What Exactly Does it Mean to Have a Disability?

Blessings and HUGS dear friends! I have been sharing Blogs on various disabilities over the last couple of months but today I thought, what if someone doesn't exactly know what does having a disability means. Today my Blog is focusing on that particular question and topic. Hopefully, something I share today will enlighten you in some way and help you to understand what having a disability means. I also wanted to share that after going to a Urologist, my kidneys are not my problem, I have some major back issues and he suggested I go to my primary care doctor to prescribe me to go to a back specialist to see what is going on. I wanted to update you all on what is going on with me healthwise exactly. As soon as I know more, I will let y'all know. Have an awesome rest of your day/afternoon/evening and I hope this Blog enlightens you today in some way. 😊❤

So......... 'What exactly does it mean to have a disability?' 

What Do We Mean by the Term "Disability"?

"Disability" includes a wide range of conditions. A few examples:

• paralysis
• blindness or visual disability
• deafness or hard of hearing
• developmental disability
• learning disabilities
• psychiatric disabilities and mental health conditions
• epilepsy
• chemical sensitivity
• head injuries
• cerebral palsy
• HIV/AIDS
• and many others

Disability impacts people's lives in a wide variety of ways, and the level of impact can range from minimal to extensive

In some cases, a person's disability is a minor inconvenience, something that is controlled through medication, or requires some simple adaptations. In other cases, a person's disability plays a major role in their lives, impacting their ability to earn a living, to participate in activities in the community, and to do many of the things that many non-disabled people take for granted in their daily lives.

Disabilities are often not apparent

Learning disabilities, psychiatric disabilities, epilepsy, and multiple sclerosis are just a few of the many disabilities that are often "hidden". Never presume that someone doesn't have a disability just because it is not readily apparent.

Disability is a natural part of the human existence

There has been a major shift in our society's view of disability. Disability used to be seen as an aberration, something that had to be "fixed" before a person could fully participate in their community. A more progressive view is that disability is simply part of a person's identity, not something to be fixed, and that people with disabilities have the same right as anyone else to full participation in society.

This manual considers only long-term disability

Oftentimes when people are injured (such as a broken leg) they temporarily leave work "on disability" and return when they are fully recovered. However, this manual is not intended to apply to people whose disability is extremely temporary. This material focuses people whose disability has ongoing, possibly life-long, impact.

Legal definitions vary considerably

A person may be considered "disabled" under the Americans with Disabilities Act but not by their state's vocational rehabilitation agency. Also, particular conditions specify the criteria that a person must meet in order to have that condition. For example, not all people who wear glasses have a visual disability. The following are some important legal definitions of "disability":

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): a physical or developmental disability that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; a record of such an disability; or being regarded as having such an disability.

Social Security: The inability to engage in any substantial gainful activity by reason of any medically determinable physical or mental disabilities which can be expected to result in death or which has lasted or can be expected to last for a continuous period of not less than 12 months.

Rehabilitation Act: The term "individual with a disability" means any individual who:

• has a physical or mental disability which for such individual constitutes or results in a substantial impediment to employment and
• can benefit in terms of an employment outcome from vocational rehabilitation services.

Under WIA regulations, people with disabilities are defined using the ADA definition. On a practical level, this means that there will be people who utilize One-Stop services who are considered to have a disability, but do not meet the more restrictive definition under the Rehabilitation Act, and therefore are not eligible for services from Vocational Rehabilitation as a One-Stop partner.

http://www.serviceandinclusion.org/index.php?page=disability

The information above was listed at the link I just shared above. Please click on the link and check out all the invaluable information it shares. ❤

So, what does the term ‘disability’ mean exactly?

It is estimated that there are over 5 million disabled people of working age in the UK plus a further 5 million disabled people over state pension age, but the term ‘disabled’ means different things to different people. The range and breadth of impairments that we all come across in our everyday lives is substantial; some are obvious, most are not. So what is the legal definition of ‘disability’?

The Equality Act 2010 definition of disability is:‘A person has a disability for the purpose of this Act if he or she has a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities.’ The terms used in this definition can be ambiguous, so it’s important to clarify them:

What are ‘long-term adverse effects’?‘Long-term adverse effect’ means that it must have lasted, or be expected to last, twelve months or more, or be expected to last the rest of a person’s life.

What is ‘substantial’?Something more than minor or trivial - it does not have to be severe.

What are ‘normal day to day activities’?Activities carried out by most people on a fairly regular and frequent basis. This does not include activities which are normal only for a particular person, or group of people, i.e. playing a musical instrument, sport or work.

What is an ‘impairment’?

An impairment affects the ability of a person to carry out normal day-to-day activities.  A disability can arise from a wide range of impairments which can be:

• sensory impairments, such as those affecting sight or hearing;

• impairments with fluctuating or recurring effects such as rheumatoid arthritis, myalgic encephalitis (ME)/chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia, depression and epilepsy;

• progressive, such as motor neurone disease, muscular dystrophy, forms of dementia and lupus (SLE);

• organ specific, including respiratory conditions, such as asthma, and cardiovascular diseases, including thrombosis, stroke andheart disease;

• developmental, such as autistic spectrum disorders (ASD), dyslexia and dyspraxia;

• learning difficulties;

• mental health conditions and mental illnesses, such as depression, schizophrenia, eating disorders, bipolar affective disorders, obsessive compulsive disorders, as well as personality disorders and some self-harming behaviour;

• produced by injury to the body or brain.

An exhaustive list of conditions that qualify as impairments for the purposes of the law has not been created as lists often go out of date quickly with medical advancements.  It is important to remember that not all impairments are readily identifiable. While some impairments, particularly visible ones, are easy to identify, there are many which are not so immediately obvious.  

Points to note:

• the definition of disability is broad, and you may be surprised how many people might be considered ‘disabled’ under the Act. It is not just physical conditions, such as blindness or wheelchair use, but many hidden conditions, like learning disabilities, stress and depression that class a person as ‘disabled’. 

• the Equality Act also protects people with a range of conditions often not traditionally thought of as ‘impairments’. For example, people undergoing kidney dialysis, or who have dyslexia, Crohn’s Disease or speech impairment.

• people with severe facial or bodily disfigurement (not including tattoos or body piercings) are protected by the Act without the need to demonstrate any effect on ability to carry out normal day to day activities, provided it is long term or recurring.  Examples of disfigurements include scars, birthmarks, limb or postural deformation (including restricted bodily development), or diseases of the skin.

• The Act states that a person who has cancer, HIV infection or multiple sclerosis (MS) is a disabled person. This means that the person is protected by the Act effectively from the point of diagnosis.

http://www.compassdisability.org.uk/index.php?page=so-what-does-the-term-disability-mean-exactly

The information above was listed at the link I just shared above. Please click on the link and check out all the invaluable information it shares. ❤