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inclusive.docx
Summary
# Understanding disabilities and vulnerabilities
This section outlines various types of disabilities, defines vulnerability, and explores factors that contribute to both.
### 1.1 Definitions of basic terms
#### 1.1.1 Impairment
An impairment is defined as a lack or abnormality of an anatomic, physiological, or psychological structure or function. It refers to any loss or abnormality of physiological, psychological, or anatomical structure or function, or a deviation from a person's typical state. This can include the absence of a body part or an organ, or a condition where a body part exists but does not function as expected.
#### 1.1.2 Disability
The concept of disability is complex, dynamic, multidimensional, and contested, with no single agreed-upon definition. Disability arises when individuals with impairments face societal barriers, including attitudinal barriers (e.g., stigma), physical barriers (e.g., lack of ramps), and policy barriers (e.g., systemic discrimination). These barriers create a "disabling effect" that inhibits full participation in society. Addressing these barriers can prevent an impairment from leading to disability.
* **Medical Approach:** Views disability as a pathology (physiological, biological, or intellectual) and a result of functional limitations due to impairments, health disorders, or psychological issues. This approach often leads to the idea that individuals with disabilities need to be "treated" or "changed" to be more "normal."
* **Social Definition:** Defines disability as a consequence of discrimination, prejudice, and exclusion. It emphasizes shortcomings in the environment and societal structures (like information, communication, and education) that prevent individuals with disabilities from participating equally.
#### 1.1.3 Causes of disability
Disability can stem from several factors:
* **Genetic Causes:** Abnormalities in genes or genetic inheritance can lead to intellectual disabilities. Diseases, illnesses, or overexposure to X-rays can also cause genetic disorders.
* **Environmental Factors:** Poverty and malnutrition in pregnant mothers can cause deficiencies leading to birth defects. Post-birth, poverty and malnutrition can hinder vital organ development.
* **Unknown Causes:** Despite scientific advancements, the exact origins of all human body defects remain undiscovered.
* **Inaccessible Environments:** Societal infrastructure developed without considering individuals with impairments can make independent functioning impossible.
### 1.2 Types of disabilities
#### 1.2.1 Visual impairment
Visual impairment encompasses two sub-classifications:
* **Blindness:** The total or partial inability to see due to disease or disorder of the eye, optic nerve, or brain. This may not always mean a complete absence of sight, with some individuals able to perceive light or colors.
* **Low Vision:** Moderate visual impairment affecting either central vision (directly in front of the eyes) or peripheral vision (to the sides and slightly behind).
#### 1.2.2 Hearing Impairment
From a legal perspective, hearing impairment is a continuum of hearing loss from mild to profound.
* **Hard of Hearing:** A hearing impairment, permanent or fluctuating, that affects educational performance. Individuals with this condition can often use hearing aids and acquire language and communicate effectively through auditory means.
* **Deaf:** Individuals who have difficulty understanding speech even with hearing aids but can communicate successfully through sign language. Cultural definitions of deafness emphasize the use of sign language and connection with the deaf community.
#### 1.2.3 Specific learning disability
A disorder affecting one or more basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language (spoken or written). This can manifest as difficulties in listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, or performing mathematical calculations.
* **Auditory Processing Disorder (APD):** Difficulty processing or interpreting sound by the brain, even if the ear functions properly. Individuals may struggle to distinguish subtle sound differences, locate sounds, understand sound order, or filter background noise.
* **Dyscalculia:** Affects the ability to understand numbers and learn math. Challenges include comprehending math symbols, memorizing/organizing numbers, telling time, and counting.
* **Dysgraphia:** Affects handwriting and fine motor skills, leading to illegible writing, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning, spelling issues, and difficulty composing written text.
* **Dyslexia:** Affects reading and related language-based processing skills, impacting reading fluency, decoding, comprehension, recall, writing, spelling, and sometimes speech. It is often referred to as a Language-Based Learning Disability.
* **Language Processing Disorder (LPD):** A type of APD specifically affecting the processing of language, involving difficulty attaching meaning to sounds that form words, sentences, and stories. It can impact expressive and/or receptive language.
* **Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities (NLD):** Characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial, and social skills. Individuals may struggle to interpret nonverbal cues and have poor coordination.
* **Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit:** Affects the understanding of visual information or the ability to draw or copy. This can lead to missing subtle differences in shapes or letters, losing one's place, struggles with cutting, tight pencil grip, or poor eye-hand coordination.
#### 1.2.4 Speech and language impairments
A communication disorder, such as stuttering, impaired articulation, language impairment, or a voice impairment, that adversely affects educational performance.
* **Speech Impairments:**
* **Articulation Disorders:** Errors in speech sound production due to anatomical or physiological limitations. Examples include omissions (e.g., "bo" for "boat"), substitutions (e.g., "wabbit" for "rabbit"), and distortions (e.g., "shlip" for "sip").
* **Fluency Disorders:** Difficulties with the rhythm and timing of speech, including hesitations, repetitions, or prolongations of sounds, syllables, words, or phrases. Stuttering and cluttering are common examples.
* **Voice Disorders:** Problems with voice quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, or duration due to issues with the larynx.
* **Language Impairments:** Involve difficulties in five basic areas:
* **Phonological Disorders:** Abnormal organization of the phonological system or deficits in speech production/perception, making speech hard to understand. Apraxia of speech is a specific phonological disorder affecting speech motor planning.
* **Morphological Disorders:** Difficulties with grammatical inflections on nouns, verbs, and adjectives.
* **Semantic Disorders:** Characterized by poor vocabulary development, inappropriate word use, and difficulty comprehending word meanings.
* **Syntactic Deficits:** Difficulty acquiring rules of word order and grammar, leading to shorter, less elaborate sentences.
* **Pragmatic Difficulties:** Problems understanding and using language in social contexts, affecting eye contact, personal space, and topic initiation.
#### 1.2.5 Autism
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social and communication development, along with stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests. It is a pervasive developmental disorder marked by a lack of normal sociability, impaired communication, and repetitive behaviors. It can be linked to profound learning disabilities and may involve pronoun reversal (e.g., "I" instead of "you") and echolalia (repetition of others' utterances).
#### 1.2.6 Emotional and behavioral disorders
A condition exhibiting one or more of the following characteristics over a long period to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance:
* Inability to learn not explained by intellectual, sensory, or health factors.
* Inability to build or maintain satisfactory interpersonal relationships.
* Inappropriate behaviors or feelings under normal circumstances.
* A pervasive mood of unhappiness or depression.
* Tendency to develop physical symptoms or fears associated with personal or school problems.
**Classifications of behavioral and emotional disorders:**
* **Conduct disorder:** Disruptive behavior, can be overt (with violence) or covert (with lying, stealing, drug use).
* **Socialized aggression:** Involvement in subculture groups with disrespect for peers, teachers, and parents; early signs include stealing, running away, lying, cruelty to animals, and fire setting.
* **Attention problems:** Attention deficit, distractibility, poor concentration, impulsivity.
* **Anxiety/Withdrawn:** Self-consciousness, reservation, low self-esteem, withdrawal, anxiety, and depression.
* **Psychotic behavior:** Bizarre behavior, hallucinations, living in a fantasy world.
* **Motor excess:** Hyperactivity, inability to sit still or focus attention.
**Broad classifications by Kauffman (1993):**
* **Externalizing Behavior (Under-controlled):** Disobedience, disruptiveness, fighting, temper tantrums, irresponsibility, jealousy, anger, attention-seeking.
* **Internalizing Behavior (Over-controlled):** Anxiety, immaturity, shyness, social withdrawal, feelings of inadequacy, guilt, depression, excessive worry.
**Causes of emotional and behavioral disorders:**
* **Biological:** Genetic disorders, brain damage, malnutrition, allergies, temperament, central nervous system damage.
* **Family factors:** Family interactions, child abuse, neglect, poor disciplinary practices.
* **Cultural factors:** Negative traditional or cultural practices, exposure to violence or sexually oriented media.
* **Environmental factors:** Peer pressure, living in impoverished areas, unresponsive schooling practices.
#### 1.2.7 Intellectual disability
Characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning and adaptive behavior (conceptual, social, and practical skills), originating before the age of 18.
* **Subaverage intellectual functioning:** Measured by IQ tests, generally around 70 or below.
* **Significant limitations in two or more adaptive skill areas:**
* **Conceptual skills:** Language, literacy, money, time, number concepts, self-direction.
* **Social skills:** Interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, social problem-solving, following rules, avoiding victimization.
* **Practical skills:** Activities of daily living, occupational skills, healthcare, transportation, safety, money management, telephone use.
Individuals with intellectual disabilities may experience delayed intellectual development, learning and memory deficits, difficulties with attention, challenges with adaptive skills (due to distractibility, inattentiveness, poor social cue reading, impulsivity), delayed speech and language development, a lack of motivation (often due to past failures), persistent academic achievement problems, and co-existing physical, motor, orthopedic, visual, auditory impairments, and health problems.
#### 1.2.8 Physical disability/Orthopedic impairment and health impairment
* **Physical disability:** A condition interfering with an individual's ability to use their body. This often includes orthopedic impairments (conditions affecting the muscular or skeletal system) and sometimes nervous system conditions.
* **Health impairment:** A condition requiring ongoing medical attention, such as asthma, heart defects, cancer, diabetes, hemophilia, and HIV/AIDS.
**Classification of physical impairment based on mobility and motor skills:**
* **Mild physical disability:** Ability to walk without aids, potentially normal developmental progress.
* **Moderate physical disability:** Ability to walk with braces and crutches, potential difficulty with fine motor skills and speech.
* **Severe physical disability:** Wheelchair dependent, may require special assistance for development.
**Broad classification by system:**
* **Neurological system problems:** Conditions like cerebral palsy or traumatic brain injury, affecting brain signals for movement. Spinal cord injuries or deformities interrupt communication pathways between the brain and muscles. Epilepsy is a seizure disorder where brain cells function abnormally, often controllable with medication, and most individuals have normal intelligence. Spinal bifida and spinal cord injury result in paralysis and loss of sensation.
* **Musculoskeletal system deficiencies:** Includes conditions like muscular dystrophy (progressive muscle weakness), arthritis (joint inflammation), amputation (loss of body parts), Marfan syndrome (poor muscle development, curved spine), Achondroplasia (genetic disorder affecting bone growth), polio (viral disease causing paralysis), and club foot (foot deformities).
**Health Impairments:** Any disease interfering with learning can necessitate special services. Examples include heart disease, cystic fibrosis (hereditary disease affecting lungs and pancreas), AIDS, hemophilia (blood clotting disorder), asthma (chronic respiratory condition), diabetes, kidney disorders (nephrosis, nephritis), sickle-cell anemia, leukemia, lead poisoning, rheumatic fever, tuberculosis, and cancer.
### 1.3 Vulnerability
Vulnerability means being at risk of being harmed. While everyone is susceptible to harm, some individuals are more vulnerable than others.
**Contributing factors to vulnerability:**
* **Economic difficulties:** Poverty, low living standards, housing problems.
* **Social exclusion:** Limited access to transportation, schools, libraries, or medical services.
* **Lack of social support:** Absence of assistance from family, friends, or colleagues.
* **Stigmatization:** Being a victim of stereotypes, devaluation, or disgraceful behavior due to group affiliation.
* **Health difficulties:** Disadvantages from poor mental health, physical health, or disabilities.
* **Victimization:** Particularly experiencing crime or violence in a family context.
**Characteristics of vulnerable people:**
* **Less physically or mentally capable:** Infants, older adults, people with disabilities.
* **Fewer material and/or financial resources:** Low-income households, homeless individuals.
* **Less knowledge or experience:** Children, illiterate individuals, foreigners, tourists.
* **Restricted by society:** Individuals who rely on others for help and are limited by their commitments.
**Groups often considered vulnerable:**
* **Women:** Especially in developing nations and rural areas, facing traditional practices and lack of access to education and employment.
* **Children:** A significant number are at risk for development issues.
* **Minorities:** Ethnic, cultural, linguistic, or religious minorities facing political and social discrimination.
* **Poverty:** Individuals living in poverty are vulnerable due to lack of access to essential resources, education, information, and social networks.
* **Disabilities:** People with disabilities are vulnerable to abuse, poverty, illiteracy, health problems, and psychological/social issues.
* **Age:** Elderly individuals and very young children are particularly vulnerable.
* **Illiteracy and less education:** Individuals with low literacy rates and limited educational opportunities are at risk of lacking development.
* **Sickness:** Uncured health problems, such as HIV/AIDS, increase vulnerability to psychosocial problems, poverty, and further health issues.
* **Gifted and Talented:** Vulnerable in socio-emotional development due to potential isolation and societal expectations.
### 1.4 Impact of disability and vulnerability on daily life
#### 1.4.1 Factors related to the person
The impact of a disability is influenced by several personal factors:
* **Nature of the Disability:** Whether it is acquired (accident, disease) or congenital (present at birth).
* **Individual's Personality:** Positive or negative outlook, independence level, goal orientation.
* **Meaning of the Disability:** The individual's personal interpretation and significance of their disability.
* **Current Life Circumstances:** The degree of independence or dependence on others.
* **Individual's Support System:** The availability of support from family, significant others, friends, or social groups.
#### 1.4.2 Impact on Activities of Daily Living (ADLs)
Disabilities and vulnerabilities can limit or restrict ADLs, including:
* **Mobility:** Moving from one place to another, navigation, locomotion, transfers.
* **Position Maintenance:** Standing, sitting, sleeping.
* **Environmental Interaction:** Controlling systems, gripping objects.
* **Communication:** Speaking, writing, using hand gestures.
* **Feeding:** Chewing, swallowing.
* **Perception:** Perceiving the external world through sensory input.
Older adults often experience multiple impairments, similar to individuals with disabilities, with decreased muscular, vision, hearing, and cognitive capacities.
#### 1.4.3 Economic factors and disability
Economic status significantly impacts whether a health problem becomes an impairment and subsequently a disability. Lack of access to or delayed medical care can worsen conditions. Economic resources influence the availability of personal assistance or physical accommodations. Community economic status can be more impactful than individual status in determining the likelihood of an impairment leading to disability. Economic factors can also incentivize identifying as disabled, particularly when disability compensation programs offer financial benefits comparable to available employment.
#### 1.4.4 Political factors and disability
Political systems, through public policy, profoundly affect the extent to which impairments result in disability. Well-enforced political systems can improve the prospects for people with disabling conditions to participate fully in society, thereby reducing disability in various domains of human activity.
#### 1.4.5 Psychological factors of disability
Psychological constructs, including personal resources, personality traits, and cognition, influence the expression of disability and an individual's ability to adapt.
* **Social Cognitive Processes:**
* **Self-Efficacy Beliefs:** An individual's belief in their ability to achieve desired outcomes, affecting choices, effort, and persistence.
* **Psychological Control (Control Beliefs):** Thoughts, feelings, and beliefs about one's ability to exert control or change a situation.
* **Coping Patterns:** Behavioral and cognitive efforts to manage demands that tax or exceed personal resources, often studied in the context of stress. Disabling conditions can create stress requiring additional coping efforts.
* **Personality Disposition:** Optimism, the tendency to view the world favorably, is associated with better self-esteem, less hostility, and more adaptive coping strategies compared to pessimism.
#### 1.4.6 The family and disability
Families can be either enabling or disabling factors. For individuals with disabilities, family networks are often central, providing instrumental (practical help), informational (advice), or emotional support.
### 1.5 Needs of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities
Basic needs, prioritizing survival (physiological), safety, social, esteem, and self-actualization, are crucial for equality. Key needs include:
* Full access to the environment (towns, countryside, buildings).
* Accessible transport systems.
* Technical aids and equipment.
* Accessible/adapted housing.
* Personal assistance and support.
* Inclusive education and training.
* Adequate income.
* Equal employment opportunities.
* Appropriate and accessible information.
* Advocacy (including self-advocacy).
* Counseling.
* Appropriate and accessible healthcare.
#### 1.5.1 Social needs
Social protection is vital for realizing the rights of persons with disabilities, ensuring an adequate standard of living, income security, and reducing poverty and vulnerability.
#### 1.5.2 Gender and disability
Work and daily activities are paramount, with both paid and voluntary work being universally seen as important for males and females with disabilities and vulnerable groups.
#### 1.5.3 Identity and disability
The relational nature of identity is central. A rural environment can offer different ways for individuals to be perceived.
#### 1.5.4 Belonging and disability
Belonging involves attachment to place, relationships, safety, common values, and shared history. It also encompasses an internal sense of being at home in one's body and mind. Individuals with disabilities and vulnerabilities may struggle to reconcile their bodies and minds, requiring adjustments in self-perception and relationships.
#### 1.5.5 Health care needs
Persons with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to deficiencies in healthcare. They may experience greater vulnerability to secondary conditions, co-morbidities, age-related conditions, health risk behaviors, and higher rates of premature death.
**Barriers to healthcare for persons with disabilities and vulnerable groups:**
* **Prohibitive costs:** Affordability of services and transportation.
* **Limited availability of services.**
* **Physical barriers:** Inaccessible facilities.
* **Inadequate skills and knowledge of health workers.**
Addressing these barriers requires policy and legislation, financing, service delivery improvements, and enhanced human resources.
### 1.6 Disability, vulnerability, and the environment
Three types of attributes of the physical environment are crucial for supporting human performance:
1. **Object availability:** Objects must be in useful locations, at accessible heights, and organized to support activities.
2. **Accessibility:** The ability of people to get to a place or use a device (e.g., wheelchair-accessible buses, Braille documents).
3. **Availability of sensory stimulation:** Visual, tactile, or auditory cues that signal and promote responses.
**Examples of environmental modifications:**
* **Mobility aids:** Orthoses, mouth sticks, prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, canes, crutches, braces.
* **Communication aids:** Telephone amplifiers, TDDs, voice-activated computers, captioning, print enlargers, reading machines, books on tape, interpreters, Braille writers, cochlear implants, communication boards, FM/induction loop systems.
* **Accessible structural elements:** Ramps, elevators, wide doors, safety bars, non-skid floors, sound-reflective materials, enhanced lighting, accessible electrical sockets, flashing alerting systems, increased textural contrast.
* **Accessible features:** Built-up handles, voice-activated computers, automobile hand controls.
* **Job accommodations:** Task simplification, flexible work hours, rest breaks, job splitting, relegating nonessential functions.
* **Differential use of personnel:** Personal care assistants, note-takers, secretaries, editors, sign language interpreters.
### 1.7 Strategies to disability inclusive intervention and rehabilitation
#### 1.7.1 Prevention
* **Primary prevention:** Actions to avoid or remove causes of health problems before they arise (e.g., health promotion, HIV education).
* **Secondary prevention (early intervention):** Detecting health and disabling conditions early to facilitate cure, reduce spread, or mitigate long-term effects (e.g., supporting breast cancer screening for women with intellectual disabilities).
* **Tertiary prevention (rehabilitation):** Reducing the impact of established disease by restoring function and minimizing complications (e.g., rehabilitation for children with musculoskeletal impairments).
#### 1.7.2 Implementing the Twin-track Approach
* **Track 1 (Mainstreaming):** Integrating disability as a cross-cutting issue in all programs and services (education, health, relief, microfinance, infrastructure, protection, emergency response) to ensure inclusivity and non-discrimination.
* **Track 2 (Specific Support):** Addressing the specific needs of vulnerable groups with disabilities to ensure equal participation opportunities.
#### 1.7.3 Implement Disability Inclusive Project/Program
Tips for including persons with disabilities in all program/project cycle management stages (Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, Reporting/Evaluation):
* Education and vocational training.
* Health.
* Relief and social services.
* Infrastructure, shelter, water, sanitation, and environmental health.
* Livelihoods, employment, and microfinance.
* Protection.
* Humanitarian and emergency response.
#### 1.7.4 Multiple Disciplines in Rehabilitation
Rehabilitation interventions typically involve a multidisciplinary team.
* **Physicians:** Manage medical and health conditions, provide diagnosis, treatment, and management of disability-specific issues.
* **Occupational Therapists (OTs):** Work on functional activities to increase participation in ADLs and IADLs in various environments.
* **Physical Therapists (PTs):** Assess movement dysfunction and use interventions like exercise, functional training, manual therapy, gait/balance training, and assistive devices.
* **Speech and Language Therapists:** Assess, treat, and prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognition, voice, communication, swallowing, and fluency.
* **Audiologists:** Identify, assess, and manage hearing, balance, and related disorders.
* **Rehabilitation Nurses:** Educate and guide patients through rehabilitation, particularly in inpatient settings.
* **Social Workers:** Provide case management, coordinate care, navigate healthcare levels, and refer to various services.
* **Case Managers:** Oversee care for patients with complex medical problems and disabilities in intricate healthcare systems.
* **Rehabilitation Psychologists:** Assist individuals and families with chronic, traumatic, or congenital injuries, illnesses, or disabilities to achieve optimal functioning.
* **Neuropsychologists:** Specialize in the care of individuals with brain injuries.
* **Therapeutic Recreation Specialists:** Provide treatment services and recreational activities.
* **Rehabilitation Counselors:** Assist individuals with physical and mental disabilities in vocational, psychological, social, and medical aspects.
* **Orthotists and Prosthetists:** Combine technical and clinical skills in providing orthotic and prosthetic devices.
* **Additional Professionals:** Nutritionists, spiritual care providers, rehabilitation engineers, music/dance therapists, child-life specialists, hospital-based school teachers, massage therapists, kinesiologists, and trainers.
---
# The concept of inclusion
Inclusion is a dynamic and ongoing process focused on providing quality education and services to all individuals while actively valuing diversity, individual needs, and abilities, and dismantling all forms of discrimination.
### 2.1 Definition of inclusion
Inclusion in educational and service settings is defined as a continuous process dedicated to offering high-quality education or services to everyone. This process involves respecting diversity, acknowledging the distinct needs and abilities of individuals and communities, and actively working to eliminate all forms of discrimination. Inclusive services, at any level, are characterized by the absence of discrimination and partiality, and they are designed to meet the diverse needs of people.
The definition of inclusion encompasses several key components:
* **Concepts about learners:**
* Education is a fundamental human right for all.
* Learning is a lifelong journey that begins at birth.
* All children have the right to receive education within their local communities.
* Every individual possesses the capacity to learn, and any child may encounter learning challenges.
* A child-centered approach to teaching benefits all learners.
* **Concepts about the education system and schools:**
* Inclusion extends beyond formal schooling.
* It involves creating flexible and responsive educational systems.
* It focuses on establishing enabling and welcoming educational environments.
* It drives school improvement and fosters effective schools.
* It requires a whole-school approach and collaborative partnerships.
* **Concepts about diversity and discrimination:**
* Inclusion actively combats discrimination and exclusion.
* It encourages the embrace of diversity as a valuable resource rather than a problem.
* It prepares learners for participation in an inclusive society that respects and values differences.
* **Concepts about processes to promote inclusion:**
* Inclusion involves identifying and overcoming barriers to participation and exclusionary pressures.
* It aims to increase the real participation of all individuals through collaboration and partnership among stakeholders.
* It promotes participatory methodologies, action research, and collaborative inquiry.
* **Concepts about resources:**
* Inclusion focuses on unlocking and fully utilizing local resources and redistributing existing ones.
* It recognizes individuals (children, parents, teachers, members of marginalized groups, etc.) as vital resources.
* It advocates for the use of appropriate resources and support within schools and at the local level to meet diverse children's needs, such as mother-tongue instruction, Braille, and assistive devices.
### 2.2 Principles of inclusion
The core principle of inclusion is that all individuals should have the opportunity to learn, work, and live together whenever feasible, irrespective of any difficulties or differences they may possess. Four primary principles of inclusion support inclusive practices:
* **Inclusion is a process:** It is not a static state but an ongoing effort.
* **Identification and removal of barriers:** Inclusion focuses on identifying and eliminating obstacles that hinder the development and participation of individuals with disabilities.
* **Presence, participation, and achievement:** Inclusion is concerned with ensuring that all individuals are present, actively participating, and achieving to their fullest potential.
* **Emphasis on marginalized groups:** Inclusion places a particular focus on individuals who are at risk of marginalization, exclusion, or underachievement.
### 2.3 Rationale for inclusion
The implementation of inclusion is supported by several rationales, including educational, social, legal, and economic foundations, as well as the goal of building inclusive societies.
Inclusiveness originates from three main ideas:
1. Inclusive education is a fundamental human right.
2. Quality education is achieved through the inclusion of students with diverse needs and abilities.
3. There is no clear distinction between the characteristics of students with and without disabilities and vulnerabilities.
### 2.4 Factors that influenced the development of inclusion
The development of inclusion has been shaped by several influencing actors:
* **Communities:** Pre-colonial and indigenous educational approaches and community-based programs that advocate for the inclusion of their members.
* **Activists and advocates:** The collective voices of primary stakeholders, particularly representatives of groups historically excluded and marginalized from education.
* **The quality education and school improvement movement:** The strong linkage between issues of quality, access, and inclusion, contributing to the understanding that inclusive education is the responsibility of educational systems and schools.
* **Special educational needs movement:** The evolution of understanding and support for individuals with special educational needs.
* **Involvement of international agencies:** Global organizations playing a role in promoting inclusive practices.
* **Involvement of NGOs, networks, and campaigns:** Non-governmental organizations and their associated efforts in advocating for and implementing inclusion.
* **Other factors:** Current global circumstances and practical experiences in education.
### 2.5 Benefits of inclusion
Inclusion is understood to benefit communities, families, teachers, and students by ensuring that children with disabilities attend school alongside their peers and receive the necessary support to succeed academically and socially.
* **Benefits for students with special needs education:** Enhanced social interaction, improved academic outcomes through differentiated instruction, and increased self-esteem.
* **Benefits for students without special needs education:** Development of empathy, understanding of diversity, and improved social skills.
* **Benefits for teachers and parents/family:** Increased professional development for teachers in inclusive strategies, stronger home-school partnerships, and reduced isolation for families.
* **Benefits for society:** Fostering a more equitable, tolerant, and cohesive society.
### 2.6 Features of an inclusive environment
An inclusive environment is one where all members feel respected and connected to one another. It is a welcoming space for all individuals, regardless of their disabilities or other vulnerabilities. Key characteristics include:
* **Respect and dignity:** Ensuring the respect and dignity of individuals with disabilities.
* **Accessibility:** Meeting current accessibility standards to the greatest extent possible for all people with special needs.
* **Accommodations:** Providing accommodations willingly and proactively.
* **Value and contribution:** Welcoming persons with disabilities and valuing their contributions as individuals.
An inclusive environment is adjusted to individual needs rather than expecting individuals to adapt to environmental needs. It focuses on developing a culture, policy, and practice that caters to the diversity of pupils, identifies and removes obstacles to learning and participation, and provides suitable support.
Successful inclusive environments exhibit the following characteristics:
* **Whole-environment processes:** Development of school-wide or environment-wide processes that promote inclusiveness and quality provisions responsive to individual needs and diversities.
* **Responsiveness to diversity:** Recognition and response to the diverse needs of individuals, ensuring quality provisions for all through appropriate accommodations, organizational arrangements, resource utilization, and community partnerships.
* **Commitment to serving all:** A deep commitment to serving all individuals together, irrespective of their differences, based on the belief that all persons can learn, work, and be productive.
* **Restructuring:** Involvement in restructuring the environment, culture, policy, and practice.
* **Pro-social activities:** Promotion of pro-social activities.
* **Equal accessibility:** Providing services and facilities that are equally accessible to all people.
* **Community resource mobilization:** Mobilizing resources within the community.
* **Multi-skilled personnel:** Utilizing a range of multi-skilled personnel to support individuals in their learning and working environments.
* **Strong community links:** Establishing robust connections with clinicians, caregivers, staff in local schools, workplaces, disability service providers, and relevant support agencies within the wider community.
### 2.7 Barriers to inclusion
Despite commitments to inclusion in rhetoric, legislation, and policies, actual practices often fall short due to various barriers. These major barriers include:
* **Societal values and beliefs:** Negative community and policymaker attitudes towards students with disabilities and vulnerabilities, characterized by prejudice and stigma.
* **Economic factors:** Poverty at the family, community, and societal levels, limiting resources and opportunities.
* **Policy-practice gap:** A lack of measures to ensure the conformity of inclusive practices with established policies.
* **Stakeholder responsibility:** Insufficient cooperation and collaboration among stakeholders.
* **Conservative traditions:** Resistance to change and ingrained traditional views within the community regarding inclusion.
* **Teacher knowledge and skills:** Lack of adequate knowledge and skills among teachers in implementing inclusive education.
* **Rigid curricula and systems:** Curricula, teaching methods, and examination systems that do not adequately accommodate the diverse needs and abilities of students.
* **Fragile democratic institutions:** Weak democratic structures that hinder the promotion of inclusion.
* **Inadequate resources and inaccessibility:** Insufficient resources and inaccessible social and physical environments.
* **Large class sizes:** Overcrowded classrooms that make it challenging for teachers and stakeholders to meet diverse student needs.
* **Globalization and free market policy:** An emphasis on fierce competition and individual excellence over cooperation, collaboration, and group achievement.
* **Imported inclusive models:** The potential mismatch of inclusive models imported from other countries to local contexts.
---
# Impact of disability and vulnerability on daily life and needs
Disability and vulnerability significantly influence daily living and necessitate specific support across social, healthcare, and environmental domains, shaped by a confluence of personal, economic, political, and psychological factors.
### 3.1 Factors affecting the impact of disability
The extent to which a disability impacts an individual is influenced by several key factors:
#### 3.1.1 Nature of the disability
Disabilities can be categorized as:
* **Acquired:** Resulting from accidents or diseases.
* **Congenital:** Present at birth.
#### 3.1.2 Individual's personality
A person's inherent disposition plays a crucial role. This includes whether an individual is:
* Typically positive or negative.
* Dependent or independent.
* Goal-oriented or laissez-faire.
#### 3.1.3 Meaning of the disability to the individual
The subjective interpretation and significance attributed to the disability by the person themselves are critical.
#### 3.1.4 Individual's current life circumstances
Factors such as the individual's level of independence or dependence on others (e.g., parents) heavily influence the daily impact of a disability.
#### 3.1.5 Individual's support system
The presence and quality of support from family, significant others, friends, and social groups are vital.
### 3.2 Influence on Activities of Daily Living (ADL)
Disability and vulnerability can limit or restrict one or more Activities of Daily Living (ADLs). These include:
* **Mobility:** Moving from one place to another, including navigation, locomotion, and transfers.
* **Position maintenance:** Standing, sitting, or sleeping.
* **Environmental interaction:** Controlling systems or gripping objects.
* **Communication:** Speaking, writing, or using hand gestures.
* **Feeding:** Chewing and swallowing.
* **Perception:** Processing external stimuli through senses like sight and hearing.
These limitations can be exacerbated by inaccessible environments. Older individuals often experience multiple impairments, similar to those with multiple disabilities, due to decreases in muscular, vision, hearing, and cognitive capacities.
### 3.3 Economic factors and disability
Economic status significantly affects the progression from pathology to impairment.
* **Access to care:** Lack of or delayed access to medical care for treatable conditions is a major issue.
* **Resource limitations:** Economic resources can restrict options for personal assistance services or necessary physical accommodations.
* **Community economic status:** The economic standing of a community can have a more profound impact on the likelihood of impairment leading to disability than an individual's personal economic status.
* **Incentives for defining disability:** Disability compensation programs, which often provide income and health insurance, can create incentives for individuals to define themselves as disabled, especially when compared to low-paying job opportunities.
### 3.4 Political factors and disability
The political system, through public policy design, exerts a substantial influence on the extent to which impairments translate into disability.
* **Policy enforcement:** Well-enforced political systems can significantly improve the prospects for individuals with disabling conditions to achieve fuller societal participation, thereby reducing the prevalence of disability in work and other life domains.
### 3.5 Psychological factors of disability
Several psychological constructs impact both the expression of disability and an individual's ability to adapt.
#### 3.5.1 Social cognitive processes
These include thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and worldviews, which affect disability expression and adaptation. Key processes include:
* **Self-efficacy beliefs:** An individual's conviction in their ability to achieve desired outcomes. These beliefs influence choices, effort, and persistence in the face of difficulties.
* **Psychological control:** Beliefs regarding one's capacity to exert control over or change a situation. This is closely related to self-efficacy.
* **Coping patterns:** Behavioral and cognitive strategies employed to manage internal or external demands that strain or exceed personal resources. Having a disabling condition can induce stress, requiring additional coping efforts, especially in unsupportive interpersonal or environmental conditions.
#### 3.5.2 Personality disposition
**Optimism** is a general tendency to view the world, others, and oneself favorably. Optimists tend to exhibit:
* Better self-esteem.
* Less hostility towards others.
* More adaptive coping strategies compared to pessimists.
### 3.6 The family and disability
Families can be either enabling or disabling factors for individuals with disabilities.
* **Primary support network:** For individuals with disabilities, family members often form the dominant component of their support networks, even when a broad network of friends exists.
* **Types of support:** Families frequently provide instrumental (e.g., errand-running), informational (advice or referrals), and emotional (love and support) assistance.
### 3.7 Needs of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities
The specific needs of individuals with disabilities and vulnerabilities are diverse and depend on various factors, building upon Maslow's hierarchy of needs (survival, safety, social, esteem, self-actualization). Essential needs for ensuring equality include:
* **Full access to the environment:** Including towns, countryside, and buildings.
* **Accessible transport system.**
* **Technical aids and equipment.**
* **Accessible/adapted housing.**
* **Personal assistance and support.**
* **Inclusive education and training.**
* **An adequate income.**
* **Equal opportunities for employment.**
* **Appropriate and accessible information.**
* **Advocacy and self-advocacy.**
* **Counseling services.**
* **Appropriate and accessible healthcare.**
#### 3.7.1 Social needs
Social protection is crucial for individuals with disabilities and vulnerabilities, ensuring an adequate standard of living and basic income security, thereby reducing poverty and vulnerability.
#### 3.7.2 Gender and disability
Work, whether paid or voluntary, is universally important for individuals with disabilities and vulnerable groups. Gender considerations are paramount in understanding the daily activities and work required within a country.
#### 3.7.3 Identity and disability
The relational nature of identity is central for people with disabilities. A rural environment, in some instances, may offer a different perception of self and by others.
#### 3.7.4 Belongingness and disability
Belonging encompasses attachment to place, relationships, a sense of safety, shared values, and a developing history. It also involves an internal sense of being at home within one's own body and mind. Individuals with disabilities and vulnerable groups may struggle to reconcile with their bodies and minds, requiring personal and relational adjustments.
### 3.8 Health care needs of persons with disabilities and vulnerabilities
Individuals with disabilities are particularly susceptible to deficiencies in healthcare services. They may experience heightened vulnerability to:
* Secondary conditions.
* Co-morbid conditions.
* Age-related conditions.
* Health risk behaviors.
* Higher rates of premature death.
#### 3.8.1 Barriers to health care
Persons with disabilities face numerous barriers when seeking healthcare, including:
* **Prohibitive costs:** The affordability of services and transportation are major obstacles, particularly in low-income countries.
* **Limited availability of services.**
* **Physical barriers.**
* **Inadequate skills and knowledge of health workers.**
Addressing these barriers requires comprehensive strategies involving:
* Policy and legislation.
* Financing.
* Service delivery.
* Human resources.
### 3.9 Disability, vulnerability, and the environment
The physical environment must possess specific attributes to support human performance:
* **Object availability:** Objects must be conveniently located, at accessible heights, and organized to facilitate activity performance.
* **Accessibility:** The ability to reach a place or use a device. This enables individuals to utilize public transportation or read adapted materials.
* **Sensory stimulation:** Visual, tactile, or auditory cues that promote responses and aid in navigation and interaction.
#### 3.9.1 Examples of environmental modification
* **Mobility aids:** Hand orthosis, mouth stick, prosthetic limb, wheelchairs, canes, crutches, braces.
* **Communication aids:** Telephone amplifiers, TDDs, voice-activated computers, closed captioning, print enlargers, reading machines, books on tape, interpreters, Braille writers, cochlear implants, communication boards, and assistive listening systems.
* **Accessible structural elements:** Ramps, elevators, wide doors, safety bars, non-slip floors, sound-reflective materials, enhanced lighting, accessible electrical outlets, and flashing alerting systems.
* **Accessible features:** Built-up handles, voice-activated controls, and automobile hand controls.
* **Job accommodations:** Task simplification, flexible work hours, rest breaks, task division, and delegation of non-essential functions.
* **Differential use of personnel:** Personal care assistants, note-takers, secretaries, editors, and sign language interpreters.
### 3.10 Strategies for disability-inclusive intervention and rehabilitation
#### 3.10.1 Prevention
A public health approach distinguishes three levels of prevention:
* **Primary prevention:** Actions to avoid or remove the cause of a health problem before it arises (e.g., health promotion, specific protection like HIV education).
* **Secondary prevention (early intervention):** Actions to detect health and disabling conditions early, facilitating cure, reducing spread, or preventing long-term effects (e.g., supporting women with intellectual disability for breast cancer screening).
* **Tertiary prevention (rehabilitation):** Actions to reduce the impact of an established disease by restoring function and minimizing complications (e.g., rehabilitation for children with musculoskeletal impairment).
#### 3.10.2 Implementing the twin-track approach
This involves two parallel strategies:
* **Track 1 (Mainstreaming):** Integrating disability as a cross-cutting issue within all key programs and services (education, health, relief, social services, microfinance, infrastructure, protection, emergency response) to ensure inclusivity, equity, and non-discrimination.
* **Track 2 (Specific Support):** Addressing the unique needs of vulnerable groups with disabilities to ensure their equal opportunities for societal participation.
#### 3.10.3 Implementing disability-inclusive projects/programs
Key considerations for including persons with disabilities across all stages of project cycle management (Assessment, Planning, Implementation, Monitoring, and Reporting/Evaluation) in areas like:
* Education and vocational training.
* Health.
* Relief and social services.
* Infrastructure and camp improvement.
* Livelihoods, employment, and microfinance.
* Protection.
* Humanitarian and emergency response.
#### 3.10.4 Multiple disciplines in rehabilitation
Rehabilitation interventions typically involve a multidisciplinary team. While single-service interventions exist, a team approach is fundamental to rehabilitation. Key professionals include:
* **Physicians:** Manage medical and health conditions, providing diagnosis and treatment.
* **Occupational Therapists (OTs):** Focus on functional activities to enhance participation in ADLs and IADLs in various environments.
* **Physical Therapists (PTs):** Assess and treat movement dysfunction using exercise, functional training, manual therapy, and assistive devices.
* **Speech and Language Therapists:** Assess and treat disorders related to speech, language, cognition, voice, communication, swallowing, and fluency.
* **Audiologists:** Identify, assess, and manage disorders of hearing and balance.
* **Rehabilitation Nurses:** Act as educators and taskmasters, particularly in inpatient settings.
* **Social Workers:** Provide case management, coordination, and referrals to legal, financial, housing, or employment services.
* **Case Managers:** Oversee patients with complex medical problems and disabilities within a complex healthcare system.
* **Rehabilitation Psychologists:** Assist individuals and families in achieving optimal physical, psychological, and interpersonal functioning following injury, illness, or disability.
* **Neuropsychologists:** Specialize in the care of individuals with brain injuries.
* **Therapeutic Recreation Specialists:** Provide treatment services and recreational activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses.
* **Rehabilitation Counselors:** Assist individuals with physical and mental disabilities across vocational, psychological, social, and medical aspects.
* **Orthotists and Prosthetists:** Combine technical and clinical skills in fitting and managing orthotic and prosthetic devices.
* **Additional Professionals:** May include nutritionists, spiritual care providers, rehabilitation engineers, music therapists, dance therapists, child-life specialists, hospital-based school teachers, massage therapists, kinesiologists, and trainers.
---
# Strategies for disability-inclusive intervention and rehabilitation
This topic outlines strategies for achieving disability inclusion through preventative measures, a twin-track approach, and inclusive project implementation, alongside detailing the roles of multidisciplinary professionals in rehabilitation.
### 4.1 Prevention strategies
Prevention in disability aims to avert or mitigate the occurrence and impact of health and disabling conditions. A public health approach distinguishes three levels of prevention:
* **Primary prevention:** This involves actions taken to avoid or remove the cause of a health problem before it arises. It encompasses health promotion and specific protective measures, such as educational campaigns.
* **Secondary prevention (early intervention):** This focuses on detecting health and disabling conditions at an early stage to facilitate cure, reduce spread, or prevent long-term effects. An example is supporting women with intellectual disabilities to access early breast cancer screening.
* **Tertiary prevention (rehabilitation):** This level addresses established diseases by aiming to restore function and reduce disease-related complications. Rehabilitation for children with musculoskeletal impairments is an example.
### 4.2 The twin-track approach
The twin-track approach is a strategy designed to integrate disability inclusion into broader programs and services. It involves two parallel tracks:
* **Track 1: Mainstreaming disability:** This involves incorporating disability as a cross-cutting issue in all key programs and services. These programs, covering areas like education, health, relief, social services, microfinance, infrastructure, and emergency response, must be designed to be inclusive, equitable, non-discriminatory, and free from barriers.
* **Track 2: Supporting specific needs:** This track focuses on addressing the unique needs of vulnerable groups with disabilities. The aim is to ensure they have equal opportunities to participate fully in society.
### 4.3 Implementing disability-inclusive projects and programs
To successfully include persons with disabilities in all stages of project and program management (assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, and reporting/evaluation), several considerations are crucial. These tips can help overcome challenges and ensure genuine inclusion:
* **Education and vocational training:** Programs should be designed to be accessible and relevant to individuals with disabilities, offering appropriate learning environments and skill development opportunities.
* **Health:** Healthcare services must be adapted to meet the diverse needs of persons with disabilities, ensuring accessibility and non-discriminatory practices.
* **Relief and social services:** These services should be designed with disability inclusion in mind, ensuring that vulnerable individuals receive necessary support without facing additional barriers.
* **Infrastructure and camp improvement, water, sanitation, and environmental health:** Physical environments must be made accessible, with considerations for mobility, sensory impairments, and other specific needs.
* **Livelihoods, employment, and microfinance:** Opportunities for economic empowerment must be inclusive, removing barriers to employment and providing access to financial resources.
* **Protection:** Services should ensure the safety and security of persons with disabilities, addressing their specific vulnerabilities and protection needs.
* **Humanitarian and emergency response:** Emergency preparedness and response plans must explicitly include persons with disabilities to ensure their safety and access to essential services during crises.
### 4.4 Multiple disciplines in rehabilitation interventions
Rehabilitation interventions typically involve a multidisciplinary team, moving beyond isolated therapies to a holistic team approach. Key professionals include:
* **Physicians:** They manage the medical and health conditions of the patient, providing diagnosis, treatment, and management of disability-specific issues within the rehabilitation process.
* **Occupational Therapists (OTs):** OTs focus on helping patients increase their ability to participate in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) through functional activities in daily, school, and work settings.
* **Physical Therapists (PTs):** PTs assess and treat movement dysfunctions using interventions such as exercise, functional training, manual therapy, gait and balance training, and the use of assistive devices and physical agents.
* **Speech and Language Therapists:** These professionals assess, treat, and help prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognition, voice, communication, swallowing, and fluency.
* **Audiologists:** Audiologists identify, assess, manage, and interpret test results concerning disorders of hearing, balance, and related systems.
* **Rehabilitation Nurses:** Primarily educators and taskmasters, especially in inpatient settings, they play a crucial role in guiding patients through the rehabilitation process.
* **Social Workers:** In health settings, they provide case management, coordinate care for complex needs, help patients navigate healthcare systems, and refer them to legal, financial, housing, or employment services.
* **Case Managers:** A relatively new role, case managers oversee patients with complex medical problems and disabilities within an evolving healthcare system.
* **Rehabilitation Psychologists:** These specialists assist individuals and their families in achieving optimal physical, psychological, and interpersonal functioning following chronic, traumatic, or congenital injuries, illnesses, or disabilities.
* **Neuropsychologists:** This specialized area of psychology is particularly important for individuals with brain injuries, focusing on the relationship between brain function and behavior.
* **Therapeutic Recreation Specialists:** Also known as recreational therapists, they provide treatment services and recreation activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses, promoting well-being and functional improvement through leisure activities.
* **Rehabilitation Counselors:** Formerly vocational counselors, they assist individuals with physical and mental disabilities by addressing vocational, psychological, social, and medical aspects of disability collaboratively.
* **Orthotists and Prosthetists:** These professionals combine technical and clinical skills to create and fit orthotic (braces) and prosthetic (artificial limbs) devices.
**Additional Rehabilitation Professionals:** The multidisciplinary team can also include nutritionists, spiritual care providers, rehabilitation engineers, music and dance therapists, child-life specialists, hospital-based school teachers, massage therapists, kinesiologists, and trainers, among others.
---
## Common mistakes to avoid
- Review all topics thoroughly before exams
- Pay attention to formulas and key definitions
- Practice with examples provided in each section
- Don't memorize without understanding the underlying concepts
Glossary
| Term | Definition |
|------|------------|
| Impairment | A lack or abnormality of an anatomic, physiological, or psychological structure or function, or a deviation in a person. It refers to any loss or abnormality of physiological, psychological, or anatomical structure or function, or the absence of a body part or organ, or a condition where the body exists but does not function. |
| Disability | A complex, dynamic, multidimensional, and contested concept that arises when societal, environmental, and systemic barriers inhibit the full inclusion of people with impairments in society. It is a consequence of discrimination, prejudice, and exclusion, emphasizing shortcomings in the environment that prevent participation on equal terms. |
| Handicap | (Note: This term is not explicitly defined but contextually implied as the disabling effect of societal barriers on individuals with impairments.) |
| Specific Learning Disability | A disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding or using language, spoken or written, that may manifest as an imperfect ability to listen, think, speak, read, write, spell, or perform mathematical calculations. |
| Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) | A condition that adversely affects how sound, traveling unimpeded through the ear, is processed or interpreted by the brain. Individuals with APD may have difficulty distinguishing between sounds in words, locating sound sources, sequencing sounds, or blocking out background noise. |
| Dyscalculia | A specific learning disability that affects a person's ability to understand numbers and learn mathematics. It can involve difficulties with math symbols, memorizing and organizing numbers, telling time, or counting. |
| Dysgraphia | A specific learning disability that affects handwriting ability and fine motor skills. Problems may include illegible handwriting, inconsistent spacing, poor spatial planning on paper, poor spelling, and difficulty composing writing while thinking. |
| Dyslexia | A specific learning disability that affects reading and related language-based processing skills. It can impact reading fluency, decoding, comprehension, recall, writing, spelling, and sometimes speech, and may coexist with other related disorders. |
| Language Processing Disorder (LPD) | A specific type of Auditory Processing Disorder (APD) characterized by difficulty attaching meaning to sound groups that form words, sentences, and stories. It relates specifically to the processing of language and can affect expressive and/or receptive language. |
| Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities (NLD/NVLD) | A disorder typically characterized by a significant discrepancy between higher verbal skills and weaker motor, visual-spatial, and social skills. Individuals may struggle to interpret nonverbal cues like facial expressions or body language and may have poor coordination. |
| Visual Perceptual/Visual Motor Deficit | A disorder affecting the understanding of visual information or the ability to draw or copy. It can lead to missing subtle differences in shapes or letters, losing place frequently, struggles with cutting, or poor eye-hand coordination. |
| Speech Impairment | A communication disorder affecting articulation, fluency, or voice production, which adversely impacts educational performance. Types include articulation disorders (errors in sound production), fluency disorders (difficulties with rhythm and timing), and voice disorders (problems with voice quality, pitch, loudness, resonance, or duration). |
| Language Impairment | A communication disorder affecting the use of language, including phonological disorders (abnormal organization of the sound system), morphological disorders (difficulties with word inflections), semantic disorders (poor vocabulary or word meaning comprehension), syntactic deficits (difficulty with grammar rules and sentence structure), and pragmatic difficulties (problems using language in social contexts). |
| Autism | A neurodevelopmental disorder defined by impairments in social and communication development, accompanied by stereotyped patterns of behavior and interests. It is characterized by a lack of normal sociability, impaired communication, and repetitive obsessive behaviors. |
| Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (EBD) | A condition exhibiting one or more characteristics over a long period and to a marked degree that adversely affects educational performance, such as inability to learn, difficulty building relationships, inappropriate behaviors, persistent unhappiness, or physical symptoms related to stress. |
| Intellectual Disability | A disability characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (e.g., learning, reasoning, problem-solving) and adaptive behavior (conceptual, social, and practical skills), originating before the age of 18. |
| Adaptive Behavior | The collection of conceptual, social, and practical skills learned and performed by people in their everyday lives. This includes language, literacy, money concepts, interpersonal skills, social responsibility, self-esteem, and activities of daily living like personal care, healthcare, and safety. |
| Physical Disability | A condition that interferes with an individual's ability to use their body. This can include orthopedic impairments (conditions of the muscular or skeletal system) or conditions affecting the nervous system that result in movement difficulties. |
| Health Impairment | A condition requiring ongoing medical attention, such as asthma, heart defects, cancer, diabetes, or hemophilia, that can interfere with learning and necessitate special services. |
| Vulnerability | The state of being at risk of being harmed. While everyone can be harmed, some individuals are more susceptible due to factors like economic difficulties, social exclusion, lack of support, stigmatization, health issues, or being a victim of crime. |
| Inclusion | An ongoing process aimed at offering quality education or services for all while respecting diversity and addressing different needs and abilities, eliminating all forms of discrimination. It involves creating enabling environments and promoting the presence, participation, and achievement of all persons. |
| Rehabilitation | Actions taken to reduce the impact of an already established disease or condition by restoring function and reducing disease-related complications. This can involve physical, occupational, speech, and psychological therapies. |
| Primary Prevention | Actions taken to avoid or remove the cause of a health problem or disabling condition before it arises, including health promotion and specific protection measures. |
| Secondary Prevention (Early Intervention) | Actions taken to detect health and disabling conditions at an early stage to facilitate cure, reduce spread, or prevent long-term effects. |
| Tertiary Prevention | Actions taken to reduce the impact of an established disease or condition by restoring function and minimizing complications through rehabilitation and support. |
| Twin-track Approach | A strategy for disability inclusion that involves mainstreaming disability as a cross-cutting issue in all programs and services (Track 1) while simultaneously supporting the specific needs of vulnerable groups with disabilities to ensure equal opportunities (Track 2). |
| Activities of Daily Living (ADL) | Basic self-care tasks that people need to perform daily, such as moving from one place to another, maintaining a position, interacting with the environment, communicating, feeding, and perceiving the external world. |
| Occupational Therapists (OTs) | Professionals who work with patients through functional activities to increase their ability to participate in daily living and work environments, using various techniques to improve skills for school and work. |
| Physical Therapists (PTs) | Professionals who assess movement dysfunction and use interventions like exercise, functional training, manual therapy, gait and balance training, and assistive devices to improve mobility and physical function. |
| Speech and Language Therapist | Professionals who assess, treat, and help prevent disorders related to speech, language, cognition, voice, communication, swallowing, and fluency. |
| Audiologists | Professionals who identify, assess, manage, and interpret test results related to disorders of hearing, balance, and other related systems. |
| Social Workers | Professionals in health settings who may provide case management, help patients navigate care levels, and refer them to legal, financial, housing, or employment services. |
| Case Management | A process involving the coordination of services for individuals with complex medical problems and disabilities, ensuring they receive appropriate care and support across different levels. |
| Rehabilitation Psychologists | Specialists who assist individuals with injuries, illnesses, or disabilities in achieving optimal physical, psychological, and interpersonal functioning. |
| Neuropsychologists | Specialists who focus on the relationship between the brain and behavior, particularly important in the care of individuals with brain injuries. |
| Therapeutic Recreation Specialists | Professionals who provide treatment services and recreation activities for individuals with disabilities or illnesses to improve their well-being and engagement. |
| Rehabilitation Counselors | Professionals who assist individuals with physical and mental disabilities in addressing vocational, psychological, social, and medical aspects of their condition. |