I tweeted about a new study that says there are as many people with disabilities worldwide as there are people in China. This brought up the question of “What is the definition of a person with a disability?”. This is such an interesting and difficult question to answer! At first glance, it’s easy to answer – there are plenty of definitions of disability. But digging around the question a bit more, finding a useful definition that makes everyone happy isn’t straightforward at all.
Impairment
Fatigue, Pain, Assumptions, And The Spoon Theory
I just read a very touching "coming out" from my friend @HeatherHAL who discloses and talks about her impairment – "ongoing cumulative repetitive motion injuries that affect my arms, hands, neck and upper back". It takes some courage to do that. You can read her post on her website.
Public’s Attitudes – Blogging Against Disablism Day 2009
Disablism. Attitudes. It’s insidious, really. Sometimes disablism happens when you don’t really expect it, and someone looking from the outside wouldn’t see it. And it tends to happen so often that many of us with disabilities tune it out. I was at the grocery store last week and something happened that broke through my mental "idiocy filter".
Accessibility is not Just for Screenreader Users
We talk about web accessibility, and we most often end up talking about screendreader. Even people who eat and breathe accessibility often end up reverting to that when we meet and discuss our pet topics. But there are many people with different disability types that will benefit from accessibility. And obviously, those without a disability may also benefit from it.