2. A physical disability is a limitation on a person's physical functioning, mobility,
dexterity or stamina. Other physical disabilities include impairments which limit
other facets of daily living, such as respiratory disorders, blindness, epilepsy and
sleep disorders.
A disability is defined as a condition or function judged to be significantly
impaired relative to the usual standard of an individual or group. The term is used to
refer to individual functioning, including physical impairment, sensory impairment,
cognitive impairment, intellectual impairment mental illness, and various types of
chronic disease.
Disability is conceptualized as being a multidimensional experience for the
person involved. There may be effects on organs or body parts and there may be
effects on a person's participation in areas of life. Correspondingly, three dimensions
of disability are recognized in ICF: body structure and function (and impairment
thereof), activity (and activity restrictions) and participation (and participation
restrictions).
3. CAUSES OF PHYSICAL DISABILITY
There are three different causes or ways a person can acquire a physical disability.
1. Prenatal physical disabilities are caused by, or are attributes to, genetics or by a
embryonic or fetal development accidents. This type of physical disability can also be
caused by diseases or substances the mother was exposed to while pregnant. Prenatal
physical disabilities occur while the baby is being developed before birth.
2. Prenatal physical disabilities occur a few weeks before the baby is born and up to
four weeks after its birth. Sometimes this type of disability is caused by accidents or
genetics. Other causes can be from misuse of forceps during birth, prolonged lack of
oxygen before or during birth, respiratory tract obstruction, or being born too early.
3. Postnatal physical disabilities occur in a person after birth. Besides genetics, this
type of physical disability can be caused by accidents or an infection. Other causes
can be attributed to obesity or other types of physical illnesses.
4. Physical disabilities
A physical disability is one that affects a person's mobility or dexterity. A
person with a physical disability may need to use some sort of equipment for
assistance with mobility. It also includes people who have lost limbs or who, because
of the shape of their body, require slight adaptations to be made to enable them to
participate fully in society.
Paraplegia and Quadriplegia are what many people first identify with a
physical disability. Paraplegia results from injury to the spinal cord, occurring below
the neck, while quadriplegia refers to damage to the spinal cord in the neck. Varying
degrees of loss of limb and other mobility may result from either condition. Other
forms of physical disability, such as polio (an acquired disease), cerebral palsy
(damage to brain tissue during fetal stages) and some genetic conditions can result in
loss of mobility.
5. Types of Physical Disabilities
Paraplegia
Quadriplegia
Hemiplegia
Multiple sclerosis (MS)
Cerebral palsy
Absent limb/reduced limb function
Dystrophy
Polio
6. Paraplegia means partial or complete paralysis of the lower half of the
body with involvement of both legs that is usually due to injury or disease of the
spinal cord in the thoracic or lumbar region
Quadriplegia means one affected with partial or complete paralysis of
both the arms and legs especially as a result of spinal cord injury or disease in the
region of the neck
Hemiplegia means total or
partial paralysis of one side of the body
that results from disease of or injury to
the motor centers of the brain
7. Multiple sclerosis (MS) a demyelinating disease marked by patches of
hardened tissue in the brain or the spinal cord and associated especially with
partial or complete paralysis and jerking muscle tremor
8. Cerebral palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a neurological disorder that affects a
child’s movement, motor skills, and muscle tone. In most cases,
cerebral palsy is caused by brain damage that develops while the
baby is still in utero or during or shortly after birth
9. Amelia Absent limb/reduced limb function
Amelia is the birth defect of lacking one or more limbs. It can
also result in a shrunken or deformed limb. The term may be
modified to indicate the number of legs or arms missing at
birth, such as tetra-amelia for the absence of all four limbs. A
related term is meromelia, which is the partial absence of a
limb or limbs.
10. Dystrophy
Dystrophy is the degeneration of tissue, due to disease or
malnutrition, most likely due to heredity.
Muscular dystrophy is a group of hereditary diseases causing
progressive muscular weakness, loss of muscular control, contractions
and difficulty in walking, breathing, reaching, and use of hands
involving strength.
11. Poliomyelitis, often called polio or infantile
paralysis, is an infectious disease caused by the
poliovirus. In about 0.5 percent of cases there is muscle
weakness resulting in an inability to move. This can occur
over a few hours to a few days. The weakness most often
involves the legs but may less commonly involve the
muscles of the head and neck. In those with muscle
weakness about 2 to 5 percent of children and 15 to 30
percent of adults die. Another 25 percent of people have
minor symptoms such as fever and a sore throat and up to
5 percent have headache, neck stiffness and pains in the
arms and legs. In up to 70 percent of infections there are
no symptoms.
12. CONCLUSION
we have observed that physical disability is part of humanity. No one is its victim
out of choice. Therefore, we can not use it as a basis of discrimination to those
that suffer from it. Instead, we should make effort on how we can empower
those few that are disadvantaged, as we all deserve a life. Indeed, disability is
not inability.
