The Constitution of Nicaragua uses the phrase "invalidez," which has been translated as "disabled." In addition, the election law refers to "personas que tuvieron impedimentos fisicos," which has been translated as "individuals with physical impairments." Whenever quoting these documents, the original language is retained.

Definition of Disability

Definitions of disability differ between organizations. For example, the Ministry of Health defines disability as "a deviation from the biomedical normalcy of the body-mind structure and function as a consequence of an illness, trauma or injury, and which calls for therapeutic or compensatory measures, generally on an individual basis."¹ The National Institute of Statistics and Census (INEC) defines disability as "a problem of a physical-mental nature affecting a person."²

Although there is no single, prevailing definition, most are consistent with the ideas established by Law 202 on the "Prevention, Rehabilitation and Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities," as well as with international laws. Law 202 defines disability as "any restriction or impairment in the execution of an activity, caused by some deficiency in the manner or within the sphere of action that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a function that is normal for that person for his or her age, gender, and cultural factors."³

^1. Interview with Héctor Collado (National Director of Rehabilitation of the Ministry of Health), interviewed by author, February 2003.

^2. Interview with Domingo Primante Furlan (Research Consultant of the National Institute of Statistics and Census), interviewed by author, Managua, February 2003.

^3. Law 202, "Prevention, Rehabilitation, and Equal Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities Act," ch. 7, sec. 26, subsec. 47, 23 August 1995, http://legislacion.asamblea.gob.ni/Normaweb. nsf/.