[Interrater reliability of a German version of the "International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH)" of the World Health Organization].

A German version of the "International Classification of Impairments, Disabilities, and Handicaps (ICIDH)" edited by the World Health Organization (1980) has tested in respect to the interrater reliability. The investigation was carried out with 36 staff members from three rehabilitation institutions for the blind or partially sighted, who rated in pairs a visually impaired child or adult with the classification system. The calculation of the interrater reliability was based both on the method of the relative agreement between the raters and on the measure "kappa". Altogether, the KAPPA-calculation yielded unsatisfactory interrater agreements. The reasons for the low reliability figures can be seen on one hand in the classification system itself, on the other hand in motivational barriers within the group of raters. The investigation however also indicates, that by modifying the classification system and by intensively training the raters, improvement concerning the reliability figures can be expected.