Disability
Disability is a condition that a person has which limits them in some way.[1] These conditions may be congenital (present at birth), cognitive (to do with the brain), developmental (appears as the person develops), physical (for example, caused by an accident or infection), sensory, or a combination of factors.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities defines disability in Article 1 as:
- "long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder [a person's] full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others".
Invisible disabilities, or hidden disabilities, are disabilities that are not immediately obvious. Some examples of invisible disabilities are intellectual disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, mental disorders, asthma, epilepsy, allergies, migraines, arthritis, and chronic fatigue syndrome.[2]
People with a disability or disabilities may need to use special equipment that can help them. This can include using a wheelchair, a cane or walking stick, hearing aids, a teletypewriter (TTY) and using specially designed software and hardware for the personal computer.
People who use a wheelchair cannot walk up or down stairs in a building. They need to use ramps and elevators (lifts) going into and moving around in a building. Wide doorways and accessible toilets also make it easier for people with physical disabilities to use.
Prejudice towards people with disabilities is common. This is sometimes called 'ableism'. People with such a prejudice are called an ablecentrists.[3]
Some categories of disability
- Physical disabilities limit the way the body works.
- Visual impairment is when the eyesight of a person is affected. (e.g. blind)
- Hearing impairment is when a person cannot hear normally. (e,g. deaf)
- Intellectual disability is when a person's brain is limited and cannot function at the same level as another person of their age.
- A developmental disability can limit how a person processes information and thinks, thus often leading to a lower mental age than chronological Age
Disability Media
Windover Archeological Site, location of the 15 year old with spina bifida who was taken care of in a hunter-gather community.
A short government advisory animation on the social model of disability
A sign in Taiwan showing a wheelchair accessibility ramp.
Museum of disABILITY History, Buffalo, New York
The rainbow-colored infinity symbol represents the diversity of the autism spectrum as well as the greater neurodiversity movement.
A 28-year-old Iraqi woman who lost both of her legs during the Iraq War in 2005
The Cripples, Pieter Bruegel, 1568
Protest for the recognition of Irish Sign Language
Related pages
Other websites
References
- ↑ DePoy, Elizabeth; Gilson & Stephen French 2004. Rethinking disability: principles for professional and social change. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks Cole. ISBN 978-0-534-54929-9
- ↑ "Invisible Disabilities: List & Information" (PDF). Disabled World. 2015-10-28. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
- ↑ Goodley, Dan, and Katherine Runswick‐Cole. 2011. The violence of disablism. in Sociology of health & illness 33.4: 602-617.
