Types of Disability

A disability may be generally defined as a condition which may restrict a person's mental, sensory, or mobility functions to undertake or perform a task in the same way as a person who does not have a disability. It does not mean that a person with a disability is unable to perform all the important requirements of his life and a job and exceed the expectations of his employer. People with a disability come in a variety of shapes, sizes, colors, sex and cultures - just as we all do. The only thing that separates a person with a disability is that, for one reason or another, they are unable to do certain things in the same way as the mainstream of society. They may require some form of adaptation or alteration to assist them to overcome the effect of their disability. Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus, disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. An individual may also qualify as disabled if they have had an impairment in the past or is seen as disabled based on a personal or group standard or normal. Such impairments may include physical, sensory, and cognitive or developmental disabilities. Mental disorders, also known as psychiatric or psychosocial disability, and various types of chronic disease may also qualify as disabilities.  A variety of physical disabilities result from congenital conditions, accidents, or progressive neuromuscular diseases. These disabilities may include conditions such as spinal cord injury, paraplegia or quadriplegia, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, amputation, muscular dystrophy, cardiac conditions, cystic fibrosis, paralysis, polio/post polio, and stroke.  Learning disabilities are neurologically based and may interfere with the acquisition and use of listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or mathematical skills. They affect the manner in which individuals with average or above average intellectual abilities process and/or express information. Speech and language disabilities may result from hearing loss, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities, and/or physical conditions. There may be a range of difficulties from problems with articulation or voice strength to complete absence of voice. Totally blind students learn via Braille or other non visual media. Legally blind indicates that a student has less than 20/200 vision in the more functional eye or a very limited field of vision, 20 degrees at its widest point. Low vision refers to a severe vision loss in distance and near vision. Brain injury may occur in many ways. Traumatic brain injury typically results from accidents; however, insufficient oxygen, stroke, poisoning, or infection may also cause brain injury. Students who are deaf or hard of hearing require different accommodations depending on several factors, including the degree of hearing loss, the age of onset, and the type of language or communication system they use. People with disabilities are among the most marginalized groups in the world. People with disabilities have poorer health outcomes, lower education and less economic opportunities and higher rates of poverty than people without disabilities.