Disabled People

Disabled People, people with physical or mental incapacities. Common physical disabilities include blindness, deafness, and paralysis, while common mental disabilities include autism and the effects of Down's syndrome. Disabilities generally vary in severity. One person with Down's syndrome, for instance, may be very limited in terms of activities available, while another person only relatively mildly affected may be able to hold down a job and be much more self reliant.

Disabled people sometimes have difficulty doing things other people may take for granted, such as travelling on public transport, climbing stairs, or even using some household appliances. However, the greatest challenge that disabled people have had to face has been society's misperception that they are a “breed apart”. Historically they have been pitied, ignored, vilified—even hidden away in institutions.

Until the second half of the 20th century, it was rare that society recognized that, apart from the specific impairment, disabled people have the same abilities, needs, and interests as the rest of the population. Nevertheless, discrimination continued to exist in certain important areas. Some employers were reluctant to take on or promote disabled people; some landlords refused to rent to them; and courts sometimes deprived them of basic rights, including custody of their children. In recent decades, this situation has undergone some positive changes through adjustments in legislation and public attitudes. Also, people with disabilities have lobbied for their rights as full citizens and productive individuals.

In implementing their rights, disabled people have worked to establish several important principles. One is that they be evaluated on the basis of individual merit, not on stereotyped assumptions about disabilities. Another is that society must make certain changes to enable them to participate more easily in business and social activities; one example is wheelchair access to public transport, building entrances, and theatres. A third principle is that, to the extent appropriate for each individual, disabled people should be integrated with people who are not disabled.

The movement for rights of disabled people has incurred opposition, however, usually based on the prohibitive cost of the changes sought. In addition, the lack of certain facilities that would make the integration of disabled people into public life easier is sometimes itself used as an excuse for other people to ignore the issue.