice

PURPOSE: Over the past two decades, healthcare systems have shifted to adopt a more holistic, patient-centered care system. However, operationalization in practice remains challenging. Two frameworks have contributed substantially to the transformation toward more holistic and patient-centered care: the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the capability approach (CA). Using these frameworks jointly can contribute to improved patient-centered care in clinical practice. METHODS: This article explores the strengths and weaknesses of the use of the two frameworks in care and investigates whether using them jointly might contribute to more appropriate and patient-centered care. We will present a practical example of this integration in the form of a novel e-health application. RESULTS: The exploration indicated that if the frameworks are used jointly, the individual weaknesses can be overcome. The application, used to exemplify the joint use of the frameworks, contains all categories of the ICF. It offers a unique tool that allows a person to self-assess, record, and evaluate their functioning and capabilities and formulate related goals. CONCLUSIONS: Using the ICF jointly with the CA can foster holistic, patient-centered care. The e-health application provides a concrete example of how the frameworks can be used jointly. Implications for rehabilitationUsing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health jointly with the capability approach can foster holistic, patient-centered care.The joint use of the frameworks is demonstrated by an e-health application which enables users to evaluate their functioning in relation to their own goals, provides them with the opportunity to increase control over their health and have a more active role in their care.Tools to record both functioning and goals from a patient's perspective can support professionals in offering patient-centered care in daily practice.Individual recording, monitoring and evaluation of functioning, capabilities and goals regarding functioning can provide a basis for research and quality improvement

Toward a paradigm shift in healthcare: using the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the capability approach (CA) jointly in theory and practice

PURPOSE: Over the past two decades, healthcare systems have shifted to adopt a more holistic, patient-centered care system. However, operationalization in practice remains challenging. Two frameworks have contributed substantially to the transformation toward more holistic and patient-centered care: the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) and the capability approach (CA). Using these frameworks jointly can contribute to improved patient-centered care in clinical practice. METHODS: This article explores the strengths and weaknesses of the use of the two frameworks in care and investigates whether using them jointly might contribute to more appropriate and patient-centered care. We will present a practical example of this integration in the form of a novel e-health application. RESULTS: The exploration indicated that if the frameworks are used jointly, the individual weaknesses can be overcome. The application, used to exemplify the joint use of the frameworks, contains all categories of the ICF. It offers a unique tool that allows a person to self-assess, record, and evaluate their functioning and capabilities and formulate related goals. CONCLUSIONS: Using the ICF jointly with the CA can foster holistic, patient-centered care. The e-health application provides a concrete example of how the frameworks can be used jointly. Implications for rehabilitationUsing the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health jointly with the capability approach can foster holistic, patient-centered care.The joint use of the frameworks is demonstrated by an e-health application which enables users to evaluate their functioning in relation to their own goals, provides them with the opportunity to increase control over their health and have a more active role in their care.Tools to record both functioning and goals from a patient's perspective can support professionals in offering patient-centered care in daily practice.Individual recording, monitoring and evaluation of functioning, capabilities and goals regarding functioning can provide a basis for research and quality improvement

Building Financial Bridges to Economic Development and Community Integration: Recommendations for a Research Agenda on Asset Development for People With Disabilities

Building Financial Bridges to Economic Development and Community Integration: Recommendations for a Research Agenda on Asset Development for People With Disabilitie

Improving Health and Functioning Using Mobile ICF (mICF) Technology : the mobile ICanFunction App

Pacific Rim International Conference on Disability and Diversity, Hono Lulu 19.5.201

Avoiding the Banality of Evil in Times of COVID-19: Thinking Differently with a Biopsychosocial Perspective for Future Health and Social Policies Development

The COVID-19 pandemic provides the opportunity to re-think health policies and health systems approaches by the adoption of a biopsychosocial perspective, thus acting on environmental factors so as to increase facilitators and diminish barriers. Specifically, vulnerable people should not face discrimination because of their vulnerability in the allocation of care or life-sustaining treatments. Adoption of biopsychosocial model helps to identify key elements where to act to diminish effects of the pandemics. The pandemic showed us that barriers in health care organization affect mostly those that are vulnerable and can suffer discrimination not because of severity of diseases but just because of their vulnerability, be this age or disability and this can be avoided by biopsychosocial planning in health and social policies. It is possible to avoid the banality of evil, intended as lack of thinking on what we do when we do, by using the emergence of the emergency of COVID-19 as a Trojan horse to achieve some of the sustainable development goals such as universal health coverage and equity in access, thus acting on environmental factors is the key for global health improvement