Lmartell’s Weblog

I felt the need to take disability out of the classroom for a moment. I began to notice that I was only looking at it through the eyes of an educator. I also wanted to shed some light outside the classroom and at different stages of life. What about our aging parents and dementia? We seem to look at that as an illness rather than a disability. There obviously is more to the term disability than the images the average person conjures up. I guess disability itself is a bit of a spectrum and where people fall is sometimes viewed differently. I just wanted to look at the bigger picture. So here is what Canada sees as disability.

The most comprehensive and up-to-date profile of disability in Canada comes from the 2001 Participation and Activity Limitation Survey (PALS), sponsored by the federal government. PALS has categories of disability for adults (age 15 and older) and categories for children (age 0-14).

Types of disability among adults (age 15 and older)

• Hearing
  Difficulty hearing what is being said in a conversation with one other person, in a conversation with three or more persons, or in a telephone conversation.

• Seeing
  Difficulty seeing ordinary newsprint, or clearly seeing the face of someone from 4 metres (12 feet).

• Speech
  Difficulty speaking and/or being understood.

• Mobility
  Difficulty walking half a kilometer or up and down a flight of stairs, about 12 steps without resting, moving from one room to another, carrying an object of 5 kg (10 pounds) for 10 meters (30 feet), or standing for long periods.

• Agility
  Difficulty bending, dressing or undressing oneself, getting into and out of bed, cutting own toenails, using fingers to grasp or handling objects, reaching in any direction (for example, above one’s head), or cutting own food.

• Pain
  Limited in the amount or kind of activities that one can do because of a long-term pain that is constant or reoccurs from time to time, for example, recurrent back pain.

• Learning
  Difficulty learning because of a condition, such as attention problems, hyperactivity or dyslexia, whether or not the condition was diagnosed by a teacher, doctor or other health professional.

• Memory
  Limited in the amount or kind of activities that one can do because of frequent periods of confusion or difficulty remembering things. These difficulties may be associated with Alzheimer’s disease, brain injuries or other similar conditions.

• Developmental
  Cognitive limitations (restricted knowledge) due to the presence of a developmental disability or disorder, such as Down Syndrome, autism or mental impairment caused by a lack of oxygen at birth.

• Psychological
  Limited in the amount or kind of activities that one can do because of an emotional, psychological, or psychiatric condition, such as phobias, depression, schizophrenia, drinking, or drug problems.

Types of disability among children

For children age 0-14:

• Hearing
  Difficulty hearing.

• Seeing
  Difficulty seeing.

• Chronic condition
  Limited in the amount or kind of activities that one can do due to the presence of one or more chronic health conditions that have lasted or are expected to last six months or more, and that have been diagnosed by a health professional. Examples of chronic conditions are asthma or severe allergies, heart condition or disease, kidney condition or disease, cancer, epilepsy, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and fetal alcohol syndrome.

For children age 5-14:

• Speech
  Difficulty speaking and/or being understood.

• Mobility
  Difficulty walking. This means walking on a flat firm surface, such as a sidewalk or floor.

• Dexterity
  Difficulty using hands or fingers to grasp or hold small objects, such as a pencil or scissors.

• Learning
  Difficulty learning due to the presence of a condition, such as attention problems, hyperactivity or dyslexia, whether or not the condition was diagnosed by a teacher, doctor or other health professional.

• Developmental disability or disorder
  Cognitive limitations due to the presence of a developmental disability or disorder, such as Down Syndrome, autism or mental impairment caused by a lack of oxygen at birth.

• Psychological
  Limited in the amount or kind of activities that one can do because of an emotional, psychological, or behavioral condition.

For children age 0-4:

• Developmental delay
  Child has a delay in his/her development, either a physical, intellectual or other type of delay.

Sources:
Statistics Canada: Types of disabilities among children
Statistics Canada: Types of disabilities among adults

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/hip/odi/documents/PALS/PALS003.shtml