Understanding Disability

There are lots of different ways to describe a disability and there are a lot of different disabilities.

According to government legislation, a disability is "an impairment that limits function." What exactly does THAT mean? Well, basically it means that something is going on with you that may change the way you do things or the way in which you live your life. Maybe it affects the way you learn, the way you get around, or the way you take care of yourself. A disability is just another part of who you are, like having brown hair, green eyes, or being tall or short.

There are hundreds of different disabilities, each with a different name. Some of the most common are: Spina Bifida, Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, Mental Retardation, Attention Deficit Disorder, Learning Disabilities, Blindness, Deafness, Hearing Impairment, Head Injury, and Spinal Cord Injury. But there are a lot of other ones too.