Introduction

This section provides a brief overview of the most commonly occurring disabilities in the student body, and the way in which each form of impairment may effect a student’s ability to perform.

It is important to note that every individual’s experience of a specific impairment is likely to be different and some students will be more profoundly affected by a particular impairment than others.

There are many disabilities which occur together, so it is common for individuals to have multiple disabilities, for example according to the National Autistic society (2018) individuals diagnosed with Autism are often also diagnosed with ADD/ ADHD and hearing impairments while individuals with diabetes have over a 75% chance of developing sight loss after having the condition for 15 years or more[i]. Similarly the co-incidence of ADD/ ADHD and dyslexia is estimated to be between 15% and 50%.[ii]

Additional health conditions can occur as a result of a primary impairment, for example wheelchair users, with spinal injuries, are likely to have blood pressure problems and be prone to infections.

There are many health conditions, the impact of which, can vary over time. An individual with migraines, rheumatoid arthritis or depression may only be impaired by their condition periodically.

It is also important to recognise that impairments may not have a uniformly negative impact on a student’s ability to perform, for example, people with dyslexia often have exceptional spatial awareness and problem solving skills and people with red-green colour blindness are able to distinguish a greater rage of some colours, than the non-colour blind, and can see texture in more detail.

Student quote:

“Asperger's affects me all the time but not always for the negative”

In the sections that follow, I will outline the primary characteristics of the most commonly occurring impairments in the student body. To do this unfortunately it may be necessary to outline the features of some impairments in a way that is rather reminiscent of the medical or deficit models of disability, however it is important to remember that everyone has strengths and weaknesses and individuals with impairments should not be defined by what they find difficult to do.

 

References

[1] (Biederman et al. 1996, Shaywitz et al. 1994) quoted in Shaywitz et al. 2008

[i] Klein R, Klein BEK, Moss SE, Davis MD, DeMets DL. The Wisconsin Epidemiologic Study of Diabetic RetinopathyIII. Prevalence and Risk of Diabetic Retinopathy When Age at Diagnosis Is 30 or More Years. Arch Ophthalmol. 1984;102(4):527–532. doi:10.1001/archopht.1984.01040030405011

 

Next >>