Defining disability

This definition of disability from a 2014 article, Access to buildings: How People With Disabilities struggle, gave me cause to think:

Disability, according to an online dictionary, is any damage to muscles, nerves, skin, or bones resulting into difficulties in moving about, or performing activities such as dressing, eating, or cleaning.

No definition of disability will ever be complete. There will always be room for improvement. Here is what some persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Uganda had to say (see Poverty and Disability in Uganda 1: Definitions):

• “You are disabled if you are missing any one of your limbs or body parts, or if one of your limbs is deformed”.
• “A disabled person is one who cannot look after himself or herself due to physical or mental limitation”.
• “A person is considered disabled if any one of the senses that were given by God are missing. These may include lack of sight, hearing, touch or reasoning”
• “Disability is when your life is not in your hands - when your physical or mental state is such that other people have to decide for you what to do, where to go, what to eat and who to associate with. You are just an object of pity, and whatever opinion that you give can never be taken seriously. Some people will treat you as if you are a child, even when you are well over 30 years”.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines disability like this:

Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

The Ugandan Persons with Disabilities Act 2006 gives the following definition:

"Disability" means a substantial functional limitation of daily life activities caused by physical, mental or sensory impairment and environment barriers resulting in limited participation. 

How do you define disabilities?