Differing Abilities Issues

Menstuff® has gathered information on the issue of differing abilities: for people and fathers with differing abililties, differing abililties children, parents and family members raising differing abililties or mentally challenged children and the people who serve them. Nationwide, there are approximately 5.8 million children reported to have differing abililties including 200,000 infants and toddlers, 600,000 preschool-age children, 2,700,000 children ages 6 to 11, and 2,300,000 children ages 12 to 17.

Over 3.5 million Americans are on the autism spectrum, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And prevalence of autism has spiked — from 2000 to 2010, autism increased 119% in U.S. children. When they grow up, they need to be considered by potential employers. The Arc, a national organization of and for people with intellectual and related developmental disabilities,noted that many people with developmental disabilities (like autism) are unemployed or underemployed, meaning they have the capacity to work beyond low skill jobs.

Disclaimer - Information is designed for educational purposes only and is not engaged in rendering medical advice or professional services. Any medical decisions should be made in conjunction with your physician. We will not be liable for any complications, injuries or other medical accidents arising from or in connection with, the use of or reliance upon any information on the web.

Don't Laugh at Me
Gentleman With a Family
Snippets on Differing Abilities Issues
Importance of Physical Activity

• Facts
• Become Physically Activity
• Benefits of Physical Activity
• What Communities Can Do
• Resources

Newsbytes

• People With Differing Abilities
• Gallaudet University to Name Baseball Field in Honor of William "Dummy" Hoy
• Paraplegic climber scales Mount Rainier
• Differing Abilities teens dabble in drugs, too

Assistive Devices
Home Safety for People with Disabilities
Lifts and Other Home Modifications for Accessibility
Related Issues:  Blindness, Deafness
"I'm a Tab" Definition
Horny & Differing Abilities? Resources

• Sexual Aids
• Videos

Books
Magazines
Journals - on Child, Elder, Emotional, Religious, and Sexual Abuse and Trauma
Resources/links
Events

Next time you might think what happened in that person's life to bring them to where they are. It could be your next door neighbor in a couple of years. And, it could be you. Check out the definition for a TAB.

Snippets on Differing Abilities Issues

• In 1996, there were 4.6 million elementary and secondary students receiving special education, 11% of all students in public schools.
• Until the mid-1970's, laws in most states allowed school districts to refuse to enroll any student they considered "uneducable," a term generally defined by local school administrators.
• Because Section 504 and the ADA offer more remedies to parents than does the IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Public Law 94-142), these laws have been the main vehicles for litigation during the past few years.
• The IDEA requires the school to consider modifications in the regular classroom before moving the child to a more restrictive placement.
• The paucity of clear evidence of a medical basis for many disabilities and the fact that most disabilities are at the mild level does not diminish the importance of early recognition of problems.
• Of all disability categories, mild learning disability may be the most difficult to diagnose. (Over 5% of all students have a learning disability, +2% speech or language impairment, +1% mental retardation, and .9% seriously emotionally disturbed.
• Approximately 80% of children identified as having learning disabilities have their primary difficulties in learning to read.
• Considerable evidence now suggests that the educational interventions provided to students in the different disability categories are more alike than different.
• Interventions applied after a child has failed in reading for two or three years may not be effective for several reasons, including the student's declining motivation and impaired self-concept.
• Even children with relatively subtle linguistic and reading deficits require the expertise of a teach who is well trained.
• Instruction in phonological awareness at the kindergarten level has significant positive effects on reading development during the first grade.
• Learning disabilities, sometimes inappropriately conceptualized as a "mild" disorder, may be anything but - they may be persistent and may not respond to general instruction.
• From 3% to 5% of the school-age population is referred in any given year, 92% of those referred are tested, and 74% of those tested are placed in special education.
• Teachers who are most effective at raising overall academic standards are likely to have a lower tolerance for students with special needs.
• Approximately 95% of special education students are educated in the public schools; these students spend an average of 70% of their time in general education settings.
• Schools routinely exclude special education students from schoolwide standardized testing.
• Lower functioning students (those with more course failures) were more likely to drop out of school altogether when placed in general education.
• The use of cooperative learning approaches promoted students' frequent interaction with nonhandicapped peers.
• In general, studies have indicated that students without disabilities do not suffer from being in classes also serving students with mild disabilities or severe mental disabilities. (Editor: I believe it brings a new kind of understanding and acceptance of people with special needs to the awareness of all students and aids both segments of the student population with the diversity of our population.)
• Students with disabilities in cooperative schools had significantly higher achievement with regard to reading vocabulary and reading comprehension.
• The best outcomes were attained by the project that used frequent, structured meetings between general and special education teachers.
• At the time they entered high school, more than three-fourths of students with disabilities were at least a year older than their age peers.
• Course failure and dropping out were most common for students with serious emotional disturbances.
• Only youths with learning or speech impairments began to approach the employment rates of youths as a whole.
• Students from low-income households experienced poorer postschool outcomes than students with disabilities from high-income households.
• The special education population is expected to include increasing numbers of students with high-risk characteristics, including poverty, low birth weight, substance abuse, and HIV infection.
• Some studies show only about 62% of special education dollars are being used for direct special education instructional services. On the extremes, 11% of children up to age 21 in Massachusetts participated in special education programs, while in California, it was less than 7% and in Hawaii only 5% were enrolled in such programs.
• Where a child lives affects what label he or she receives and whether he or she will receive any services at all.

Source: The Future of Children, a publication of the Center for the Future of Children, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation.

Activity for Persons with Disabilities

• People with disabilities are less likely to engage in regular moderate physical activity than people without disabilities, yet they have similar needs to promote their health and prevent unnecessary disease.
• Social support from family and friends has been consistently and positively related to regular physical activity.

Become Physically Active

• Physical activity need not be strenuous to achieve health benefits.
• Significant health benefits can be obtained with a moderate amount of physical activity, preferably daily. The same moderate amount of activity can be obtained in longer sessions of moderately intense activities (such as 30-40 minutes of wheeling oneself in a wheelchair) or in shorter sessions of more strenuous activities (such as 20 minutes of wheelchair basketball).
• Additional health benefits can be gained through greater amounts of physical activity. People who can maintain a regular routine of physical activity that is of longer duration or of greater intensity are likely to derive greater benefit.
• Previously sedentary people who begin physical activity programs should start with short intervals of physical activity (5-10 minutes) and gradually build up to the desired level of activity.
• People with disabilities should first consult a physician before beginning a program of physical activity to which they are unaccustomed.
• The emphasis on moderate amounts of physical activity makes it possible to vary activities to meet individual needs, preferences, and life circumstances.

Benefits of Physical Activity

• Reduces the risk of dying from coronary heart disease and of developing high blood pressure, colon cancer, and diabetes.
• Can help people with chronic, disabling conditions improve their stamina and muscle strength.
• Reduces symptoms of anxiety and depression, improves mood, and promotes general feelings of well-being.
• Helps control joint swelling and pain associated with arthritis.
• Can help reduce blood pressure in some people with hypertension.

What Communities Can Do

• Provide community-based programs to meet the needs of persons with disabilities.
• Ensure that environments and facilities conducive to being physically active are available and accessible to people with disabilities, such as offering safe, accessible, and attractive trails for bicycling, walking, and wheelchair activities.
• Ensure that people with disabilities are involved at all stages of planning and implementing community physical activity programs.
• Provide quality, preferably daily, K-12 accessible physical education classes for children and youths with disabilities.
• Encourage health care providers to talk routinely to their patients with disabilities about incorporating physical activity into their lives.

Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, MS K-46, 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3724, 888.CDC.4NRG or 888.232.4674 (Toll Free) www.cdc.gov

The President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports, Box SG, Ste 250, 701 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20004

Assistive Devices

Antonio Sanchez-Migallon lost his sight in an accident 42 years ago – and regained it a few weeks ago. Source: www.cnn.com/2000/WORLD/europe/03/16/bc.spain.blindnomore.ap/index.html

Marc Merger was paralyzed 10 years ago in a car accident. A few days ago, with the help of a new computer chip, he took a few steps, giving hope not only to himself, but to paraplegics all over the world. Source: www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,35056,00.html 

First there was LAKIK; now a new surgical technique, SRP, may result in even greater improvements in vision for millions of people. Source: www.healthscout.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/Af?ap=68&id=92141

Not many people would choose Harold Grace as a judge for a beauty pageant; after all, he’s been blind for 15 years. But Grace has a special ability to hear the beauty of intelligence and personality. Source: abcnews.go.com/wire/World/reuters20000320_2039.html

	All Ages	0-44	45-64	65+
Any	4,565**	2,491	1,325	748
Back brace	1,688	795	614	279
Neck brace	168	76	78	13*
Hand brace	332	171	119	42
Arm brace	320	209	86	25*
Leg brace	596	266	138	192
Foot brace	282	191	59	31
Knee brace	989	694	199	96
Other brace	399	239	104	56
Any artificial limb	199	69	59	70
Artificial leg or foot	173	58	50	65
Artificial arm or hand	21	9	6	6

	All Ages	0-44	45-64	65+
Any Device**	7,394	1,151	1,699	4,544
Crutch	575	227	188	160
Cane	4,762	434	1,116	3,212
Walker	1,799	109	295	1,395
Medical shoes	677	248	226	203
Wheelchair	1,564	335	365	863
Scooter	140	12	53	75

	All Ages	0-44	45-64	65+
Any device**	527	123	135	268
Telescopic lenses	158	40	49	70
Braille	59	28*	23*	8*
Readers	68	15*	14*	39
White cane	130	35*	48	47
Computer	34*	19*	8*	7*
Other	277	51	76	151

* Figure does not meet standard of reliability or precision.

** Numbers do not add to these totals because categories are not mutually exclusive; a person could be counted more than once for any device type.

Newsbytes

People With Disabilities (4/4/02)

Gallaudet University to Name Baseball Field in Honor of William "Dummy" Hoy (4/8/01)

Hoy, who was deafened at the age of 2 and attended the Ohio School for the Deaf, played for the Cincinnati Reds and the Washington Senators. He asked the umpires to raise their right arm to signify and strike and left arm to signify a ball. In 1961, at the age of 99, Hoy threw out the ceremonial first pitch to open the World Series between the Cincinnati Reds and New York Yankees. Two months later on December 15, Hoy passed away.

On Sunday, April 8,2001 a breakfast and program, by invitation only, will be held in the University's cafeteria from 9 a.m. to 11a.m. Invited guests and speakers include Brooks Robinson, former Baltimore Oriole third baseman, Buck O'Neil, a member of the Veterans Committee, and Miriam Skaggs, a relative of Hoy.

After the breakfast, the guests will proceed to the baseball field where a plaque will be unveiled to commemorate the dedication of William "Dummy" Hoy Baseball Field.

Everyone is welcome to attend the dedication ceremony and watch the double header the Gallaudet Bison will play against Lincoln University. Persons wishing to attend the dedication ceremony at the baseball field should arrive at noontime. The baseball game will begin immediately following the ceremony.

Source: Mike Kaika, 202-651-5050 or mike.kaika@gallaudet.edu

Paraplegic climber scales Mount Rainier (6/18/00)

*    *    *

I'm a TAB.
Most of us are. However, 85% of us will not be sometime prior to our death. What is a TAB?  Temporarily Able Bodied. Do something now to make life easier for those who aren't TABs. It may just make life easier for you down the road. Footnote: I had a stroke March 3, 2014 which has introduced me to a semi-disabled status. I knew what I was talking about.

You are unique. Just like everybody else. Anon

We tend to make courage too dramatic. Courage is often doing something simple unpleasant, or boring again and again until we get it down pat. People who are physically challenged and who have the determination to get around their handicaps are great examples because their courage makes them test their limits every day. Dave Thomas, founder of Wendys

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