Background: There are more than 1,000 million people with disability worldwide, about 15% of the global population. The prevalence of disability has been rising because of aging populations and the increase in people with chronic diseases. Even though it is well known that people with disability have an increased risk of chronic diseases and mortality at a younger age, health policies have not been developed correspondingly. Current Concepts: Disability epidemiology is a study of the patterns, distributions, determinants, and outcomes of disabling conditions. From the medical model perspective ...