FOI 25/26-2132 & FOI 25/26 -2133 Document 1

Descriptions of impairment categories

SGP KP Publishing

Exported on 2026-03-03 05:12:57

Page 1 of 175

This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

FOI 25/26-2132 & FOI 25/26 -2133 SGP KP Publishing – Descriptions of impairment categories

Table of Contents

1 Recent updates …………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

2 Impairment categories …………………………………………………………………………………………… 5

3 References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 6

Table of Contents – 2 Page 2 of 175

This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

FOI 25/26-2132 & FOI 25/26 -2133 SGP KP Publishing – Descriptions of impairment categories

This article provides guidance for an access delegate to understand the impairment categories when deciding what categories to select for a person that meets the eligibility requirements.

Recent updates – 3 Page 3 of 175

This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

FOI 25/26-2132 & FOI 25/26 -2133 SGP KP Publishing – Descriptions of impairment categories

1 Recent updates

14 October 2024

New guidance to:

• reflect legislation changes from 3 October 2024
• understand the impairment categories when deciding what categories to select for a person that meets the eligibility requirements.

Recent updates – 4 Page 4 of 175

This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

FOI 25/26-2132 & FOI 25/26 -2133 SGP KP Publishing – Descriptions of impairment categories

2 Impairment categories

1. Intellectual Such as how you speak and listen, read and write, solve problems, and process and remember information.

   An intellectual impairment may be considered a developmental disorder as it becomes apparent at an early age¹. Without these skills, a person needs additional supports to succeed at school, work, or independent life. Conditions such as down’s syndrome and cerebral palsy may be associated with intellectual impairments.

2. Cognitive Such as how you think, learn new things, use judgment to make decisions, and pay attention.

   Cognitive impairment involves various aspects of high-level mental functions and processes such as attention, memory, knowledge, decision-making, planning, reasoning, judgment, perception, comprehension, language, and visuospatial function. There are some similarities with intellectual impairments however, cognitive impairments generally become apparent at a later stage in life and are associated with brain injury or pathology¹. Conditions such as dementia and traumatic brain injury may cause cognitive impairments.

3. Neurological Such as how your body functions.

   Neurological impairments happen when there’s a change in function of the nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord². Damage to either or both areas can affect the way the nervous system processes information. Parkinsons disease, epilepsy and multiple sclerosis³ are conditions which have a neurological basis.

4. Sensory Such as how you see or hear.

   Sensory impairment most commonly relates to hearing or visual loss but can include all senses².

5. Physical Such as the ability to move parts of your body.

   Physical impairment may cause limitations in posture control, moving and coordinating parts of the body or in stamina². There are many conditions which can cause a physical impairment including amputation of a limb, arthritis, multiple sclerosis, heart disease.

6. Psychosocial This means you have reduced capacity to do daily life activities and tasks due to your mental health.

   Participants with a psychosocial impairment may find it hard to engage in education, training and employment or engage with the community. Mental health conditions such as bipolar affective disorder and schizophrenia are commonly associated with psychosocial impairments¹ but other conditions such as autism could also have associated psychosocial impairments.

To learn more about impairment categories, go to article Impairment categories guide.

Impairment categories – 5 Page 5 of 175

This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 by the National Disability Insurance Agency.

FOI 25/26-2132 & FOI 25/26 -2133 SGP KP Publishing – Descriptions of impairment categories

3 References

¹ The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition. DSM-5, American Psychiatric Association, 2013). ² International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health: ICF. Geneva. World Health Organisation, 2001. ³ World Health Organisation (WHO), (1983). The ICD-10 classification of mental and behavioural disorders. World Health Organisation.

References – 6 Page 6 of 175

This document was released under the Freedom of Information Act 1982 by the National Disability Insurance Agency.