Disability Awareness

Disability is defined as a mental or physical impairment due to which the person is unable to perform their job and becomes disabled either for short term or long term. This can occur due to illness and impairments such as cancer, diabetes, asthma, anxiety disorders, blindness, deafness, paralysis and AIDS. Earlier due to disability, the disabled people are ignored in every field. But now various organizations have developed such as Disability Discrimination Act which provides an equal status for the disabled people. Now, they are treated equally as other people in various fields. These organizations create disability awareness among the people and have the following aims such as:-

• Describes the terminology, classification systems and definitions in relation to disability
• Introduce the historical background behind attitudes and current approaches to disability
• Identifies the sources of statistical data on disabled people
• Outlines the social model of disability
• Introduces the support systems in higher education institutions

History of modern approaches to disability

The term disability arises from the industrial revolution which started in the late eighteenth century. During this period, some of the disabled people working in industries such as cotton and mining are unable to work and hence the production is not much as these industries need more efficient workers. So, these people are totally the responsibility of the state. The state wants to establish these people in institutions and various organizations and the rise of asylums and workhouses can be seen in the 19 th century.

Images of Disability

The images of disability can be seen through mass media especially in the film and TV. Various people like Colin Barnes, Shakespeare’s Richard III and Long John Silver has written in their book on the disabled people and creates awareness among the people. Various people with disability have worked in three TV soap operas during the 19 th century in UK.

Models of Disability

When awareness of disability is to be discussed regarding the models of disability then one should discuss about the medical and social model. Medical model is defined as the disability of an individual which is caused from the psychological losses and functional limitations and emphasizes on the response of an individual’s impairment. Social model is defined as the changing of the attitudes, policy and economic discrimination against the disabled people.

A professional company, Keane Training which provides in-house training courses on the disability awareness to the various organizations and allows them to have the Disability Discrimination Act and should create the awareness among the staff.