Abstract
The experience of work and employment is universal; hence, any form of disability that may affect work can become a crucial issue. In this chapter, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) model of the World Health Organization (WHO) will be discussed and how the ICF model can help us to understand and examine the broader context of work disability, vocational rehabilitation, and disability evaluation.
The ICF was intended by the WHO to be a universal reference framework when describing the functioning of an individual including work functioning, and the same framework can be applied to understanding work disability. To mitigate the negative consequences of work disability, vocational or work rehabilitation is a key process. Such a process can be disentangled using the biopsychosocial approach of the ICF in terms of conceptual definition and operationalization. In the broad overview of disability, the ICF can be utilized so as to be able to pursue fair and transparent disability evaluation process, ultimately informing effective and efficient level of care.