Did you know that disability is the only minority group you can join?
The disability community is the largest minority group in the world. The World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.3 billion people, or 16% of the global population, live with a disability.
Disability is defined as any condition that impacts a person physically, medically or intellectually. These impacts may cause individuals to have trouble with everyday activities because the world does not meet their needs. Their condition may restrict them from walking, seeing, speaking, learning and understanding.
A common misconception that surrounds disability is that people are born disabled. But in truth, disability can happen at any stage of life.
- Accidents: This could include a workplace accident, car crash, or sporting injury.
- Ageing: As people age, they may require mobility aids such as walking sticks or wheelchairs or may be diagnosed with conditions like dementia or Alzheimer’s disease.
- Genetics: Conditions such as Huntington’s disease, Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, or Marfan syndrome may be inherited and appear later in life.
- Diseases or illnesses: This may include health events or conditions such as heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, arthritis, or osteoporosis.
Living with a disability isn’t always permanent; it may only be temporary, but for the period while you are restricted from everyday activities, you are living with a disability. For example, you may have broken your leg and are waiting for it to heal.
Embracing disability
Life changes are never easy, and it's completely normal to feel upset or overwhelmed. But you're not alone; there is support available for you and your family to help navigate the changes and understand the new realities of living with a disability.
Living with a disability doesn’t mean you have to stop doing the things you love, give up work, or lose your independence. With the right support and reasonable adjustments, many of the barriers that limit participation in everyday life can be removed.
Disability is part of the human experience.
It’s also the only minority group that anyone can join at any time.
