Description

Disability is a condition that is widespread and experienced by many people. It might be temporary or permanent, acquired or innate with long or short duration as a result of chronic illness, injury or accident. The individuals with similar condition may not experience or perceive the same disability as the other. The perceptions may vary depending on their environmental conditions, access to aids and appliances, adaptation to the environment, services or medications. Disability involves a continuum of mild to severe difficulty, dependence or limitations. It is a complex term that has many approaches and definitions. Disability is an umbrella term for handicapped, disabled, crippled, physically challenged and activity limitation. People are labelled as disabled or handicapped because they have a different look in terms of their appearance, behavior, develop or learn from rest of the society. The National Sampling Survey Organization (NSSO, 2003) defines disability as restrictions or lack of abilities to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being was treated as having disability. It does not include illness/injury of recent origin (morbidity) resulting into temporary loss of ability to see, hear, speak or