Technological advancements can act as a lifeline for those living with disabilities. According to the World Health Organization, more than 1 billion people need assistive technology, but only 1 in 10 have access. These tools, ranging from wheelchairs and hearing aids to advanced software, can significantly enhance their quality of life.
Smart home approaches, like voice-activated assistants and automated lighting systems, can provide a degree of independence. Moreover, apps that convert speech to text or offer navigation assistance for visually impaired individuals are transforming the digital landscape into an inclusive platform.

Breaking the Employment Glass Ceiling

Equal employment opportunities are paramount in promoting an inclusive society. Despite their capabilities, many disabled individuals find it challenging to secure meaningful employment. A report from the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reveals that the unemployment rate among those with a disability was 7.3% in 2019, more than twice the rate of those without a problem.

To combat this, corporations must nurture an inclusive work culture, providing accommodations like flexible work hours, remote working options, and necessary assistive technology. Promoting diversity brings a wider range of perspectives to the table and makes employees feel valued and respected.

Building an Accessible Environment

Physical accessibility in public places remains a pressing concern. From government buildings and parks to transportation and commercial establishments, every space should be navigable for all citizens. According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, nations must identify and eliminate obstacles and barriers to accessibility.

List of Accessibility Measures:

• Construction of ramps and lifts alongside stairs in public places;
• Audible signals at pedestrian crossings for visually impaired individuals;
• Braille signage and tactile pathways in buildings and on sidewalks;
• Wheelchair-accessible public transportation;
• Accessible restrooms in all establishments;
• Websites and digital platforms should comply with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

The Pillar of Empowerment

Inclusivity should start at school. Children with disabilities often face challenges due to inadequate resources and training. The UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report states that children with disabilities are less likely to start school and have lower transition rates to higher education.

Schools must aim to be fully inclusive, with trained staff, individualized learning plans, and necessary assistive technologies. Moreover, educating peers about disabilities can foster empathy, breaking the shackles of misunderstanding and prejudice.

Healthcare is a fundamental right, yet many with disorders face physical and financial barriers to health services. WHO reports that disabled adults are three times more likely to be denied healthcare than others. Addressing this disparity requires policy reforms and the provision of affordable, accessible healthcare facilities for everyone.

Foster Acceptance, Dispel Stigma

Stigma and misconceptions around the sphere can isolate individuals from mainstream society. Public awareness campaigns, media representation, and community programs can help challenge stereotypes and promote acceptance.

In essence, societies worldwide must work tirelessly to ensure that inclusivity isn’t just a buzzword but a reality for all. Crafting such a society not only enriches the lives of individuals with disabilities but creates a harmonious, diverse, and empathetic world for everyone.

Enforcing Rights and Protections

Laws and policies serve as structural frameworks that uphold and protect the rights of disordered individuals. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a robust international tool that emphasises the rights and well-being of disabled persons.

On a national level, laws such as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in the United States, and the Equality Act in the UK, provide guidelines for accessibility and prohibit discrimination based on disability. Enforcing these laws rigorously can help shape a society that respects and advocates for the rights of individuals with health issues.

Sports and Recreation: Promoting Participation

The realm of sports and recreational activities often remains inaccessible to individuals with disabilities. However, fostering inclusive sports can significantly improve their well-being and social inclusion.
The popularity of the Paralympic Games, for instance, has sparked global interest and respect for athletes with disorderliness. Local communities must also create inclusive sports programs and adapt facilities to cater to everyone’s needs, regardless of their physical condition.

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AIDD has changed the name, definition, diagnosis and classification as a result of advances in the various disciplines related to this topic: medicine, psychology and education.

A term that avoids stigma
The previous concept has been modified by this new one so that labels or social prejudices are minimized such as: visions focused on deficits, on slow and unbalanced mental functioning, etc.

The new title seeks to take advantage of a new conception of development that feeds off the contributions of sociocultural and ecological theories.

It allows a functional vision of development This means that the individual can have different contexts and throughout the life cycle. In turn, this contributes to the concept of disability, which is fed by the contribution of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and from the WHOand this recognizes the social origin of the difficulties faced by a person with DI and D.

On the other hand, it also understands intellectual disability as a developmental disability that has much in common with other developmental problems that can affect children.

The aims of this monograph are.
In this paper We will attempt to present a contemporary vision of intellectual disability and development based on a supportive paradigm. and in conceptualizing this disability as a function of the interaction between an individual’s independent functioning and the contexts in which they live, learn, work, and enjoy; provide a general framework and some tools for assessing students with DIyD; and offer several responses to facilitate their development.

What do we mean by intellectual and developmental disabilities?
First, we are going to define intellectual disability and the categories that make it up.

What is intellectual disability?
There are four approximations in this area:

Social Approximation These people have historically been defined as mentally retarded or handicapped because they could not socially adapt to their environment. Emphasis on intellectual difficulties did not emerge later, and for some time it was the inappropriate social behavior that was of most concern.
Clinical Approach : With the boom in the clinical model, the purpose of the definition was changed. It continued to focus on the symptoms and clinical manifestations of various syndromes. More attention was paid to the organic and pathological aspects of ID.
Intellectual Approach Because of the interest in intelligence as a construct and intelligence tests, the identification approach underwent another change. This involves an emphasis on the degree of intelligence of these individuals, expressed in terms of IQ. The most important consequence has been the identification and classification of people with ID based on intelligence test scores.
Intellectual and Social Approach Until 1959, the importance of these two components in the concept of ID was not recognized: low levels of intellectual functioning and difficulties in adaptive behavior, which have persisted to the present day.
Theoretical and practical models of intellectual disability
Models by which people with intellectual disabilities have been conceptualized and which have informed certain professional practices.

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In general, a PRM is a passenger who needs the assistance of another person to get to the exit of the aircraft as quickly as possible in case of emergency evacuation. This also includes passengers who have serious difficulties in receiving or understanding emergency instructions.

Airlines use internationally recognized codes to determine the level of assistance they should provide to a person with a disability in each case. These codes are as follows:

WCHR : Passengers who need assistance while moving between the aircraft and the terminal, but are unable to board and move around inside the aircraft themselves.

WCHS : Passengers who need assistance between the aircraft and the terminal as well as to board the aircraft, but they were independent in it.

WCHC : Passengers without any mobility and not self-sufficient. They must be escorted to their seats and need full personal assistance. If the flight lasts more than three hours, an accompanying person is required.

DEAF : passengers with hearing impairment.

BLND : Passengers with visual impairment.

DEAF/BLND : Deaf and blind passengers.

STCR : Passengers on stretchers.

DPNA : Passengers with mental disabilities.

WCHP : Passengers who need assistance to get to their seats and who can move inside the aircraft with a wheelchair; were self-sufficient in personal care

MAAS : Passengers who require assistance and do not fit into any of the above categories.

The post What does a person with reduced mobility (PRM) mean? appeared first on Op-Community.

Do not hesitate to offer help to a blind person. Touch their hand and ask: “Can I help you?”. If your help is accepted, ask the person to take your hand and walk half a step ahead. You do not need to grab their hand and pull them along. Warn the person about obstacles: stairs, puddles or pits. Talk about what surrounds you and what is happening around. If help is not needed, do not be offended. Perhaps the person knows this part of the path well and does not need your help, it can only harm their orientation in space.

Always address the person directly, calling their name, even if they do not see you, and also name everyone in the room during the conversation. If you walk away during a conversation, let the person know.

It is quite normal to use the word “look”. For a blind person it means “to look with hands”, that is to feel.

Do not try to force a person to sit down, pushing him to a chair. Offer to sit down, describe where the chair is in the room, and then put his hand on the back of the chair.

At the table, you should offer a safe place so that the blind person does not knock over a kettle of boiling water, dishes or a vase of flowers. If you dine together, talk about what food is brought, where it is placed and what is on the plate. This will help the person to find the right dish. Also, do not put anything on someone else’s plate without warning about your intention.

If you work with a blind person and have to give them information, find out in what form the person wants to receive it: Braille, large print, audio. If you are not able to provide information in the required format, give it as it is, it is better than nothing. When a blind person has to sign a document, be sure to read it in full. Disability does not exempt a person from the responsibility stipulated by the document.

Make sure that doors, window frames, furniture doors are closed and do not harm the person while moving. Pay attention to the presence of breaking objects.

Do not take away without warning a white cane, which is used by people with visual impairments to navigate in space.

Communicate with a person with visual impairment the way you communicate with your friends. The basic principles of communication between people are respect and kindness. If you meet a visually impaired person on your way, remember that this is the same person as you, with the same feelings, thoughts, worries.

It is difficult for a visually impaired person to move independently in strong winds, rainy weather, on the territory covered with snow; in conditions of great noise (if the engines are running loudly at the enterprise or children are playing loudly on the playground nearby, etc.) Therefore, if you see a person moving in your direction under these conditions, offer him/her help.

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You may be surprised to learn that a deaf person can indeed distinguish certain sounds. But they may not use them. It turns out that completely deaf people are only a minority. Most people with hearing loss can perceive sounds or have difficulty speaking, just like people with hearing loss.

Another fact that deserves attention: a deaf person is not necessarily a non-speaking person, just as a non-speaking person is not necessarily deaf!

Because some people with hearing loss cannot hear their own voice properly, their speech can be difficult for others to understand. In fact, all deaf people have the physiological ability to speak, but some never use their voice. They may prefer to use sign language, a way of communicating that is based entirely on manual articulation, to express themselves. Some may remain silent while using sign language, while others may articulate sounds.

Other deaf people may use their voice to communicate with a hearing person, but that does not mean they can hear.

As you can see, there is a range of abilities and/or preferences associated with people with hearing loss. By remaining open-minded, you will make the person with hearing loss you are communicating with more comfortable and at ease. This is the first step to establishing trusting communication.

If you want to bust clichés about deaf people, read our article:

8 clichés about deaf people

What solutions improve accessibility for people with hearing loss?
Whether you deal with deaf or hard of hearing people, you can make sure that your premises or your transport network is accessible to them so that they can access information, navigate and communicate with your staff:

⊗ Notice boards, videos with subtitles if available, icons at points of interest to provide visual and textual information.

⊗ Audio induction loops or amplification systems at your information desk so that people who wear hearing aids can hear your staff properly.

⊗ An instant transcription app, such as Ava, to transcribe conversations between hearing and deaf people.

⊗ American Sign Language interpretation: for example, if you run a museum, an American Sign Language interpreter is ideal to make culture accessible to the Deaf community.

⊗ Transparent face masks for all your employees: they protect them and your customers from COVID-19 and allow your deaf customers to read your lips so they can understand your staff.

⊗ Indoor orientation apps such as Evelity so that deaf and hard of hearing users can navigate in any difficult places. Evelity, developed by Okeenea, is the ideal solution for maze-like environments such as shopping malls, hospitals or public transport networks. The app provides text information and is currently installed at the JaySt-MetroTech subway station in New York City!

Always remember that well-trained staff is extremely valuable for your establishment. We have come up with 12 tips on how to greet deaf or hard of hearing people!

Your staff should know about people with disabilities, their profiles, their capabilities and their difficulties in order to help them as best as possible. And there are many different profiles for each type of disability! By knowing their profiles and recognizing their differences, more or less subtle, we will promote inclusion.

Very diverse profiles of hearing impairment
As for the deaf and hard of hearing community, you will see that according to their profile, they do not all have the same needs. Let’s dive into their specificities!

People who were born deaf or hard of hearing
Due to genetic factors or complications during pregnancy, a child may be born with partial or complete hearing loss. Usually, people who are born completely deaf learn to communicate through sign language. This is what they have always known.

People who become deaf at a later age
The terms “deafened” and “late deafened” can be used to describe people who became deaf in adulthood. Their hearing loss may have been caused by a chronic illness or ear infection. Seeing that their hearing loss occurred later in life, they had to adapt. As you can imagine, this can be more or less challenging.

Although about 48 million people in the United States are hearing impaired, less than 500,000 of them know and use sign language. This means that most deaf and hard of hearing people rely on another way to communicate with others.

Hard of hearing people
They have mild to moderate hearing loss. But this term can also be used as a way for Deaf people to disassociate themselves from the Deaf community. Some of them do not want and/or do not belong to Deaf culture.

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