Threshold — how disability is defined, counted and governed in the United Kingdom.

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01Definitions 02The Question 03Counts 04Gaps 05Bodies 06Sources ALLIndex

Section 1 of 6

Definitions

Three at once, and they do not agree. Every entry below names the definition or the source it depends on, and says where official figures disagree.

Bound volumes of statute on a shelf — Fig. 1The statutory test is applied case by case, on evidence, by tribunals and courts. It settles who is protected; it produces no count.
Photo: Christina & Peter / Pexels

5 entries in this section

Three definitions, one populationA legal test, a survey question and a benefits assessment are three different instruments measuring three different things, and all three get reported as 'the number of disabled people'.
The legal testWhat the statutory definition actually says, and the parts of it that do the work.
The survey definitionSelf-reported, and deliberately so.
The assessmentA functional test built for a different purpose entirely.
Why they divergeThree instruments, three populations, one headline.

Sections

Definitions
The Question
Counts
Gaps
Bodies
Sources

The publication

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How to read this site

Every entry names the definition or the source it depends on, and the year. Where official figures disagree, the entry says so instead of choosing between them.

dialuk.info is an independent publication about how disability is defined, counted and governed in the United Kingdom. It is not an advice, advocacy or support service, it does not interpret law or guidance for any individual, and nothing on it should be read as guidance on any person’s circumstances.