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Defining Disabilities

Making Teams Accessible

"You touch people by realizing that they want what everyone wants: recognition, respect, and to feel as if they matter."
Anonymous

What is a disability? A disability is a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits life's activities, such as seeing, hearing, speaking, walking, working, learning, breathing, performing manual tasks and caring for oneself. The legal definition also includes people who have a history of such impairments or who are regarded as having such impairments. Included as well are people who are discriminated against because of their association with, or responsibility for, people with disabilities.

More people have disabilities than we commonly realize. Many disabilities are "hidden" or not apparent -- such as epilepsy, arthritis, diabetes, or minimal hearing, vision, mental or mobility impairments. These disabilities contribute to the size of the advocacy population, as do friends, relatives and co-workers.

Modern technological advances permit all people, including those with disabilities, to live longer than ever before. We also get more disabled as we age.

Who are people with disabilities? How do you recognize someone with a disability? How can you recognize those with hidden disabilities? Here's how:

  • Approximately 54 million Americans have some degree of disability. That means 1 in every 6 people, both within our nation and worldwide, has some degree of disability

  • Seventy percent of disabilities occur after birth. Many people with disabilities attended at least some college

  • One in three adults with a disability is African-American or Hispanic. People with disabilities from culturally diverse backgrounds experience twice the amount of discrimination as those who are not culturally diverse. There are usually fewer educational opportunities; and less affordable and inadequate transportation and housing in disadvantaged communities can intensify the barriers.

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