University of New Mexico, NM, USA.
Intellect Dev Disabil. 2013 Apr;51(2):102-7. doi: 10.1352/1934-9556-51.2.102.
Intellectual disability (ID) is differently yet validly described by different professions. Legal professionals find it most useful to consider ID as a disability rather than a disorder. Because the law regulates the actions of individuals in a society and the actions of society on an individual, the law's concern in dealing with a person with ID is almost always with that person's functional abilities and limitations in society. This concern is reflected in various aspects of criminal and civil law, although the methods of assessing those functional abilities and limitations have changed considerably over time. The law has not always been wise or humane in its treatment of people with ID, but its focus on functional abilities and limitations allows us to assist people with ID to use their abilities and participate in society to their fullest potential.
智力残疾（ID）在不同的专业领域有不同但有效的描述。法律专业人士认为，将 ID 视为残疾而不是障碍最为有用。由于法律规范了个人在社会中的行为以及社会对个人的行为，因此法律在处理 ID 患者时，几乎总是关注该患者在社会中的功能能力和局限性。这种关注反映在刑法和民法的各个方面，尽管评估这些功能能力和局限性的方法随着时间的推移发生了很大变化。法律在对待 ID 患者时并不总是明智或人道的，但它对功能能力和局限性的关注使我们能够帮助 ID 患者充分发挥其能力并参与社会。
