AIHW logo

METEOR logo

Our sites
AIHW GEN Aged Care Data Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander
Health Performance Framework
Indigenous Mental Health and
Suicide Prevention Clearinghouse
Australian Mesothelioma Registry Housing data Regional Insights for Indigenous Communities
Contact FAQs

Site Navigation

  • Find metadata
    • Find metadata
    • Getting started
    • Data set specifications
    • Indicator sets
    • Data quality statements
    • Data dictionary archives
  • Metadata management
    • Metadata management
    • Data standards
    • Registration authorities
    • Registration statuses
  • How to use METEOR
    • How to use METEOR
    • First steps
    • Using My Page
    • Downloading and printing
    • FAQs
    • About METEOR
  • Learn about metadata
    • Learn about metadata
    • Metadata explained
    • How to create metadata
    • Metadata development resources
Your session is about to end!
Your session will expire at [TIME]
Select Extend at the top right corner or you will be logged out

Disability

Glossary Item Attributes

Identifying and definitional attributes

Metadata item type:Help on this termGlossary Item
METEOR identifier:Help on this term327304
Registration status:Help on this term
  • Children and Families, Superseded 03/11/2021
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 01/03/2005
  • Disability, Standard 07/10/2014
  • Health, Superseded 29/06/2016
  • Housing assistance, Standard 01/03/2005
Definition:Help on this term

Disability is the umbrella term for any or all of: an impairment of body structure or function, a limitation in activities, or a restriction in participation.

Disability is a multi-dimensional and complex concept and is conceived as a dynamic interaction between health conditions and environmental and personal factors (WHO 2001:6).

Collection and usage attributes

Comments:Help on this term

Many different 'definitions' of disability are used in Australia, both in administrative data collections and in Acts of Parliament. The consistent identification of disability in national data collections has been recommended in a number of reports, for instance to enable:

  • the monitoring of access to generic services by people with disability
  • the collection of more consistent data on disability support and related services, including data on service use by different groups
  • population data and service data to be related, thereby improving the nation's analytical capacity in relation to the need for and supply of services
  • improved understanding of the relationship between disability, health conditions and other health outcomes.

Defining disability makes it possible to determine the number of people who are accessing services, both disability specific and generic, and also those with a disability in the general population with unmet need. Better definition of disability will aid better targeting of resources to those in need.

Disability arises from the interaction between health conditions and environmental and personal factors. A health condition may be a disease (acute or chronic), disorder, injury or trauma. Environmental factors make up the physical, social and attitudinal environment in which people live and conduct their lives. Personal factors relate to the individual, such as age, sex and Indigenous status.

The concept 'Disability' can be described using a combination of related metadata items as building blocks.

The metadata items selected may vary depending on the definition of disability used. For example, in hospital rehabilitation, the focus may be on the impairment and activity dimensions and in community-based care the focus may be primarily on participation. Some applications may require a broad scope for inclusion (e.g. discrimination legislation). Data collections relating to services will select combinations of the data elements, which best reflect the eligibility criteria for the service.

This glossary item is based on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF). The ICF was endorsed by the World Health Assembly in 2001 as a reference member of the WHO Family of International Classifications and of the Australian Family of Health and Related Classifications (endorsed by the National Health Information Management Group in 2002).

The ICF provides a framework for the description of human functioning and disability. The components of ICF are defined in relation to a health condition. A health condition is an ‘umbrella term for disease (acute or chronic), disorder, injury or trauma’ (WHO 2001). A health condition may be recorded, for example, as Episode of care principal diagnosis, code (ICD-10-AM 3rd Edn) ANN{.N[N]} and Episode of care additional diagnosis, code (ICD-10-AM 3rd Edn) ANN{.N[N]}.

Source and reference attributes

Origin:Help on this term

World Health Organization (WHO) 2001. ICF: International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health. Geneva: WHO

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) 2003. ICF Australian User Guide Version 1.0. Canberra: AIHW

Reference documents:Help on this term

Further information on the ICF can be found in the ICF itself and the ICF Australian User Guide (AIHW 2003) and the following websites
• WHO ICF website
http://www.who.int/classifications/icf/en
• Australian Collaborating Centre ICF website
http://www.aihw.gov.au/disability/icf/index.html

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:Help on this term
Has been superseded by Disability
  • Australian Teacher Workforce Data Oversight Board, Standard 30/08/2022
  • Children and Families, Standard 03/11/2021
  • Disability, Standard 28/09/2016
  • Health, Standard 29/06/2016
Has been superseded by Disability (Child protection)
  • Children and Families, Standard 03/11/2021
Metadata items which use this glossary item:Help on this term
Activities and participation code (ICF 2001) AN[NNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Activities and participation code (ICF 2001) N[NNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Activity difficulty level code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Activity difficulty level code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Activity need for assistance code N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Activity need for assistance disability code N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 13/03/2013
  • Disability, Superseded 15/12/2017
Body function code (ICF 2001) AN[NNNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Body functions code (ICF 2001) N[NNNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Body structure code (ICF 2001) AN[NNNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Body structures code (ICF 2001) N[NNNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Community Housing DSS 2018-
  • Housing assistance, Standard 10/05/2019
Disability grouping code N[N]
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 08/05/2006
Disability status
  • Children and Families, Standard 22/11/2016
  • Housing assistance, Standard 30/08/2017
Dwelling—modification requirement status
  • Housing assistance, Retired 10/02/2006
Dwelling—modification status
  • Housing assistance, Retired 10/02/2006
Dwelling—modification status, code N
  • Housing assistance, Retired 10/02/2006
Environmental factor code (ICF 2001) AN[NNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Environmental factors code (ICF 2001) N[NNN]
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Extent of environmental factors influence code (ICF 2001) [X]N
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Extent of environmental factors influence code (ICF 2001) [X]N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Functioning and Disability DSS
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Goal of care code NN
  • Health, Standard 01/03/2005
Household in greatest need code N
  • Housing assistance, Standard 10/02/2006
Household in greatest need code N
  • Housing assistance, Standard 30/08/2017
Household—disability status
  • Housing assistance, Standard 30/08/2017
Household—disability status
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 30/08/2017
Household—disability status, yes/no code N
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 30/08/2017
Household—disability status, yes/no code N
  • Housing assistance, Standard 30/08/2017
Household—greatest need status
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 10/02/2006
Impairment extent code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Impairment extent code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Impairment location code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Impairment location code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Impairment nature code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Impairment nature code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Low income household—special need status
  • Housing assistance, Retired 10/02/2006
Mainstream community housing DSS 2013-18
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 10/05/2019
Mainstream community housing DSS 2014-
  • Housing assistance, Recorded 12/05/2016
National Bowel Cancer Screening Program NBEDS 2014-18
  • Health, Superseded 06/09/2018
Participation extent code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Superseded 16/10/2006
Participation extent code (ICF 2001) N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Participation satisfaction level code N
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 16/10/2006
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
  • Health, Standard 29/11/2006
Person—disability group, child protection code N[N]
  • Community Services (retired), Recorded 19/08/2011
Person—disability status
  • Children and Families, Superseded 03/11/2021
  • Health, Superseded 12/12/2018
  • Housing assistance, Standard 29/08/2014
Person—disability status, code N
  • Community Services (retired), Recorded 17/10/2011
  • Health, Superseded 12/12/2018
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 30/08/2017
Person—disability status, yes/no/not stated/inadequately described code N
  • Children and Families, Superseded 03/11/2021
  • Housing assistance, Standard 30/08/2017
Public Housing and State Owned and Managed Indigenous housing (PH & SOMIH) DSS 2018-
  • Housing assistance, Standard 10/05/2019
Public rental housing DSS 2013-14
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 30/08/2017
Public rental housing DSS 2014-17
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 19/12/2017
Public rental housing DSS 2017-18
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 10/05/2019
State owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) DSS 2013-14
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 30/08/2017
State owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) DSS 2014-17
  • Housing assistance, Standard 30/08/2017
State owned and managed Indigenous housing (SOMIH) DSS 2017-18
  • Housing assistance, Superseded 05/05/2019
<Title>
<body>
<footer>

View

  • Print view

Download

  • Word
  • PDF
  • Advanced Download

Review

  • Compare items
Help
Downloading

The download may take a while, please wait.

Do not refresh the screen until the download is complete.

Terms & Conditions
Do you agree with the Terms and Conditions?

<Title>

<body>
<footer>
Loading...
© Australian Institute of Health and Welfare
Version 1.1.20230418.4