How Much Do You Know About the Complex Experience of Disability?

Factors such as the causes, type, and severity of impairment, individual personality, societal and cultural perspectives on disability, socioeconomic factors, environment on which they live, and the services one has access to can affect a person's experience of disability.

Some causes of disability include cerebral palsy, spinal cord injury, and stroke.

Defining disability is important for the purpose of policy, legislation, and services, epidemiology, and research. Without a definition, people with disabilities won't be able to access disability grants, free healthcare, or request accommodations at work.

Environmental factors such as physical (stairs, narrow doors), geographic (narrow paths, rivers, hilly terrain), and attitudinal barriers (discrimination and stereotyping) can cause exclusion and increased levels of disability.

Socioeconomic issues such as poverty, low levels of education, and unemployment affect disability negatively. The poor are disempowered, exposed to pollution, have lower access to sanitation/clean water, a bigger risk for malnutrition, have less access to health promotion and prevention, and seek healthcare later than those with more financial means.