INTRODUCTION TO DISABILITIES

DISABILITY Limit activity restrict participation

activity limitation is a

difficulty encountered by an individual in

executing a task or action

participation restriction is a

problem experienced by an

individual in involvement in life

situations

DISABILITY physical cognitive mental sensory emotional Developmental or some combination of

these impairment. A disability may be present from birth, or

occur during a person's lifetime.

A disability is a physical or mental impairment that

substantially limits one or more major life activities

such as learning, working, walking, seeing, and hearing.

Individual 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 norm

Mental disorders (also known as psychiatric or psychosocial disability)

and various types of chronic disease may

also qualify as disabilities

TYPES OF DISABILITY

Disability

Physical Sensory

Vision & hearing

Olfactory and

gustatory

Somatosensory

Vision Movement Thinking Remembering Learning Communicating Hearing Mental health Social relationships

PHYSICAL DISABILITY affects a person's mobility Need to use some sort of equipment for

assistance with mobility It also includes people who have lost

limbsParaplegia

Quadriplegia Multiple sclerosis (MS)

Hemiplegia Cerebral palsy

Absent limb/reduced limb function

Polio

SENSORY DISABILITY impairment of one of the senses refer to vision and hearing impairment

VISION IMPAIRMENT vision loss (of a person) additional support need limitation of visual capability resulting

from either disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions that cannot be corrected by conventional means, such as refractive correction, medication.

HEARING IMPAIRMENT hard of hearing deafness refers to conditions in which

individuals are fully or partially unable to detect or perceive at least some frequencies of sound which can typically be heard by most people.

Mild hearing loss may sometimes not be considered a disability.

OLFACTORY AND GUSTATORY IMPAIRMENT sense of smell and taste associated with aging but can also occur

in younger people Complete loss of the sense of taste is

known as ageusia dysgeusia is persistent abnormal sense

of taste

OLFACTORY DISORDERS Anosmia – inability to smell Dysosmia – things do not smell as they

"should" Hyperosmia – an abnormally acute sense of

smell Hyposmia – decreased ability to smell Olfactory Reference Syndrome –

psychological disorder which causes patients to imagine they have strong body odor

Parosmia – things smell worse than they should

Phantosmia – "hallucinated smell", often unpleasant in nature

SOMATO SENSORY IMPAIRMENT Insensitivity to stimuli such as touch, heat, cold, and pain commonly associated with paralysis

INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY mental retardation cognitive deficits too mild specific learning disability may appear at any age

MENTAL HEALTH AND EMOTIONAL DISABILITIES A psychiatric disability (or mental

illness) can develop at any age Mental illnesses can include stress-

related conditions major depression Anxiety

AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS disorder of neural development characterized by impaired social

interaction verbal and non-verbal communication restricted and repetitive behavior

DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY disability that results in problems with

growth and development

NONVISIBLE DISABILITIES Diabetes Asthma inflammatory bowel disease Narcolepsy Fibromyalgia, or some sleep disorders

may be counted as nonvisible disabilities

as opposed to disabilities which are clearly visible, such as those requiring the use of a wheelchair.

CAUSES Common causes of developmental disabilities can

include:

Accidents Birth injuries Congenital / genetic defects Child abuse Drug abuse Head trauma Violence

Arthritis Back pain Heart disease Cancer Depression Diabetes

ARTHRITIS AND OTHER MUSCULOSKELETAL PROBLEMS Arthritis is probably the biggest single

cause About 1 in 3 people say arthritis affects

their ability to do their jobs in some way Other muscle and joint problems -- bad

backs, bones that never mend, bad hips -- are common causes of disability too.

HEART DISEASE AND STROKE People may live with heart disease for

years or decades. It can severely limit their ability to work. Studies estimate that heart disease is now the reason for 17% of all health costs in the U.S.

CANCER cancer itself can be disabling,

treatments such as surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy can also make it difficult to work.

"Cancer is the fastest-growing cause for disability claims,"

DIABETES diabetes is rising fast. Along with

obesity, it's linked to a number of serious health problems, like heart disease

Diabetes is a costly disease to manage, too, in part because of the drugs and supplies.

NERVOUS SYSTEM DISORDERS These include a number of conditions

that affect the brain or nerves, such as: Multiple sclerosis (MS) Parkinson's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, also

known as Lou Gehrig's disease) Alzheimer's disease MS is a leading cause of disability in

young adults. It most often appears between ages 20 and 40.

PREGNANCY The Family and Medical Leave Act offers up to 12

weeks of unpaid leave. However, it isn't available to many women who:

Are self-employed Work at small businesses Haven't worked long enough with an employer to be

eligible Some employers and a few states offer women

short-term disability payments for pregnancy. The rest have to get by using sick days and vacation.

Long-term disability caused by pregnancy is relatively rare. Women who wind up needing bed rest while they're pregnant or who suffer from complications afterward -- like postpartum depression -- can face serious financial stress.

ACCIDENTS Many people assume accidents are the

most likely cause of disability. But they are actually the cause of less than 10% of disability cases.

DISABILITY AND POVERTY There is a global correlation between

disability and poverty, produced by a variety of factors. Disability and poverty may form a vicious circle, in which physical barriers make it more difficult to get income, which in turn diminishes access to health care and other necessities for a healthy life. The World report on disability indicates that half of all disabled people cannot afford health care, compared to a third of non-disabled people.

DISABILITY AND DISASTERS Individuals with disabilities are greatly affected by disasters Those with physical disabilities can be at risk when

evacuating if assistance is not available Individuals with cognitive impairments may struggle with

understanding instructions that must be followed in the event a disaster occurs

Those who are blind, hearing impaired, etc. may have difficulty communicating during the emergency

All of these factors can increase the degree of variation of risk in disaster situations with disabled individuals

Research studies have consistently found discrimination against individuals with disabilities during all phases of the disaster cycle

The most common limitation is that people cannot physically access buildings or transportation, as well as access disaster-related services

THANKS