ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces therapy as a concept recognised by both professionals and disabled people as representing valuable services. Therapy is defined as any measure intended to alter physical or mental functioning in a direction preferred by a person with an impairment. At the lower end of the therapy continuum lies neglect, where people with disabilities are unable to reach their potential due to the unavailability of assistive technology or life-prolonging medication. In the middle of the continuum is medicalisation, a contested area where therapy can be seen either as empowering or as reducing people to their impairments. At the upper end, the framework of evidence-based practice is highlighted as well-suited to fostering constructive relationships between disabled individuals and healthcare professionals. The final sections of the chapter explore the future of rehabilitation and introduce the emerging concept of ultrabilitation.
