Categories, Characteristics, and Barriers of Disabilities

Question 1

What defines Visual Disability?

Answer 1

Visual disabilities are sensory disabilities that can range from some amount of vision loss, loss of visual acuity, or increased or decreased sensitivity to specific or bright colors, to complete or uncorrectable loss of vision in either or both eyes.

Question 2

What is Blindness?

Answer 2

Blindness includes many categories:
People would can’t see anything
People who can only perceive light vs dark
People who can see the general shapes of large objects, but cannot
read text or recognize people by sight.
Demographics:
At least 2.2 billion people have a vision impairment or blindness, of whom at least 1 billion have a vision impairment that could have been prevented
or has yet to be addressed (i.e get glasses).
The leading causes of vision impairment are uncorrected refractive errors
and cataracts.
The majority of people with vision impairment are over 50 years of age.

Question 3

What is Color Blindness?

Answer 3

Color blindness is a sensory disability that impairs a person’s ability to distinguish certain color combinations like reds and greens, although other colors may be affected.
Demographics:
Red-green color blindness is the most common and affects males (1 in 12) much more often than females (1 in 200) among populations with Northern European ancestry. Other ancestries have a lower incidence.
Blue-yellow color blindness affect males and females equally (1 in 10,000).
Blue cone monochromacy is rare (1 in 100,000) but affects males more often than females.

Question 4

What is Low Vision?

Answer 4

Low vision is permanently vision loss that cannot be corrected with regular glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery and interferes with daily activities. Typically needs magnification for reading and can share similar characteristics with color blindness requiring high contrast content.
Demographics:
About 246 million people, or 3.5% of the world’s population, have low vision. About 90% of people with vision impairments are low income.

Question 5

What are Some Barriers for Visual Disabilities?

Answer 5

Materials, such as books, restaurant menus and navigation aids, that are not made available in alternate formats such as digital files or braille.
Presentations without descriptions that help with navigation or information conveyed visually.
Website images, controls, and other structural elements that do not provide text alternatives. Text, images, and page layouts that cannot be resized, or that lose information when resized.
Inconsistent, unpredictable, and overly complicated navigation mechanisms and page functions. Missing visual and non-visual orientation cues, page structure, and other navigational aids.
Text and images with insufficient contrast between foreground and background color combinations.
Websites, web browsers, and authoring tools that do not support the use of
custom color combinations or full keyboard support.
Video content that does not have text or audio alternatives, or an audio description track.

Question 6

What defines Auditory Disability?

Answer 6

Auditory disabilities are sensory disabilities that range from partial to complete hearing loss.

Question 7

What is Deafness?

Answer 7

Deafness is the total or near total loss of hearing, difficulty with sounds, including the audio component of multimedia materials. Deaf people may not always know sign language, especially those who became deaf instead of being born deaf.

Question 8

What is Hard of Hearing (HOH)?

Answer 8

HOH is hearing loss ranging from mild to severe, but maintains some useful hearing. People with HOH may use sign language, spoken language, or both. Can typically use phones and hearing aids.
Demographics:
An estimated 466 million, people, or 6.1 percent of the world’s population, are deaf or hard of hearing.

Question 9

What is Central Auditory Processing Disorder?

Answer 9

APD is not the inability to hear; it’s the inability to interpret, organize, or analyze what’s heard. All the parts of the hearing pathway work fine but the brain has difficulty locating the source of a sound, processing speech in loud environments, following spoken directions, learning songs or instruments, paying attention, responding in a timely way, or learning a new language.
Demographics:
Approximately 5% of the global population have Central Auditory Processing Disorder.

Question 10

What are Some Barriers for Auditory Disabilities?

Answer 10

People speaking softly or without amplification.
Unavailability of sign language interpretation.
Loud environments or competing sounds.
Websites and other technologies that require voice for interaction or listening for understanding.
Audio in videos and films that are presented without captions or transcripts.
Media players that do not support volume controls, captions, or the size and colors of captions.

Question 11

What is Deaf-Blindness?

Answer 11

Deaf-blindness is a rare condition that requires touch as the primary means of communication because hearing and sight are limited. Most people who are deafblind are not completely deaf nor blind, and retain some hearing and sight capability. Learning braille and sign language allow for communication by feeling what’s being signed.
Demographics:
Between 0.2% and 2% of the world’s population is deafblind.

Question 12

What are Some Barriers for Deaf-Blindness?

Answer 12

For materials such as books, menus and navigation aids, lack of printed braille.
In websites and other technologies, lack of output to a braille keyboard.
Lack of transcripts of video or audio materials made available in braille.
Lack of tactile sign language interpretation.

Question 13

What defines Speech Disability?

Answer 13

Speech disability can range from slurred speech to the inability to move the mouth to speak. People with speech disorders may be able to read, write, and understand language, even if they cannot articulate. Speech disorders may be caused by or a side-effect of other disabilities. Speech may improve, stabilize, or worsen over time.

Question 14

What is Articulation Disorder?

Answer 14

A speech disorder that often involves the substitution of one sound for another, slurring of speech, or indistinct
speech. Examples: leaving off sounds, adding sounds, distorting sounds, and swapping sounds in words.
Three categories:
Speech sound disorder: mistakes continue with age.
Phonological process disorder: patterns of not saying words correctly.
Motor speech disorder: trouble moving the muscles required to talk.
Demographics:
Speech disorders in young children is 8 to 9%. By first grade, roughly 5 percent of children have noticeable speech disorders, most of which have no known cause.

Question 15

What is Aphasia?

Answer 15

Aphasia is a language production or comprehension impairment affecting speech, reading, and writing. People with Aphasia may not be able to recognize words or understand what is being said, speak or have
difficulty saying what they mean, and form sentences, sometimes omitting words. Cause by brain injury, most commonly from stroke, particularly in older individuals. Also caused by head trauma, brain tumors, or infections.
Demographics:
At least 2,000,000 people in the USA with aphasia.
At least 250,000 people in Great Britain with aphasia.
The global incidence rate is currently unknown.

Question 16

What is No Speech?

Answer 16

Having no speech, or mutism, is an inability to speak. Caused by damage to the brain and / or speech muscles, psychological reasons, or a combination of causes. Neurogenic mutism is often a manifestation of extreme forms of other speech disorders, including aphasia, apraxia, or dysarthria. There are three types
of psychogenic mutism: elective mutism, in which a person chooses not to speak, selective mutism, in which a person wants to speak but due to anxiety cannot in certain
situations, and total mutism, in which a person does not speak under any circumstance.
Demographics:
Selective mutism is estimated to affect 0.47 to 0.76 percent of the population. Statistics on the incidence of neurogenic mutism are unavailable.

Question 17

What are Some Barriers for Speech Disabilities?

Answer 17

Lack of text-based alternatives for speech communication.

Question 18

What are Mobility, Flexibility, and Body Structure Disabilities?

Answer 18

Mobility disability includes temporary or permanent impairment limiting the independent and purposeful physical movement of the body. Examples include upper or lower limb loss, challenges with manual dexterity, disability from organ problems, or broken skeletal structure. Can be congenital, acquired with age, or the consequence of disease.

Question 19

What is a Manual Dexterity/Fine Motor Control Disability?

Answer 19

Fine motor skills are coordinated efforts of the brain
and muscles that allow intricate and detailed movements of the hand and wrist needed to manipulate, control and use objects, produce neat, legible handwriting,
and dress independently.
Disability may be temporary, recurring, or permanent. Examples include: include difficulty tying shoelaces, scribbly drawing, difficulty using a keyboard, poor handwriting, difficulty picking up small objects, manipulating objects in hand, or using both hands at once.
Demographics:
Direct statistics are unavailable.

Question 20

What is an Ambulation Disability?

Answer 20

Ambulation is the ability to walk from place to place independently with or without an assistive device. Disability can be caused by congenital conditions, disease, injury, cerebral palsy, neuromuscular disorders,
amputation, arthritis, and back injuries.
Demographics:
3.5% of adults in the US have mobility disabilities.

Question 21

What is a Muscle Fatigue Disability?

Answer 21

Muscle fatigue is a common, non-specific symptom and is
associated with many health conditions. An overwhelming sense of tiredness, lack of energy, feeling of exhaustion, and difficulty performing voluntary tasks. It can occur anywhere on the body. An initial sign of this condition
is muscle weakness. Other symptoms include soreness, localized pain, shortness of breath, muscle twitching, trembling, weak grip, and muscle cramps. It can be caused by a variety of factors, such as illness, age, medication and treatment side effects, inactivity, and depression.

Question 22

What is a Body Size or Shape Disability?

Answer 22

Body size or shape disabilities are caused by a variety of
disorders that affect a person’s stature, proportions or shape. Examples include acromegaly, dwarfism, rheumatoid arthritis, and obesity. Orthopedic
conditions, such as arthritis and joint mobility, are frequently associated with the underlying cause. Related conditions include muscle weakness, fatigue, hearing loss, vision loss, cardiopulmonary disorders, and diabetes.
Demographics:
Rheumatoid arthritis affects 1% of the population.
39-40% of adults are obese.

Question 23

What are Some Barriers for Body Size/Shape Disabilities?

Answer 23

Seating that is too small, or at the wrong height.
Appliances and controls that are out of reach or require touch instead of voice commands.
Steps, thresholds, and other obstacles to gaining entry to a space.
Body shaming and social discrimination

Question 24

What is a Cognitive Disability?

Answer 24

Cognitive disabilities can occur on their own or as a result of other conditions/injuries such as traumatic brain injury. They may also occur with other disabilities.

Question 25

What is an Intellectual Disability?

Answer 25

Intellectual Disability (aka learning disability) is characterized by significant limitations in reasoning, learning, problem solving (intellectual functioning), everyday social and practical skills (adaptive behavior).
American criteria:
IQ below 70-75.
Significant limitations in two or more adaptive areas (skills that are needed to live, work, and play in the community, such as communication or self-care).
The condition manifests itself before the age of 18.
Characteristics in children:
Sit up, crawl, or walk later than other children.
Learn to talk later, or have trouble speaking.
Find it hard to remember things.
Have trouble understanding social rules.
Have trouble seeing the results of their actions.
Have trouble solving problems.
Demographics:
1-3% of the global population, (200 million people).
80 percent of all PWD live in low-incomecountries.

Question 26

What is a Math/Computation Disability?

Answer 26

Often called Dyscalculia, this disability involves an inability to understand arithmetic, how to calculate and communicate with math. Can be complicated by dysgraphia, an inability to draw or copy figures and graphs, and by anxiety. Dyscalculia may be congenital or result from an injury, disease, or aging.
Examples:
Trouble grasping the meaning of quantities or concepts like biggest vs smallest.
Understanding that the numeral 5 is the same as the word five, and that these both mean five items.
Remembering math facts in school, like times tables.
Counting money or making change.
Estimating time.
Judging speed or distance.
Understanding the logic behind math or holding numbers in their head while solving problems.
Demographics:
An estimated 3–6% of people have dyscalculia.

Question 27

What is ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder)?

Answer 27

ADHD is a developmental problem characterized by inattention, distractibility, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. Children with ADHD are easily distracted by sights and sounds in their environment. Symptoms usually appear by age 7. While people do not outgrow this condition, they do learn to adapt.
Demographics:
ADHD affects approximately 11% of the population.

Question 28

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)?

Answer 28

A range of conditions characterized by impaired social behavior, communication, language, a narrow range of interests/activities unique to the individual that receive significant attention and repetitive processing.
ASDs begin in childhood. In most cases, conditions are apparent during the first 5 years of life including epilepsy,
depression, anxiety and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Intellectual functioning for individuals with ASDs is extremely variable, extending from
profound impairment to superior levels.
Characteristics:
Not respond to their name by 12 months of age.
Not point at objects to show interest by 14 months.
Not play “pretend” games by 18 months.
Avoid eye contact and want to be alone.
Have trouble understanding other people’s feelings or talking about their own feelings.
Have delayed speech and language skills.
Repeat words or phrases over and over.
Give unrelated answers to questions.
Get upset by minor changes.
Have obsessive interests.
Flap their hands, rock their body, or spin in circles.
Have unusual reactions to the way things sound, smell, taste, look, or feel.
Demographics:
Approximately one in 160 children has ASD, higher in some countries, and prevalence is increasing.

Question 29

What is a Non-Verbal Learning Disability?

Answer 29

Very much like Asperger Syndrome, in which people have normal intelligence and language development, but trouble with social skills, sensory input, and making transitions. Generally describe the same kind of disorder but differ in severity, with AS describing severe symptoms.
Characteristics:
Great vocabulary and verbal expression
Excellent memory skills
Attention to detail, but missing the big picture
Poor abstract reasoning
Concrete thinking
Physical awkwardness, poor coordination
Poor social skills
Trouble adjusting to changes
Anxiety, depression, low self-esteem
Demographics:
1% of children in the United States may have NVLD. It affects boys and girls equally.

Question 30

What are Some Barriers for Cognitive Disability?

Answer 30

Complex sentences and unusual vocabulary.
On websites and other technologies, complex page layouts and navigation.
Having to read long passages of text without images, graphs, or illustrations to help explain concepts.
Animated, blinking, or flickering images.
Audio with no option to turn it off.
Web browsers and media players that do not provide a control to turn off animations or audio.
Complex visual designs.
Social isolation discrimination.

Question 31

What is a Seizure Disability?

Answer 31

Seizure disabilities occur when a seizure disorder interferes with a person’s regular activities. Seizures can range from mild to severe, including loss of consciousness.

Question 32

What is a General Seizure Disorder?

Answer 32

A seizure is a sudden, uncontrolled electrical disturbance in the brain that can cause changes in behavior, movements, feelings, and consciousness. If a person has two or more seizures or a tendency to have recurrent seizures, they have epilepsy.
Characteristics:
Visual hallucinations
An inability to speak
Convulsions
Loss of muscle tone
Staring
Falling down
Biting the tongue
Loss of control of the bladder or bowels
Demographics:
2% of adults have a seizure at some point in their life.
66% of that 2% never have a second seizure.
Commonly begin in early childhood or in late adulthood>

Question 33

What is Photosensitive Epilepsy?

Answer 33

A condition that triggers seizures with flashing/flickering lights, or patterns. Some people with this condition may have seizures without triggers as well.
Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies
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Characteristics:
Different people will be affected by lights at different flash or flicker rates. Lights that flash or flicker between 16 and 25 times a second are the most likely to trigger seizures. Some people are sensitive to rates as low as 3 or as high as
60 a second.
Different people may be affected by different patterns. Patterns with high contrast or movement are more likely to trigger seizures. Video games can be a trigger.
Demographics:
3% of people with epilepsy have photosensitive epilepsy.

Question 34

What are Some Barriers for Seizure Disabilities?

Answer 34

Activities in which a sudden loss of consciousness could cause serious harm, such as swimming, taking a bath, or using power tools.
Driving.
Moving, blinking, or flickering content in videos, films, websites, and other technologies.
Web browsers and media players that do not provide controls to stop or turn off video or animations.

Question 35

What is a Psychological/Psychiatric Disability?

Answer 35

Psychological and psychiatric disabilities typically include
problems in a person’s perceptions, thoughts, feelings, and behavior.

Question 36

What is Social Disability?

Answer 36

Social Anxiety Disorder is a disorder in which a person feels anxiety or fear in social situations, such as meeting new people, dating, job interviews, answering a question in class, or having to talk to a cashier in a store.
Doing everyday things in front of people, such as eating or drinking in front of others or using a public restroom, also causes anxiety or fear. The person is afraid they will
be humiliated, judged, and rejected.
Characteristics:
Blush, sweat, tremble, rapid heart rate, or brain farts.
Feel nauseous.
Show a rigid body posture, make little eye contact, or speak with an overly soft voice.
Find it scary and difficult to be with other people, especially those they don’t already know, and have a hard time talking to them even though they wish they could.
Be very self-conscious in front of other people and feel embarrassed and awkward.
Be very afraid that other people will judge them.
Stay away from places where there are other people.
Demographics:
Varies from 2.5-7% by country. In 2017, an estimated 284 million people experienced an anxiety disorder,
making it the most prevalent mental health disorder.

Question 37

What is Emotional Disability?

Answer 37

Emotional disturbance is defined as a condition exhibiting specific behaviors like hyperactivity, aggression, self-harm, withdrawal, immaturity, and learning difficulties over a long period of time and to a marked degree that adversely affects a child’s educational performance.
Characteristics:
An inability to learn that cannot be explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
An inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships with peers and teachers.
Inappropriate types of behavior or feelings under normal circumstances.
A general pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
A tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
Demographics:
Worldwide prevalence of emotional disorders was 6.2% among children ages 9-17.

Question 38

What is Behavioral Disability?

Answer 38

Behavioral disorders involve a pattern of disruptive behaviors in children that last for at least 6 months and cause problems in school, at home and in social situations.
Characteristics:
Be inattentive
Be hyperactive
Act impulsively
Act defiantly
Use drugs
Commit crimes
Demographics:
20% or children (10-19) worldwide suffer with mental and behavioral disorders.
In 2001, the prevalence of behavioral disorders was 10.3%,
and emotional disorders 6.2% among children ages 9-17.
3% of school-age children complain of severe depression, suicidal thoughts, psychosis and attention-deficit
hyperactivity disorders. This is likely much higher now.

Question 39

What are Some Barriers to Psychological/Social Disability?

Answer 39

Limited availability and affordability of mental healthcare services.
Lack of knowledge among healthcare providers for accurate diagnoses and treatment.
Social stigma.