Aspects of Disability

RANGE AND SPECTRUM OF DISABLING CONDITIONS:
There are a range and spectrum of disabling health/medical conditions experienced by people who are assisted by vocational rehabilitation professionals. These conditions may come in many forms including:

Congenital: includes inherited conditions which may have a significant impact on a person's ability to successfully enter, maintain, or return to employment.

Degenerative: includes diseases which, over time, can degenerate or get progressively worse and increase a person's level of disability.

Illness/Disease: includes illnesses or diseases such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, AIDS, cardiovascular heart conditions, and others.

Physical: may include biomechanical, musculoskeletal, organic, and orthopedic injuries or damage, regardless of cause, which can lead to a disabling condition.

Preventative: includes lifestyle induced conditions which may be diagnosed with a disorder but that may have no present symptoms, and there is an indication that symptoms could present in the future.

Psychological: includes conditions and disorders that are related to cognitive, affective/emotional, and behavior issues, such as addiction, anxiety, depression, psychosis, stress, substance misuse, trauma, and others.

Traumatic: includes injuries that a person sustains during events like a car accident, sporting accident, work accident, etc. These disabilities may occur unexpectedly and during a sudden or short period of time.

Work Related Illnesses/Injuries: includes illness or injury sustained as a result of a person's job. The treatment and rehabilitation for these types of illnesses and injuries may be paid for by an employer or worker's compensation system.

REFERENCES:
College of Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals, Board of Directors. 2021-2023. Standards of Practice. College of Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals. https://cvrp.net/wp-content/uploads/129-Approved-Version-02-CVRP-SoPs.pdf

College of Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals, Board of Directors. 2019. Vocational Rehabilitation Competencies. College of Vocational Rehabilitation Professionals. https://cvrp.net/wp-content/uploads/60-Competencies.pdf