The International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH)--results and problems

In 1980, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH). Although these three concepts of impairment, of disability, and especially of handicap have been criticized for many reasons, the ICIDH has given rise to extensive research and other activities world-wide, resulting in more than a thousand publications. The ICIDH has been translated into numerous languages. The classification itself, developed for trial purposes, shows the large variety for the items of each basic term. Practical experience, however, has shown that the ICIDH cannot be applied without problems. This is especially true for the handicap concept.