ASSESSMENT OF DISABILITY, SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH, AND INSTRUMENTALITY OF SOCIAL WORK: CRITICAL MEDIATIONS BASED ON THE MODIFIED BRAZILIAN FUNCTIONALITY INDEX

Abstract

This theoretical-analytical chapter addresses the assessment of disability through the articulation between the social determinants of health, the Modified Brazilian Functioning Index (IFBrM), and the instrumentality of Social Work within the scope of Brazilian public policies. It begins with a critique of the traditional biomedical model, which understands disability as an individual limitation, highlighting the transition to social and biopsychosocial approaches that recognize the interaction between physical impairments and social barriers. Based on a theoretical and documentary review, it discusses how the perspective of the social determinants of health contributes to understanding disability as a socially produced phenomenon, influenced by living conditions, work, income, education, and access to public policies. In this context, the IFBrM is analyzed as a technical instrument aligned with the International Classification of Functioning and Disability (ICF) and Brazilian legislation on the rights of people with disabilities, highlighting its role in operationalizing biopsychosocial assessment in accessing social rights. It is argued that the use of this instrument requires critical mediation from Social Work, whose professional instrumentality allows for the articulation of social analysis, theoretical foundations, and ethical-political commitment in the construction of socially referenced assessments. It is concluded that disability assessment, when guided by a critical perspective, can contribute to the strengthening of inclusive public policies and to the realization of the rights of people with disabilities.