Probably, an important obstacle for all types of disabled people is the information barrier, which has a two-way character. Disabled people have difficulties in obtaining information both in general and that which is of direct importance to them (comprehensive information about their functional impairments, about measures of state support for disabled people, about social resources for their support). This is caused by economic reasons (for example, the inability to buy or repair a TV or radio, subscribe to a newspaper), and the lack of special information carriers (TV programs with sign language translation, books in Braille, cassettes and disks for the blind, etc.), and the underdevelopment of modern global information systems (Internet) in our country. Of course, structured information is needed only for those disabled people who have preserved or relatively preserved intelligence, some minimum level of ability to cognition, critical assessment of the surrounding reality and self-esteem. The lack of information or its insufficient saturation can lead to irreversible extinction of intellectual abilities of such persons. On the other hand, there is an information barrier that separates the society from the disabled: it is much more difficult for persons with disabilities to present their views and positions, to convey their needs and interests to the society. Therefore, there may be distorted views about the needs of the disabled, the peculiarities of their personality. Based on such distorted views, prejudices and phobias arise, which complicates communication between the disabled and society.
The emotional barrier is also bilateral, it may consist of unproductive emotional reactions of others to the disabled person – curiosity, ridicule, inconvenience, guilt, overprotection, fear, etc. and frustrating emotions of the disabled person: self-pity, unkindness towards others, expectation of overprotection, desire to blame someone for their defect, desire for isolation, etc. Such a complex complicates social contacts in the process of relations between the disabled person and his social environment. Both the disabled person and his or her immediate environment are in dire need of the emotional background of their relationship to be normalized.
Finally, a complex nature has a communication barrier, which is due to the cumulation of all the above limitations that deform the personality of a person. Communication disorder, one of the most severe social problems of the disabled, is a consequence of physical limitations, emotional protective self-isolation, and falling out of the labor collective, and lack of familiar information.
In order to humanize and democratize social processes, the concept of disabled is replaced by the concept of “person with disabilities”.
The main causes of disability in children are
- trauma during childbirth, neurological disorders that occurred during childbirth;
- somatic diseases (cancer, infectious diseases, etc.)
- injuries of different nature (burns, mechanical injuries, etc.)
- congenital pathologies (genetic disorders, alcohol damage to the fetus, etc.).
By type, congenital and acquired disabilities are distinguished. Congenital disability is the result of a violation of intrauterine development of the fetus, as well as birth trauma; acquired disability occurs in the late period after birth as a result of illness or injury. The greatest risk of disability is from birth to three years of age.