Disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person's body and mind and features of the society in which they live. A disability can occur at any time in a person's life; some people are born with a disability, while others develop a disability later in life. It can be permanent, temporary or episodic. Disability can steadily worsen, remain the same, or improve. It can be very mild to very severe. It can be the cause, as well as the result, of disease, illness, injury, or substance abuse.
Because of its complexity, there is no single, harmonized “operational” definition of disability across federal programs.
Reflecting this complexity are the different approaches to understanding the experience of disability. According to the traditional, bio-medical approach, disability is viewed as a medical or health problem that prevents or reduces a person's ability to participate fully in society. In contrast, the social approach views disability as a natural part of society, where attitudes, stigma and prejudices present barriers to people with disabilities, and prevent or hinder their participation in mainstream society.
Ableism: Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as 'less than', and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations of people with disabilities. Access Living
Mental Illness: Mental illnesses are characterized by alterations in thinking, mood or behaviour associated with significant distress and impaired functioning.
Examples of specific mental illnesses include:
Universal Design: Universal Design is the design and composition of an environment so that it can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. An environment (or any building, product, or service in that environment) should be designed to meet the needs of all people who wish to use it. This is not a special requirement, for the benefit of only a minority of the population. It is a fundamental condition of good design. If an environment is accessible, usable, convenient and a pleasure to use, everyone benefits. By considering the diverse needs and abilities of all throughout the design process, universal design creates products, services and environments that meet peoples' needs. Simply put, universal design is good design. National Disability Authority
Invisible Disabilities: An invisible disability is classified as a physical, mental, or neurological condition that is not visible from the outside yet can limit or challenge a person’s movements, senses, or activities. People usually assume disabilities to be physical or visual when many disabilities are not apparent. A disability is generally defined as a physical or mental impairment that substantially affects your ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. Disabled World