What is a disability?

A disability maybe defined as a condition which may restrict a person's mental, sensory and/or mobility functions to undertake and/or perform a task in the same way as a person who does not have a disability.

Disabilities affect people in different ways, a disability is generally a conditioned caused by accident, trauma, genetics or disease, which may restrict a person's mental processes, senses or mobility.

Many ways to classify a disability:

  • Congenital (born with) or Acquired - (Develops it during life e.g. after a Motor Vehicle Accident, illness or a Traumatic Brain Injury.
  • Visible - (easy to spot by the persons appearance or manner of moving e.g. shaking movement of the limbs of some persons with a particular type of Cerebral Palsy or by the equipment that they use e.g. wheelchair, cane, etc.
  • Invisible or Hidden - The person looks "ordinary" but their challenge maybe in learning, thinking or behaving/managing their emotions.
  • Mild, Moderate, Severe - Used to describe the level of impact on a particular disability.

In each of the common conditions described, there is no known "cure" known to scientists at this time. These conditions are managed most effectively via early detection / identification, accurate diagnosis and prompt interventions / treatments. In each of these conditions, the person is expected to have a normal life span, except it maybe shortened by some other condition that maybe present at the same time.

TYPES OF DISABILITIES