Which is not the definition of disability as seen by the Human Rights and Equal opportunity Commission (1994) ?

Key Points

• Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission (HREOC) defines disability as: "A physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on a person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities."

• Emotional stress is not included in this definition because it is not a physical or mental impairment. Emotional stress can be a symptom of a disability, but it is not a disability in itself.

• The HREOC's definition of disability is based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), which is a global standard for understanding and measuring disability. The ICF defines disability as:

"A complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between impairments, activity limitations and participation restrictions. Impairments are problems in body functions or structures, such as significant deviation or loss of psychological, physiological or anatomical functions. Activity limitations are difficulties in executing activities in a manner or within the range considered normal for a human being. Participation restrictions are problems experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations."

• The ICF's definition of disability is more comprehensive than the HREOC's definition, as it includes impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. However, both definitions are based on the idea that disability is a complex phenomenon that is not limited to physical or mental impairments.

Hence Emotional stress is not the definition of disability as seen by the Human Rights and Equal opportunity Commission (1994).