Physical Disabilities

• hidden or invisible disabilities account for 70 to 85% of all disabilities.
• Includes physiological, functional and/or mobility impairments
• Can be fluctuating or intermittent, chronic, progressive or stable, visible or invisible
• Some involve extreme pain, some less, some none at all

Characteristics of “Progressive” conditions and examples:

These disabilities get worse over time but can fluctuate.

• Multiple Sclerosis – neurological deterioration
• Muscular Dystrophy – muscular disorders
• Chronic Arthritis – inflammation of the joints

Characteristics of “Non-Progressive” conditions and examples:

These disabilities are non-progressive and remain stable.

• Cerebral Palsy – neurological condition
• Spina Bifida – congenital malformation of the spinal cord
• Spinal Cord Injury – neurological damage resulting from trauma

These disabilities are non-progressive but can fluctuate.

• Fibromyalgia – chronic pain condition
• Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – chronic fatigue condition

  There are many types and degrees of physical disabilities, very few of which require a wheelchair. For example, people with arthritis, heart or lung conditions, or amputations may also have difficulty moving, standing, or sitting but do not require a wheelchair.    Examples include multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, amputations and spinal cord injuries.

Visual Disabilities

“Legally Blind” describes an individual who has 10% or less of normal vision.

Only 10% of people with a visual disability are actually totally blind. The other 90% are described as having a “Visual Impairment.”

Many have limited vision, such as tunnel vision, where a person loses peripheral or side vision or lacks central vision, which means they cannot see straight ahead.  Sometimes, it may be difficult to tell if someone has a visual disability. 

Common causes of vision loss include:

• Cataracts (cloudy vision – treatable)
• Diabetes (progressive blindness)
• Glaucoma (loss of peripheral vision)
• Macular Degeneration (blurred central vision)
• Retinal Detachment (loss of vision)
• Retinitis Pigmentosa (progressive blindness)

Hearing Disabilities

• Like other disabilities, hearing loss has a wide variety of presentations. 
• Hearing loss is on the rise with our ageing population
• It also occurs at younger ages due to exposure to loud music through headsets
• People with hearing loss prefer various modes of communication, including American Sign Language (ASL), lip reading, gesturing, speaking, assistive writing, or texting on a cell phones

  Canadian Hearing Services has reported that almost 1 in 4 people now live with some degree of hearing loss.

Mental Health Disabilities

Mental health disabilities can take many forms, just as physical disabilities do.

Unlike many physical illnesses though, all mental illnesses can be treated.

They are generally classified into six categories:

• Schizophrenia – schizophrenia affects about 1% of Canadians.
• Mood Disorders (Depression and Manic Depression) – These illnesses affect about 10% of the population. Depression is the most common mood disorder.
• Anxiety Disorders – These affect about 12% of Canadians. They include phobias and panic disorder as well as obsessive-compulsive disorder.
• Eating Disorders – They include anorexia nervosa and bulimia and are most common in men and women under the age of 30.
• Personality Disorders – There are many different personality disorders. People with these disorders usually have a hard time getting along with other people. They are the most difficult disorders to treat.
• Organic Brain Disorders – They are the result of physical disease or injury to the brain (i.e., Alzheimer’s, Stroke, Dementia).

Intellectual Disabilities

• Characterized by intellectual development and capacity that is significantly below average.
• Involves a permanent limitation in a person’s ability to learn.
• People with intellectual or developmental disabilities may have difficulty doing things most of us take for granted. 
• These disabilities can mildly or profoundly limit one’s ability to learn. You may not be able to know that someone has one of these disabilities unless you are told

Causes of Intellectual (or Developmental) Disabilities include:

• Any condition that impairs development of the brain before birth, during birth, or in childhood years
• Genetic conditions
• Illness affecting the mother during pregnancy
• Use of alcohol or drugs by pregnant mothers
• Childhood diseases
• Poverty — Children in poor families may become intellectually disabled because of malnutrition, disease-producing conditions, inadequate medical care, and environmental health hazards.

Learning Disabilities

• A learning disability is essentially a specific and persistent disorder of a person’s central nervous system affecting the learning process.
• This impacts a person’s ability to either interpret what they see and hear, or to link information from different parts of the brain.
• One of the most common indicators of a learning disability is a discrepancy between the individual’s potential (aptitudes and intellectual capacity) and his or her actual level of achievement.
• Having a learning disability does not mean a person is incapable of learning; rather that they learn in a different way.
• Many people with a learning disability develop strategies to compensate for or to circumvent their difficulties.
• Learning disabilities can result in a host of different communication difficulties. They can be subtle, such as difficulty reading, or more pronounced, but they can interfere with a person’s ability to receive, express, or process information.
• Most people with learning disabilities have average or above-average intelligence. 
• Learning disabilities can result in a host of different communication difficulties. They can be subtle, such as difficulty reading, or more pronounced, but they can interfere with a person’s ability to receive, express, or process information.
• Most people with learning disabilities have average or above-average intelligence. 

 NEUROLOGICAL Disabilities

• Neurological disorders involve impairments in the nervous system. 
• The nervous system coordinates all of the body’s movements and functions, including thinking, memory, and visual-spatial coordination. 
• The nervous system has two main parts: The central nervous system consists of the brain and spinal cord, and the peripheral nervous system consists of nerves that branch off from the spinal cord and extend to all parts of the body. We can think of the nervous system as our body’s command centre. Without it, we would be unable to think, eat, walk, talk, move, or function.

Cerebral Palsy – neurological condition

Spinal Cord Injury – neurological damage resulting from trauma

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