habilitation

[ huh-bil-i-tey-shuhn ]

noun

1. the act or process of becoming fit or of making fit for a particular purpose:

   For at-risk youth, combining school and work makes more sense, expanding their education and habilitation to include hands-on training.

2. a program of teaching basic living skills to someone with a disability, as in a group home:

   Without early intervention and residential habilitation, our son would be so much more dependent than he is now.

3. Often Ha·bil·i·ta·tion. (in European and other educational systems) the act or process of qualifying as professor or instructor after having earned one’s doctorate, or the thesis or book written for this qualification:

   After her doctorate and habilitation in New York and San José respectively, she joined the University of Konstanz as a professor of experimental solid-state physics in 2002.

Word History and Origins

Origin of habilitation¹

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin habilitātiōn-, stem of habilitātiō “a making fit, an enabling”; habilitate ( def ), -ion ( def )

Example Sentences

Residents at Eastern State Hospital and Lakeland Village Residential Habilitation Center had remained sheltered in place as of 8:30 p.m.

From Seattle Times

Amy, who previously attended a mainstream school but found she didn't get the support she needed, believes schools need more habilitation workers helping them.

From BBC

They said a shortage of habilitation teachers was made worse because Scots students had to travel to England to train.

From BBC

Habilitation teachers instruct blind young people on key life skills that others learn through sight, such as cooking and route planning.

From BBC

Cameron Henderson, who is currently in training to be an habilitation specialist, said having to commute from East Lothian to London to study, when he has a young family, was "really tricky".

From BBC

Related Words

• ability
• competence
• quality
• stature
• talent