Challenges and Opportunities for the Disabled

February 20, 2011 By Leave a Comment

The word disability refers to inability in human beings with respect to physical, mental or developmental of the body. The disabilities can be categorized based on the kind of inability in the body. Physical disability refers to the limitations of the organ of the body like limbs, legs and hands. Sensory disability is mainly referred to the inability relating to eyes and ears. Sensory disability also includes the sense of touch like inability tosmell or touch. The mental disability relates to the mental illness because of any psychological or behavioural disorder. TheDevelopmental disability is the inability of some of the body organs to grow to proper size. Though the life of people with anykind of disability becomes difficult but still some methods have been developed to help these people in working as normal people work. For the physical disabled we have wheel chairs, artificial hands and legs. There are even sports, quizzes and contestsfor the physically disabled. A few examples include wheelchair basketball, skateboarding and other events specially designedfor the disabled. The Non-profit organizations are making their best efforts to make these sports as officially registered in the games held around the world. Wheelchair basketball made an official entry in games in 2008 summer Paralympics. Similarly other sports are given encouragement in various championships held around the world. This not only gives the confidence to the disabled but also remind everyone that everyone has equal rights on the earth to perform any kind of activity they wish. Similarly, there are quizzes held at national level for the mentally disabled people. The organizations working in this direction are trying their best to include as many people who have some disability but are ready to fight against it to any extent. It’s the passion of a person that determines his limits.

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How to avoid Dengue

February 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Dengue is the most widely transmitted disease by mosquito. It’s a viral disease and is usually more active in tropical regions. The symptoms of fever due to dengue include headache, fever and joint pain. One basic characteristic of dengue fever is that the temperature of the body increases to 100-105 degree Fahrenheit. The use of Aspirin does bring the body temperature down but then the fever comes back again In fact, Aspirin should be avoid if you have caught Dengue as it increases the risks of bleeding after few days. Another typical symptom of Dengue is rashes on the body. Usually the people with lower immunity are easily affected by the disease. Thereare programs run by various governments to help eradicate the spread of dengue by making the citizens aware of the reasons forthe spread of Dengue. The most common reason for the spread of Dengue is not cleaning water that gets deposited in the rainy season. This is because the mosquito that carries the Dengue virus usually breeds in places where water has deposited in discarded tires, coolers and flower pots. It becomes more important for the citizens to make sure of hygiene in and around their houses in rainy seasons. The doctors advise the use of mosquito repellents, wearing long sleeve shirts. The use of bed nets is alsoadvised. The patients of Dengue are advised to have rest and drink lots of fluids. There is no proper medicine for Dengue and it takes around 2-3 weeks for the person to get cured. The only medicine that is prescribed contains acetaminophen which is usedfor high fever. Those who have developed critical complications are admitted to hospital for intensive care. These kinds of complications are more common in children. The patients are also advised to stay away from mosquitoes as a mosquito spreads the disease.

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Disabilities in Pop Culture

December 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The way that disabilities have been treated in literature and in the movies is an interesting phenomenon. At most stages in history disabilities were mocked or made fun of, but at more recent stages in history they have been treated more seriously.

Disabilities and the Silver Screen

In the early part of the 20th century, when movies were new, disabilities were treated lightly, as humorous subjects, and Hollywood gave no consideration to how that effected people. Then as the century progressed, they realized how bad that was, and stopped using disabilities in the movies. From the 1950′s through the mid-1990′s, the subject was carefully avoided, with few exceptions. Then in the late 1990′s, screenwriters started to approach the subject, very carefully treating the disabled as real people with real issues, not as caricatures of their disability. As their confidence in handling these sensitive topics increased, their reach expanded, and they started covering more and more areas, including autism, Down’s Syndrome, Alzheimer’s, Paranoid Schizophrenia, and other difficult topics.

Disabilities in Print

The history of disabilities in literature is very similar to disabilities in the movies. For most of history, disabilities were not well understood, so characters with disabilities were rare and often caricatures. Occasionally disabilities were treated seriously, like Quasimodo in The Hunchback of Notre Dame, but that was a rare exception. Then as the 20th century progressed and scientific understanding increased, more writers began broaching this sensitive topic. In fact, many of the great films that dealt with disabilities in the late 1990′s or early 2000′s were based on novels written in the previous decades. In addition to these many novels, people who had dealt with disabilities began to write memoirs. Their memoirs did a lot to help the general populace understand disabilities.

The New Perception

This change in how disabilities are dealt with in print and film has made great strides to change people’s perceptions of disabilities. Now people are much more understanding and less likely to be cruel or judgmental when they encounter somebody with a disability.

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Is SSI Right for You?

November 23, 2010 By Leave a Comment

For parents with disabled children, simple daily things that other families take for granted can become giant-sized concerns. If a parent loses a job, he or she may have a very difficult time finding another job that pays as well and can handle the child’s care and doctor’s visits. The time off may not be compensated, leaving a shortage of income that must be filled. Insurance may also be hard to come by. Mounting doctor bills and costs for prescription medication need to be met. Fortunately for these families in need there is an option that may not have been seen before — Supplemental Security Income.

Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, is a welfare program in which benefits are paid each month to the disabled, blind or elderly to help supplement lost income. Some people don’t realize that this program applies to families with disabled children. To qualify, applicants must make less than $1,011 monthly per household, if there are two working parents, and $674 for a single-parent home. Applicants should also have less than $3,000 in assets per couple and $2000 per single income home.

The amount of SSI a family receives depends upon a calculation that takes into account both the amount of FICA taxes paid and the total amount of income. The Social Security Administration considers disability as the inability to work due to a documented physical or mental impairment. This also applies to disabled children when a child’s disability interferes with a parent’s ability to work a full-time, stable job. Disabilities should last or be expected to continue more than one year. Overall the administration denies nearly two-thirds of all claims. It’s recommended that applicants contact an attorney when a request for benefits is denied. Many disability attorneys charge only if the claimant is awarded benefits and fees are taken directly from the claimants’ SSI award.

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Understanding the Rights of People With Disabilities

September 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The world has come a long way in terms of the treatment of people with disabilities. There is still the occasional case however, in which someone with disabilities feels that they have been treated unfairly. While these cases don’t always attract media attention they are important to the issue of human rights.

Thankfully, there are special laws catering to the needs of workers with disabilities. These laws often require that disability accessories are in place to make public places and work environment safer. These changes may require the building of ramps for wheelchair users. Added space may be required so that users of mobility chairs or special types of medical equipment can be accommodated.

Some people with disabilities face discrimination in the workplace. This can impact them getting hired or being promoted while on the job. The problem is a particularly sensitive one. To prevent or minimize the occurrences of this, there are rights that protect persons with disabilities in the workplace. In the USA the Americans with Disabilities Act aims to protect persons with disabilities in the workplace.

Some modifications which are often required include:

-Rails in bathrooms and wherever else is necessary
-Installing ramps to ensure accessibility to all areas
-Making adjustment to tools or devices used on the job

The law requires that only companies with 15 or more employees must make these changes. This requirement is helpful for smaller establishments due to the cost of meeting these requirements. This does not mean that smaller establishments are free to discriminate against persons with disabilities.

The bottom line is that individuals should be able to use their disability accessories without hindrance. People with disabilities can continue to be productive members of society. Granted in some cases changes are needed so that they can be accommodated.

To avoid being discriminated against because of their disabilities, affected persons should know their rights. So important is this that even the United Nations has a list of the rights of persons with disabilities. It is possible to find out what the rights of persons with disabilities are by doing some research online.

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The Disability Rights Movement

August 15, 2010 By Leave a Comment
The Disability Rights Movement (DRM) is an effort by individuals with disabilities to improve their quality of life. Also, when they encounter disadvantages and discrimination, they want to confront and change them.
One of their major concerns is making sure those with disabilities achieve and maintain their civil rights. That results in legislation that that can address and eliminate discriminatory practices.
After that, people with disabilities desire safety and accessibility. Their efforts have brought access with elevators, lifts, curb cuts and wheelchair ramps.
Another mission of the movement is lifestyle. This specifically means that individuals with disabilities have the ability to live independently and have a degree of self-determination. This is as opposed to being institutionalized.
History
Following the way of the woman’s rights and civil right movements, the disability rights movement began to take shape in the 1970s. From the start, the movement focused on cross-disabilities. People with physical and mental disabilities as well as individuals with no disabilities came to together to fight for the cause.
A big moment for the movement was when it was acknowledged by everyone that physical barriers did indeed exist. The research entitled “ANSI A117.1, Making Buildings accessible to and Usable by the Physically Handicapped” proved it.
If the recommendations in that standard are applied, reliable access and non-hazardous conditions can be enacted. In fact, it emerged as the standard for modifying physical sites and programs to provide independence for people disabilities. The standard has also been applied globally in Europe, Asia, Japan Australia and Canada.
The Independent Living movement which started in California and the sit-ins organized by the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities eventually led to the formation of the groundbreaking “Americans with Disability Act" which was enacted in 1990.

The Disability Rights Movement (DRM) is an effort by individuals with disabilities to improve their quality of life. Also, when they encounter disadvantages and discrimination, they want to confront and change them.
One of their major concerns is making sure those with disabilities achieve and maintain their civil rights. That results in legislation that that can address and eliminate discriminatory practices.
After that, people with disabilities desire safety and accessibility. Their efforts have brought access with elevators, lifts, curb cuts and wheelchair ramps.
Another mission of the movement is lifestyle. This specifically means that individuals with disabilities have the ability to live independently and have a degree of self-determination. This is as opposed to being institutionalized.
History
Following the way of the woman’s rights and civil right movements, the disability rights movement began to take shape in the 1970s. From the start, the movement focused on cross-disabilities. People with physical and mental disabilities as well as individuals with no disabilities came to together to fight for the cause.
A big moment for the movement was when it was acknowledged by everyone that physical barriers did indeed exist. The research entitled “ANSI A117.1, Making Buildings accessible to and Usable by the Physically Handicapped” proved it.
If the recommendations in that standard are applied, reliable access and non-hazardous conditions can be enacted. In fact, it emerged as the standard for modifying physical sites and programs to provide independence for people disabilities. The standard has also been applied globally in Europe, Asia, Japan Australia and Canada.
The Independent Living movement which started in California and the sit-ins organized by the American Coalition of Citizens with Disabilities eventually led to the formation of the groundbreaking “Americans with Disability Act" which was enacted in 1990.

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