Introduction

Disability is an established term in the public health lexicon, denoting one of three negative health outcomes to be prevented. When individuals fall through our primary prevention efforts, however, they become part of a heterogeneous demographic, currently approximately 25% of the US population. Little attention has been given to this population by public health professionals in spite of the magnitude and severity of the varied functional health conditions associated with disability. One major contributor to this lack of attention is that public health professionals and students are not grounded in the foundational issues of this population. This chapter provides an overview of the core public health principles and disability tenets that will stretch the field of public health. The chapter also enumerates the development of disability science, practice, and policy during the past decade, establishing the substance for public health integration. The case is made that disability as a construct and people with disabilities as a population should be an integral part of public health education and training.