 Disability- any physical or mental impairment that
limits normal activities, including seeing, hearing,
walking, or speaking
 20% of adult population have some type of disability
 Have difficulty doing things that others take for granted
Physical Challenges
Sight Impairment
 Leading cause of blindness is the result of diabetes
 Macular degeneration- leading cause for those over 55retina (back of eye) degenerates
 Glaucoma- a condition in which there is high pressure
in the fluids in the eye, damages optic nerve
 Regular eye exams are very important
 Early diagnoses of these conditions help prevent
blindness or slow its progress
Hearing Impairment
 Profound deafness- hearing loss so severe that a person affected
cannot from mechanical amplification such as a hearing aid
 Causes
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Heredity
Injury
Disease
Obstructions- build up of wax, bone blockage or foreign object
Exposure to loud noises
Motor Impairment
 Result when the body’s range of motion and
coordination are affected by an injury to the brain or
disorder of the nervous system
 Physical therapy used to keep joint flexible and
muscles stretch
Mental Challenges
 Mental retardation- the below-average intellectual
ability present from birth
 Affects 3% of population
 Many are only mildly affected
 Causes
 Injury
 Disease
 Brain abnormality
 Some factors are related to genetic disorders
 Down syndrome there is an extra copy of chromosome 21
 includes physical and mental challenges
 Phenylketonuria (PKU) born without the ability to properly break down an amino
acid called phenylalanine
 harmful to the central nervous system and cause brain
damage.
 Tay-Sachs deadly disease of the nervous system passed down
through families defective gene on chromosome 15
 Fragile X syndrome
 involving changes in part of the X chromosome includes physical and mental challenges
 Behaviors during pregnancy a factor
 Use of alcohol and drugs increase risk of a child born
with mental challenges
 Fetal alcohol syndrome- causes growth, mental, and
physical problems with child resulting from the mother
drinking alcohol during pregnancy
 Other causes
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Restricted supply of oxygen during birth
Head injury
Stroke
Certain infections such as meningitis
Accommodating
Differences
 People with physical and mental challenges and their
supporters have worked to establish
 Society should make changes to allow people with
disabilities to take part in business and social activities
 People should not be stereotype and label because of
their disability
 People with disabilities should have the same
opportunities as other
 Americans with Disabilities Act- a law prohibiting
discrimination against people with physical or mental
disabilities in the work place, transportation, public
accommodations, and telecommunications
 Examples
 Wheelchair ramps
 Telephone companies offer communication relay
services