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Impairment as defined is any loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological, or anatomic structure or function. Disability on the other hand is any restriction or lack resulting from an impairment of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being. While handicap refers to a disadvantage for a given individual resulting from impairment or disability that limits or prevents the fulfillment of a role that is normal (depending on the age, sex, and social and cultural factors) for that individual.

Disability is a sensitive issue. The mere sight of people who have difficulty performing daily tasks grips our hearts. Being disabled is something you don’t thing on a regular basis, worst you don’t want it to happen to you or to your loved ones. However, the chances of becoming are greater than you realize. Studies show that a worker at age twenty has a 3 in 10 chance of becoming disabled before reaching his retirement. In the United States, about one in every five people has disability which can be congenital as some people are born with it or acquired such as getting sick or having an accident or can be developed as one ages. It is a challenge to perform normal daily task due to physical and mental limitations. But being disabled does not automatically conclude the incapacity to perform activities since most can still work, play, learn and even enjoy a healthy lifestyle sometimes with the aid of a mobility device or an assistive tool.

Disability can affect various systems in the body and can be in different forms. Physical Disability refers to limitation of the physical function of limbs affecting fine or gross motor movements. Sensory Disability relates sense of sight, hearing, smell and taste. Visual impairment or vision loss either due to disease, trauma or congenital defect that cannot be corrected by conservative means such as surgery, medication and refractive correction is detrimental to ones activity of daily living. Hearing Impairment refers to individuals who are fully or partially unable to perceive at least some sound frequencies typically heard by most people. And the inability to smell and taste can be caused by aging or a variety of conditions. Somatosensory Disorder is the loss of sensation such as the sense of touch, pain, cold, heat, propioception or vibration which is commonly associated with physical disabilities involving paralysis wherein neural circuits involving movement and sensation are affected. The somatosensory disorder coupled with vision and hearing problems can lead to balance disturbances causing an individual to feel unsteady when performing movement such as standing or walking. It can be accompanied with lightheadedness or dizziness. Intellectual disability is a broad concept that ranges from mental retardation to cognitive deficits which may appear at any age. Mental health and emotional disabilities refers to mental disorders or mental illnesses that are psychological or behavioral patterns generally associated with subjective distress or disability that occurs in an individual, and which are not a part of normal development or culture and Development Disability which pertains to problems with growth and development.

The abovementioned greatly affects the living conditions of people with disability and needs to be dealt properly with a mind of steel and a heart of gold.