The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), defines disabilities as a generic term that encompasses deficiencies, activity limitations, and participation restrictions.
Meanwhile, INEGI, classifies disabilities in three basic areas:
- Motor disabilities: deficiencies and disabilities to walk, coordinate movements, handle and operate objects.
- Sensorial and communication disabilities: ocular, auditory and speech disabilities and deficiencies.
- Mental disabilities: intellectual and behavioral deficiencies that interfere and restrict the learning process and the way in which a person carries him/herself in social interactions.
The OMS estimates that there are over a billion people in the word who suffer some type of disability. Because of this, numerous campaigns have been initiated in order to promote the inclusion of disabilities as an crucial component in the politics and national health programs.
Have you asked yourself: how would it be like to live with a disability? Perhaps at some point in your life you have suffered from a fracture or a strained muscle. If you have, you have experienced the discomfort and the difficulties of carrying out the basic daily activities like, getting out of bed; any simple task requires extra effort and the help of others around you. This dependence, even if for a short period of time, may cause frustration and desperation.
Imagine now that the situation above mentioned is permanent. With which challenges would you be faced? Let’s start from within: our self-esteem. The deterioration of our self-esteem stems from the dependence we develop on those around us. In a school setting, the task of finding accessible schools with the appropriate facilities may be daunting and very limited. Means of transportation must be adapted to our specific necessities and work opportunities are limited; most cities lack the infrastructure to accommodate these needs.
It seems like a vague program, right? This leads us to think: how can we support people who suffer some type of disability? If for a brief moment, we place ourselves in the place of those with disabilities, we could empathize with them and approach the situation differently.
It is well known that having a support network of friends and family is a key factor in improving our self-esteem. Therefore, as a first step we must provide our friendship, prevent any type of discrimination, and respect those public places designated for people with disabilities. Also, familiarizing or learning sign language as second language is a great way in which we can become a link of aid in a person’s with disabilities network.
Not all is bad news. All throughout history people like Beethoven, Vincent Van Gogh, Hellen Keller and Christy Brown ,who were able to overcome the many hurdles of their disabilities, have become exemplary models to all humans and have given us life-long lessons.
How can we then be more inclusive with people with disabilities? We would love to hear your thoughts.