Certifying disability in Colombia has been demanded by disabled people; the country has assumed such challenge within the frame work of current legislation and international agreements signed by Colombia. A model of international classification of functioning (ICF), disability and healthwas thus adopted as it has been validated internationally in several studies; it incorporates international standards thereby allowing reliable evaluation of individuals’ functional status. This essayinitially defines the concept of disabilityand locates it within a historical context leading to current ICF domain structure and categories. Such instrument provides a common,