You are on page 1of 2

Life with a disability

Disabled people are often talked about as though they form one group, but every disabled person faces different challenges and health conditions. Watch a video on living with disability The Equality Act 2010 defines a disabled person as anyone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse affect on his or her ability to carry out day-to-day activities. These impairments include loss of limbs multiple sclerosis heart disease !own"s syndrome learning difficulties mental health problems# such as depression and an$iety

%lder people are more li&ely to develop a disability and most disabled people are adults. 'ore than 10 million people in the () are disabled# **0#000 of whom are children. 'ore people are living with a disability now than in the past because we"re living longer# and improved medical treatments are enabling more people to manage long-term health problems. The Equality and +uman ,ights -ommission says that ./0 of people over .0 will have a long-term health condition by 2020.

Independence with the right support


!isabilities of any &ind present challenges# but this doesn"t mean that life with a disability can"t be fulfilling. 1or most people# a fulfilling life means having control over their day-to-day activities and being able to choose how they live. 'ore than one million disabled people live alone in the ()# and many more lead independent lives with help. To learn more about independent living with a disability# read the article on !isability and independent life. 1or a lot of people# independent life also means being employed. +alf of the ()"s disabled people are in 2obs# but it should be more. ,ead 3or& and disability to learn more. %nly 1*0 of disabled people are born with their disability. 'ost disabled people have had to ad2ust to their disability as adults. 4ou can learn more about this in Ad2usting to disability.

Caring for carers

5t"s not 2ust disabled people who are challenged by disability# but also the people who care for them. The term 6carer6 describes people who care for others on an unpaid basis# as opposed to people who are paid# such as care wor&ers and home helps. There are 7 million carers in the (). 5f you"re one of them# you may be entitled to support# such as help with caring# home adaptations and equipment# and short brea&s from caring. There8s lots of practical advice as well as financial# legal and rights information for carers available from the -arers !irect website or on freephone 0/0/ /02 0202.

Living with a disability


5n this video# Tim# -elia# )ate and 9eter share their stories and describe how they found their own way to cope with their disability. 'edia last reviewed 20:0/:201; <e$t review due 20:0/:201. 9age last reviewed 20:01:2012 <e$t review due 20:01:201=

You might also like