Introduction to Disability

DR.Mashal Khan

introduction - disability
 Person First Language

 Describe the person, not the disability

 Refer to a person’s disability only when it is
relevant
 Avoid images designed to evoke pity or guilt.

* From Active Living Alliance for Canadians with a Disability (1995). Words with
dignity. Gloucester, Ontario: Author.

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 Words with Dignity
 Instead of …  Use …
 Disabled  Person with a disability

 Confined, bound, restricted, or  Wheelchair user

dependent on a wheelchair

 Normal  Able bodied or non-disabled

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Words with Dignity (cont.)
 Victim, sufferer  Person with a disability

 Cripple  Person with a disability

 Deaf and dumb, deaf  Person with a hearing

mute impairment; deaf person

 Retarded, mentally  Person with mental

retarded retardation/intellectual
disability

 spastic  Person with cerebral

palsy

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WHO Definition of a Disability (2000)

 Impairment: Any loss or abnormality of

psychology, physiological, or anatomical
structure or function.

 Disability (Activity): Any restriction or

lack of ability to perform an activity in
the manner or within the range
considered normal for a human being as
a result of an impairment.

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 WHO Definition (cont.)
 Handicap (Participation): Nature and
extent of a person’s involvement in life
situations in relation to impairment,
activities, health conditions, and
contextual factors (e.g., participation in
community activities, obtaining a
driver’s license, getting a job, etc.)

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Reynell’s Developmental Model for
Psychological Reactions to a Disability
 What do individuals with disabilities feel
and want at different ages and life
stages?
 Preschool
 Childhood
 Early Adolescence
 Late Adolescence/Young Adulthood
 Adulthood

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 Social Construct of Disability
 There are many social factors that can affect
whether or not individuals with disabilities are
included or excluded from participation in
various activities, which in turn can affect
development or self-esteem.
 Ambivalence
 Stereotyping
 Stigmatization
 Prejudice and Discrimination

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 Ambivalence
 Many people simply do not know what to
make of individuals with disabilities.
 They see differences, and differences make
them feel uncomfortable.
 Most people without disabilities are not
prejudiced against people w/ disabilities;
they just feel uncomfortable around
someone who is so different than
themselves.
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 Stereotyping
 Without direct contact, some persons without disabilities may
begin to form their own opinions about a person with a
disability. These opinions may be based on a global view of
disability.
 Unfortunately, one of the most prominent social factors that
affects an individual’s self-esteem is that many people simply
lump all people with disabilities into one category (Sherrill,
1997). Rather than looking at each person’s own unique
characteristics, abilities, and disabilities, many people simply
focus on one prominent attribute - a person’s disability (Asch,
1984). This stereotyping or generalization is often an unfair
characterization of the person with a disability.
 Not all people in wheelchairs are alike, not all people with
mental retardation are alike, and not all people who are blind
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 Stigma
 Stigmatization is discriminatory or unfair treatment towards a person
or group of persons believed to be different (Crocker & Major, 1989;
Sherrill, 1997).
 Stigma results when the focus is on one attribute of an individual or
group of individuals that is perceived to be different, undesirable, a
shortcoming, or a handicap.
 For example, stigma may result if the owner of a bowling alley
doesn’t allow a group of adults with mental retardation to join a local
bowling league simply because they have mental retardation.
 Sherrill (1997) noted that three factors contribute to stigmatization:
(a) fear of the person who is different, (b) associating differences
with inferiority and/or danger, and (c) belief that the person is not
quite human and thus does not require the same level of respect
given to others.

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Prejudice
 Prejudice (inaccurate beliefs or attitudes) and
discrimination (acting on these inaccurate beliefs or
attitudes) can prevent individuals with disabilities from
participating in sports (Sherrill, 1997). For example, a
nine-year-old with cerebral palsy (he used a walker) was
not allowed to play in his community soccer program
(discrimination) because the commissioner of the league
felt that he would be a danger to others (prejudice).
The courts determined that under the Americans with
Disabilities Act the league must make reasonable
accommodations for this child (Boyd, 1999).

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