International classification of functioning, disability and health

***THIS IS THE LARGE PRINT VERSION OF ICF FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIRED*** The International Classification of Functioning (ICF) is a classification of health and health-related domains that provides a standard language for describing how people live with their health condition. It covers body functions and structures, activities and participation, from both individual and societal perspectives. The ICF puts the notions of ‘health’ and ‘disability’ in a new light. Disability is not something that only happens to a minority of humanity. It acknowledges that every human being can undergo a decrement in health and thereby experience some degree of disability. The ICF thus ‘mainstreams’ the experience of disability and recognizes it as a universal human experience. By shifting the focus from cause to impact, it places all health conditions on an equal footing allowing them to be compared using a common metric - the ruler of health and disability. Furthermore, ICF takes into account the social aspects of disability and does not see disability only as ‘medical’ or ‘biological’ dysfunction. It also s takes into account the impact of the environment on the person’s functioning.The ICF is useful in understanding and measuring health outcomes. It can be used in clinical settings, health services or surveys at the individual or population level.