Disability

Disability can be defined as the state of having some form of physical or mental impairment which impacts upon day to day living. This disability can be present from birth or happen at some stage in life due to accident or illness. There are varying degrees of disability which range from the physical, sensory, cognitive and mental. These include conditions such as cerebral palsy, blindness, learning difficulties and dyslexia. A disabled person faces a range of challenges such as mobility, performing everyday tasks and communicating with others. These and many others will be affected to a greater or lesser degree depending on the extent of the disability.

However, many disabled people manage to live effectively with their condition, partaking in a range of activities, such as sport, and achieve a high level of success. Examples of this can be seen in the Paralympics and the Extremity Games. Disabled people wish to be treated in the same way able bodied people are, which means given full access to opportunities, activities and events without fear of prejudice or discrimination.

In terms of employment, efforts are being made to ensure that the disabled have accessibility and availability of work, which will help to boost their self-esteem. Other examples of this access include ensuring public buildings have disabled access, access to sport and fitness and being able to socialise with others. There is an ongoing campaign to raise awareness of disability issues which is proving successful, though much work still remains in changing society’s attitude towards disability.