Disability, disorder, and identity

The World Health Organization's International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is the most important diagnostic tool, worldwide, to ensure that people with intellectual and developmental disabilities receive the supports they need to live richer, fuller lives. And yet, the ICD has naming conventions that create a conundrum for the field, requiring that all "conditions" in the ICD be named as a "disorder." This article discusses the effect of naming on how people with intellectual disability are perceived by others and how they perceive themselves. The importance of continuing to move the field toward the adoption of functional/person-environment fit models of disability is discussed.