Frankie's Cultural Diversity Blog: October 2012

Disability

Disability is a broad term that compares actual ability to normal functioning. It is most often used to refer to an impairment. A person may be considered disabled if he or she has a condition that affects the ability to function without assistance at a level needed to maintain well-being.

How many of these disabilities do you know about?

http://www.access-ability.org/types_of_disability.html

Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations.

Key facts

Over a billion people, about 15% of the world's population, have some form of disability.
Between 110 million and 190 million people have significant difficulties in functioning.
Rates of disability are increasing due to population ageing and increases in chronic health conditions, among other causes.
People with disabilities have less access to health care services and therefore experience unmet health care needs.

http://www.who.int/topics/disabilities/en/

There are different ways of classifying disabilities. The types of condition included in the categories also varies, as does the number of disabilities listed. In general, a disability may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person's lifetime.

Task 1: Research/Brainstorm in small groups

a. Find a list of disabilities. How many conditions are listed?

b. Think! Why are people disabled? Make a list of causes.

c. Brainstorm or research examples of disabilities in the following categories:

Physical	Mental	Intellectual
Emotional	Developmental	Sensory

d. What equipment and aids are available for disabled people to use? Make a list and note which kind of disability the item supports.

Item	Disability	Item	Disability

e. What kinds of support for disabled people are found in the city or in public buildings?

f. What animals can help disabled people? How?

g. Research one of the following people to find out about their disabilities and achievements. Make a Powerpoint slide with a photo and some notes to share with the class via Edmodo.

Stephen Hawking http://www.biography.com/people/stephen-hawking-9331710

Christopher Reeve

Muhammed Ali

Chad Crittenden

Helen Keller

Terry Fox

Stevie Wonder

Douglas Bader

Extra: Browse this site for more information, insights and stories:

http://www.disabilitymuseum.org/dhm/index.html

Notes:

Legislation

Many countries have laws concerning the rights of people with disabilities and policies which aim to support them.

Equality Act 2010, UK

The Equality Act 2010 aims to protect disabled people and prevent disability discrimination. It provides legal rights for disabled people in the areas of:

· employment

· education

· access to goods, services and facilities including larger private clubs and land based transport services

· buying and renting land or property

· functions of public bodies, for example the issuing of licences

The Equality Act also provides rights for people not to be directly discriminated against or harassed because they have an association with a disabled person. This can apply to a carer or parent of a disabled person. In addition, people must not be directly discriminated against or harassed because they are wrongly perceived to be disabled.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/RightsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068

Disability, UAE

· Search on the internet for news stories about disability issues in the UAE.

· Does the UAE have any laws related to disability? What are they?

· What schools, centres and support groups does the UAE have for disabled persons? Make a list.

· What forms of assistance can you find in UAE cities, public buildings, shopping malls, etc. for people with disabilities?

Vocabulary and Concepts

Item	Notes
Access
Inclusion
Equal Opportunities
Quotas
Assistive Technology
Special Education
Special Needs

The Paralympics

· What are the Paralympics? Who are the athletes?

· Are the sports the same or different from the Olympics? Give examples.

· Why is it difficult to organize the Paralympics and classify the athletes?

London Paralympics: http://www.london2012.com/paralympics/sports/

Choose a sport and find some information about the competitions and athletes.

YouTube: Find some clips of the Paralympics on Youtube

Emirati Paralympians

Find a photo and make a factsheet about one of the Emirati Paralympic athletes.

(Name, Age, Disability, Training, Support, Challenges, Awards, etc)

Embrace the strengths of disabled members of UAE society

Aida al Busaidy

Oct 22, 2012

http://www.thenational.ae/thenationalconversation/comment/embrace-the-strengths-of-disabled-members-of-society#ixzz2AInkzGsg

When we talk about society at large, we think about what and especially who makes it up: men, women and children, young and old, and so on. But there is a category of people we seem to treat as an afterthought - the disabled.

When I was growing up in the UAE, it was uncommon for families to talk about a child who had Down syndrome or who is autistic. What's worse, you would never actually see these children out and about in society.

A lot has changed since then. There are more facilities offered for disabled people, and even sports programmes dedicated to them. People are slowly opening up about discussing their family members, and even asking for help in understanding how a disabled person can be integrated into society.

A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a phenomenal young woman who has been in a wheelchair since she was a little girl because of a bone disorder. She was comfortable in her own skin, but it was everyone around her who acted weird and didn't know or understand how to behave.

No one ever asked her what had happened, why she was in a wheelchair or how she got around. No one tried to understand her situation. She was truly a "special case", instead of being one of us.

Of course, being in a wheelchair does not define who a person is. Disabled people have accomplishments just like anyone else, and are defined by their intelligence, their education, their character, and their goals and dreams. The issue is people on the other side, and their lack of understanding, and the lack of understanding in our society as a whole.

Let's start with an obvious issue: driving and parking. If you aren't born into money, it can be tough to find transportation suitable for people with disabilities, and there are nowhere near enough parking spaces earmarked for them.

That kind of practical issue contributes to a bigger problem. A family will assume they are "protecting" a disabled person from the world by not letting them out of the house, and not allowing them to fully flourish. This can be worse for disabled girls and women who are considered the "weaker" sex anyway.

When you look at the country's infrastructure, a lot could be done to create more community spaces. Even with the current facilities, few are equipped to accommodate ramps or other disabled-friendly features.

Instead of creating community spaces that cater for everyone regardless of physical disabilities, we provide only the bare minimum. My question to society is, why do we treat such issues as an afterthought? A better plan to cater for disabled people's needs could actually help to educate others and make them more comfortable accepting people with disabilities.

Families also need to be more open and proud about disabled members. Their contributions need to be recognised.

Having been lucky enough to have travelled in Europe, I've been struck by societies that have evolved to be inclusive rather than exclusive. Disabled people are part of everyday society, riding public transport systems and present in the workplace without any form of discrimination.

In the UAE, or rather across the entire region, we seem to become awkward around people who are different from us. But not everyone is the same, and differences should be embraced.

Aida Al Busaidy is a social affairs columnist and former co-host of a Dubai television show

On Twitter: @AidaAlB

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