Wiki Page, Multicultural Diversity in the Workplace for the Tourism Professional: Topic 1 Types of Disabilities-6

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2022-09-21T17:33:47+08:00

Current Status

Definition of Terms

Visible VS Invisible Disabilities

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Current Status

According to World Health Organization (WHO), over 1 billion people, or approximately 15% of the world’s population, have some form of disability, globally. About 110 to 190 million people 15 years and older have significant difficulties in functioning. The rapid spread of chronic diseases and population ageing contribute to the increasing rates of disability.

Further, about 80% of the world’s PWDs live in low-income countries, wherein majority are poor and cannot access basic services. With their conditions, PWDs need greater attention and considerations in terms of health needs, without discrimination. PWDs have less access to health services and therefore have greater unmet needs.

With this, WHO emphasized that a comprehensive approach in interventions is then necessary for persons with disabilities (PWDs) as it entails actions beyond the context of health, but more on helping them to overcome difficulties by removing environmental and social barriers.”

In the country, 1.443 million Filipinos or 1.57% have a disability according to National Statistics Office (NSO). Region IV-A or CALABARZON, with 193 thousand PWDs, was recorded to have the highest number of PWD among the 17 regions while the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR) had the lowest number with 26 thousand PWDs.

Specifically, there were more males, who accounted for 50.9% of the total PWD compared to females, with 49.1% with disability. And for every five (5) PWD, one (18.9%) was aged 0 to 14 years, three (59.0%) were in the working age group (15-64 years old), and one (22.1%) was aged 65 years and above.

Definition of Terms

Persons with disabilities (PWDs) are defined to be those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which in interaction with various barriers may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others. This definition is according to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

To be more concise, the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) defined some other related terms such as:

Disability - an umbrella term covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions

Impairment – a problem in body function or structure

Activity limitation - is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action

Participation restriction – is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations

Disabilities affect a person's:

Vision

Hearing

Thinking

Learning

Movement

Mental health

Remembering

Communicating

Social relationships

Here are the main types of disability:

Visual impairment – also known as vision impairment, vision disability; defined as a decreased ability to see to a degree that causes problems not fixable by usual means, such as glasses or medication. This can be due to disease, trauma, or congenital or degenerative conditions.

Hearing Disability – also referred as hearing impairment, deafness, or hearing loss; refers to the total or partial inability to hear sounds.

Cognitive or Learning Disabilities - processing problems that can interfere with learning skills such as reading, writing or even organization, time planning, abstract reasoning, long or short term memory and attention

Psychological Disorders - also referred to as mental disorders, are abnormalities of the mind that result in persistent behavior patterns that can seriously affect your day-to-day function and life.

Mobility and Physical Impairments - a category of disability that includes people with varying types of physical disabilities that include upper or lower limb loss or disability, manual dexterity and disability in co-ordination with different organs of the body.

Spinal Cord Disability - is damage to the spinal cord that causes temporary or permanent changes in its function. Symptoms may include loss of muscle function, sensation, or autonomic function in the parts of the body served by the spinal cord below the level of the injury.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) - is a disruption in the normal function of the brain that can be caused by a blow, bump or jolt to the head, the head suddenly and violently hitting an object or when an object pierces the skull and enters brain tissue.

Visible VS Invisible Disabilities

Visible Disabilities can be noticed to an individual with their naked eye and by just looking at the person. Persons with visible disability may have facial features that show they have a disability. They may have involuntary shaking throughout their body or may not be physically able to move as the average individual does.

Common examples of visible disabilities are:

Down Syndrome

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Tourette Syndrome

Amputations

Paralysis

Cerebral Palsy

Muscular Dystrophy (MD)

Multiple Sclerosis (MS)

Invisible disabilities are not easily visible and immediately apparent. These are also known as hidden illnesses/disabilities. These can hinder a person’s abilities in the world of work, education, and social environments and dramatically affect how they perform in everyday life

Examples of hidden disabilities are:

Autism

Brain injuries

Chron’s Disease

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Chronic pain

Cystic Fibrosis

Visual and auditory disabilities

Depression, ADHD, Bipolar Disorder, Schizophrenia, and other mental health conditions

Visual and auditory disabilities

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Fibromyalgia

HIV/AIDS

Insomnia

Learning difficulties, including dyslexia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia, and language processing disorder

Lupus

Rheumatoid Arthritis

To know more about visible and invisible disabilities, you may read the web articles which links are listed below.