I’m sure you’ve heard people talk about disability. But do you know exactly what having a disability entails? Did you know that there are up to 6 types of disability?
In this article we will get to know these 6 types of disabilityand we will analyze their characteristics, causes and consequences. In addition, we will mention examples of each of them.
What is a disability?
Before explaining the different types of disability that exist, we will explain what is meant by disability.
The RAE defines disability as the “condition of being disabled”. Technically, the prefix “DIS” indicates an “opposition” or a “negation”, so we could think of a “non-capacity”, an “absence of capacity” or a limitation of it, when we talk about disability.
In popular parlance, a disability is a lack or limitation of some faculty, either physical or mental; such limitation hinders (or makes impossible) the normal development of an activity (or several) in a given person.
Thus, a person with a disability will have difficulties in performing certain tasks, so it will be necessary to adapt theTherefore, it will be necessary to adapt the environment or his or her own condition so that he or she can perform such activity.
Types of disability
There are different types of disability: sensory (e.g. deafness), physical (e.g. paraplegia), mental (e.g. due to schizophrenia), etc.etc.
In this article we will learn about the different types of disability that exist, their characteristics, causes, examples and what they imply.
1. Physical disability
Physical disability, also called motor disability, is that which implies a physical or motor limitation for the person. This translates into a limitation (or impossibility) in their movements.
Its origin can be diverse (e.g. an illness, a spinal cord injury, etc.). That is to say, the causes can be congenital (from birth), acquired (following an accident), etc.
Thus, the person with a physical disability will present a reduction of his motor or physical capacities (or even an elimination of them); this is extrapolated to his extremities (upper, lower or both).
This condition will limit their participation in certain activities, for example, climbing a mountain in a wheelchair, although it is true that with technological advances these people can increasingly lead a more normalized life, and participate in virtually all activities that are proposed, through adapted tools or devices (for example, a “batec”, i.e., a motorized wheelchair that works with the arms, splints for eating, etc.).
Examples
Some examples of physical disability are: paraplegia (not being able to move the legs), tetraplegia (not being able to move either arms or legs), hemiplegia (not being able to move one side of the body), spina bifida, cerebral palsy (which can also imply an intellectual disability), muscular dystrophy, amputation, etc.
2. Intellectual disability
The second type of disability we are going to discuss is intellectual disability. Intellectual disability implies a limitation in the person’s intellectual functioning, as well as a deficit in his or her adaptive capacity.as well as a deficit in his or her adaptive capacity. This limitation translates into difficulties in the academic or work environment, in social participation, in the habits of autonomy, etc.
Logically, there are different types of intellectual disability (mild, moderate, severe and profound), and each of them will involve different consequences (and a greater or lesser affectation). A person is considered to have an intellectual disability when his or her IQ (intelligence quotient) is below 70.
In addition, the different diagnostic manuals (ICD-10 and DSM-5) require that the person has manifested the aforementioned difficulties before the age of 18, in order to be diagnosed with an intellectual disability.
On the other hand, people with intellectual disabilities have a lower performance if we compare them with their reference group (by age, developmental stage and schooling). In other words, their performance is lower than the average, and their difficulties in the aforementioned areas are greater.
The causes of the different types of intellectual disabilities are diverse: Down Syndrome, Fragile X Syndrome, cerebral palsy, Williams Syndrome, Angelman Syndrome, infections, trauma (before and after birth), autism (different neurodevelopmental disorders), etc.
3. Sensory disability
The third type of disability is sensory disability. Sensory disability implies the existence of certain limitations, generated by an injury or deficit in one (or more) of the senses (sight, smell, hearing, etc.). (sight, smell, hearing, touch and taste). The sensory organs are those that allow us, through our own senses, to capture and perceive the reality of the environment (its stimuli).
The causes of sensory disability can be diverse, both environmental and congenital (from birth).
Examples
There are different types of sensory disability (one for each sense), although the most frequent are those affecting sight (visual disability; e.g. blindness) and hearing (hearing disability; e.g. deafness).
4. Mental disability
Mental disability is usually caused by a mental disorder. The mental disorder causes alterations and difficulties in the person at the time of being autonomous in his life, adapting to different circumstances, relating to other people, and in the way of life.adapt to different circumstances, to relate adequately, to have a good quality of life, etc.
However, not all mental disorders generate the same type of difficulties (since it is not the same to suffer from major depression as from schizophrenia), and on the other hand, the environment can greatly favor the fact that the person has a good quality of life and adapts to life circumstances.
Thus, the causes of the different types of psychic disability, as in the other types of disability, can also be multiple: depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, conduct disorder, organic syndrome, cranioencephalic trauma (which can change the person’s personality), etc.
5. Multiple disabilities
Multiple disability is usually the most severe of all, as it combines some of the above types of disability. combines some of the previous types of disabilityIt is usually the combination of more than one physical and sensory limitation. Their causes are also multiple: congenital (from birth), environmental (due to injury, accidents, etc.), disease, etc.
Examples
Examples of multiple disabilities are: a person with an intellectual disability who is also blind (sensory disability), deafblind people (with more than one sensory disability), a paraplegic and deaf person, etc.
6. Visceral disability
The last of the types of disability is visceral disability, which is less well known. It involves a deficit in some internal organ, affecting the day-to-day life of the person (at the functional, participatory, participatory, and social levels, etc.). (functional, participatory, social, etc.). Examples of these are: suffering from heart problems (for example, heart disease), diabetes, etc.
In other words, these people have difficulties in developing a “normal” life, or in having a good quality of life.