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In May 2001, the World Health Assembly endorsed the ICF (WHO 2001). This marked the finalisation of revision of the ICF's predecessor, the International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities and Handicaps (ICIDH) (WHO 1980), a process that involved several years of redevelopment and testing by WHO and its Collaborating Centres, including the AIHW.
The ICIDH was originally proposed to describe the effects of chronic conditions such as arthritis and the long-term effects of rehabilitation. In 1980 the ICIDH was published by the WHO as a 'manual of classification relating to the consequences of disease' (and injuries and other 'disorders') and as a 'conceptual framework for information' (WHO 1980).
In the years following its release, a number of review articles described the potential applications and uses of the ICIDH, including:
conceptual development in interdisciplinary fields related to disability
medical and rehabilitation monitoring systems
survey research
data base development
clinical diagnosis and rehabilitation assessment
program evaluation.
By 1994 the ICIDH had been translated into 13 languages. However, some strong criticism was levelled at the ICIDH, particularly from people with disabilities and many professionals who were critical of the inadequate recognition given to the role of the environment in the creation of disability. Seven years of revision and testing ensued. A review of the overall development of the ICIDH is discussed in Bickenbach et al. (1999).
The development process - research, advice, and the role of people with disabilities
Organisations representing people with disabilities played an active role in ICF development at national and international levels. The advisory group for the AIHW's work as the Australian Collaborating Centre included such representation, and people with disabilities participated in the research carried out during the ICIDH development process. The involvement of disability organisations in the revision is a significant achievement of the ICF and has vastly improved its validity.
The ICF provides a framework for the description of human functioning, on a continuum - not just at the extremes. This point is explicitly stated in the classification. Because of the efforts taken to involve a wide range of disciplines and people in development and testing, the ICF should be able to be used in an even wider range of applications than its predecessor, the ICIDH.
A summary of the ICF development process, focusing on the contribution of the Australian Collaborating Centre, is outlined in Disability Data Briefing 21 (AIHW 2002a: Table 1). The web version of the data briefing contains links to related reports prepared during the course of the revision, including reports on Australian research and testing.
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