Disabled person an evolutionary perspective: conceptual analysis

The study aimed to analyze the concept of disabled person, using stages of the Evolutionary Model in public policy documents issued between 1981 and 2008, highlighting essential attributes and antecedent and consequent events of the concept. Among the antecedent events, education, discrimination, inclusion and rights were the main issues. As for attributes, terms like loss, disability, limitation, restriction, deficit and hindrance were observed. The consequent events showed expressions like uncovered needs, exclusion from society, non-enforcement of laws, need to change attitudes in society. It was concluded that the nomenclature to designate the disabled person has changed, but not enough to make society look at these clients with new eyes.