According to the Americans with Disabilities Act, a disability is defined as if she/he has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities, a record of such impairment, or is regarded as having an impairment.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability.

• The percentage of people living with disabilities is highest in the south.
• 13.7% have serious difficulties walking or climbing stairs
• 10.8% have serious difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
• 6.8% difficulty doing errands alone
• 5.9% are deaf or have difficulty hearing
• 4.6% are blind or having difficulty seeing
• 3.7% have difficulty dressing or bathing independently
•  2 in 5 are adults age 65 years or older
• 1 in 4 women have a disability
• adults living with disabilities are more likely to have obesity, smoke, have heart disease and diabetes.

The U.N. Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopts the social model of disability that recognizes:

• That disability is an evolving concept and that disability results from the interaction between persons with impairments and attitudinal and environmental barriers that hinders their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others and;
• Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others.

According to the World Report on Disability, about 15% of the world/s population lives with some form of disabilities,. of whom 2-4% experiences significant difficulties in functioning. A disability can be visible or invisible.

Causes

A disability can be occur before, during or after birth. Before birth could be a genetic problem, chromosomal , infection or exposure to chemicals. During birth can be due to lack of oxygen and after ranges from seizures, car accidents, drownings, strokes, etc.

Types of Disabilities

Chromones/Genetic

Chromosomal disorders is the result of abnormalities with one of the 23 pairs of chromosomes. This can include an extra chromosome such as Down syndrome or a deletion in the chromosome.

Neurodevelopmental

Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of disorders that affect the brain and the nervous system affecting learning, thinking and language. This includes autism, ADHD, learning disabilities and communication disorders.

Physical Impairments

Physical impairments include sensory impairments, musculoskeletal impairment, and neuromuscular impairments. This includes vision impairment, low back pain, mobility, hearing loss and arthritis.

Psychiatric

A mental disorder that limits a person’s ability to perform life activities including working, learning, and communication including anxiety, depression and bipolar disorders.

Chronic Disabilities

A life-long term health issue that can be physical or mental that last 1 year or more and requires ongoing medical assistance including heart disease, diabetes, and arthritis.

Sensory Disabilities

Affects how people process information from the senses including hearing impairment, autism spectrum disorder, and sensory processing disorder.

Cognitive Disabilities

Impairments that affect the way a person thinks, learns, remembers and makes decisions including intellectual disability, ADHD, learning disability, autism.

Invisible Disability

According to the Invisible Disabilities Association, the term invisible disability refers to symptoms such as debilitating pain, fatigue, dizziness, cognitive dysfunction, brain injuries, learning differences, mental health disorders, as well as hearing and visual impairments. They are not always obvious to the onlooker, but can sometimes or always limit daily activities range from mild challenges to severe limitations and vary from person to person

Updated 6/28/24