A great many people suffer from physical or mental disabilities, or from a combination of both. Sometimes, these disabilities are caused by an inherited condition or by damage at birth. Other disabilities are the result of accidents. A disability may or may not be a handicap; if a disability interferes with a person’s capacity to fulfill his or her expectations in life, it is described as a handicap. For example, a ballet dancer is more likely to be handicapped by a limp than a computer operator is.
Born with a disability
Parents of a baby with a disability need help from the very beginning to enable them to come to terms with the problem and to ensure that their baby gets the best possible treatment. There are many voluntary organizations that provide help and advice, and public help may be available as well. There is often a great deal that parents themselves can do to help their child, such as carrying out special exercises and structured play activities. As the child grows up, special schooling may be necessary, either locally, if available, or in a residential center.
Illness and accidents
If people become disabled later in life as the result of an illness or an accident, treatment is based on helping them to do as much as possible for themselves. When possible, disabled people are encouraged to take up sports, which help them improve their physical condition and provide stimulation, self-respect, and fulfillment. It is particularly important that people who are immobile look after their health, as they are often at risk of infection and problems such as pressure sores. People without feeling in a body part are also at risk, because they may hurt themselves badly without realizing it.
Disability aids
All kinds of aids have been developed to make it easier for people with Many people in wheelchairs take up competitive sports, which strengthen their remaining working muscles.
This diagram shows how an artificial limb works. The wearer can work the elbow joint and hand by moving the stump of his or her arm, the shoulder blades, and the back. The red arrows indicate the movements that can be achieved by using the harness and moving the stump of the limb. The blue arrows indicate the adjustments that are possible by using the other hand. disabilities to lead an independent life. Wheelchairs are constantly being improved and made easier to maneuver, and increasing numbers of stores, hotels, theaters, and offices are designed to give ease of access to wheelchair users. There are also devices such as easy-to-grip faucet handles and computers that enable severely handicapped people to type, answer the telephone, and turn switches on and off, even if the only movement that they are capable of is sucking or blowing through a tube. Microprocessor technology has been applied to the design of bionic parts, such as arms. These artificial body parts can be activated by tiny electrical signals that originate from the disabled person’s own nervous system, so that he or she can perform virtually normal actions. Elderly people make up the greatest number of the disabled. Most of the effort in treating them medically is devoted to preventing the progress of a disease when possible and alleviating any social and physical distress.