The present article, in a theoretical perspective, intends to contribute to the studies about diversity, especially concerning the inclusion of people with disabilities in the workplace. The premises regarding the way people interpret the disability are an important explanatory factor to the diversity management because they may become a useful tool to understand people’s actions and their choices. The method adopted was the historical analysis of the main constants or behavior patterns which remain throughout the time. From the analysis of the international and national literature, six forms of interpretation about the disability, which can be used as heuristic instruments to the diversity in the organizations comprehension, were identified: the subsistence/survival conception; the conception of ideal society and the instrumental function of the people; the spiritual conception, the normality conception; the social inclusion conception and the technical conception.