ABSTRACT
There have been many changes over the past 50 years in the study of disability. For example, research in the areas of assessment, rehabilitation planning, and service delivery has expanded from studying primarily the psychological, sociological, and medical aspects of physical disabilities in adults and children (e.g., orthopedic impairments, hearing and visual impairments, and acute and chronic physical illnesses) to studying also specific learning disabilities, emotional disabilities and mental illnesses, developmental disabilities and pervasive developmental disorders, substance abuse disorders, traumatic brain disorders, burn injuries, and several additional chronic and disabling physical illnesses (e.g., acquired immune deficiency syndrome and human immunodeficiency virus, Alzheimer’s disease, blood disorders, cancers, cardiovascular disorders, diabetes, neuromuscular disorders, and rheumatoid diseases).
