Everyone needs to feel included in every aspect of everyday living. Whether it’s in education, politics, or in the community, everyone must have the privilege to participate. This should include even those people with a disability. But to recognize and understand them properly, you must have a clear idea of various types of disabilities. For starters, here are the most common types of disabilities in the US:
Visual Impairments
Millions of Americans aged 40 years and older are legally blind or visually impaired. A variety of factors causes such visual impairments, including advanced age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma.
Also, there are younger individuals with visual impairments caused by several other factors. These include accidents, congenital diseases, and other illnesses. People who weren’t born blind are advised to getlong-term disability claims in Salt Lake City, for instance, to protect themselves in the future.
Hearing Impairments
Several factors can cause hearing loss and deafness. These can include physical damage, repeated exposure to extremely loud noises, or diseases during pregnancy. But no matter the cause of their disability, many people with hearing impairments are productive members of their community.
Learning or Intellectual Disabilities
People who have learning, cognitive, or intellectual disabilities deal with a reduced ability to process and learn new information. Such disabilities can make communication difficult. These can also cause difficulties in writing, mathematics, and even reading.
Learning disabilities, along with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, can affect a lot of people. But having this doesn’t mean that the person is less intelligent, less productive, or less creative than other people.
Psychiatric Disability
Mental illness can develop at any age during a person’s lifetime. This can include conditions that are related to stress, bipolar disorders, major depression, schizophrenia, and anxiety. These conditions may not be evident to other people. But now that more and more people talk about mental health, it has become much easier to recognize if your friend or a family member has anxiety or depression.
Neurological Disabilities
These types of disabilities usually refer to the damages in a nervous system. The spine and the brain are the two parts of the body that are most associated with neurological processes. With neurological disabilities, a person can have difficulty moving and expressing their emotions. Some severe cases of neurological disabilities can result in serious infections, heart attacks, and lack of oxygen in the brain.
Physical Disabilities
Physical disabilities can affect one’s dexterity and mobility. People who have physical disabilities may also need to use assistive equipment for their mobility. This category can also include people who lost a limb or two. It also covers people who require minor adaptations for them to participate in society properly, such as quadriplegic and paraplegic individuals.
These may seem like a lot to take in. But being able to understand the different types of disabilities helps you recognize and interact better with such disabilities. From there, you can take steps to make them feel included in your school or office. Doing so inspires them to become a valuable part of the community.
