Learning About Different Disabilities

Disability Awareness and Definitions

Worldwide, there are over a billion people living with a disability.

We most often think of disabilities in terms of those that are visible - for example, mobility, visual, or hearing impairments. 

But there are others - including unseen disabilities - often termed as 'invisible' - and chronic conditions. 

Invisible disabilities and chronic  conditions also affect individuals' every day lives - and can often impact daily living activities. 

Many individuals also live with multiple disabilities, when impairments or conditions coexist with one another.

Click on a disability link, and learn more about:

Alzheimer's Disease is the most common cause of dementia, a general term for memory loss and other cognitive abilities serious enough to interfere with daily life.

Amputations & Limb Differences refer to the partial or complete absence, surgical removal, or congenital variation of an arm or a leg.

Arthritis is a general term for more than 100 different conditions that cause pain, swelling, and stiffness in the joints and surrounding tissues.

Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common, long-term neurodevelopmental condition that affects how the brain develops, focuses, and self-regulates.

Anxiety Disorders are a group of common mental health conditions characterized by excessive, persistent, and uncontrollable fear or worry that disrupts daily life.

Bipolar Disorder & Depression Bipolar disorder and depression are distinct mood disorders, though the depressive episodes in bipolar disorder look very similar to major depressive disorder.

Blindness is a spectrum of visual disability that ranges from low vision to total sight loss, rather than a universal state of complete darkness.

Celiac Disease is a chronic autoimmune disorder in which eating gluten - a protein found in wheat, barley, and rye - triggers an immune response that damages the lining of the small intestine.

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a group of permanent movement and posture disorders caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain, most often before or during birth.

Chronic Fatigue Syndrome  is a serious, long-term, multisystem neurological and biological illness marked by extreme fatigue and functional decline that last for at least six months and do not improve with rest.

Crohn’s Disease & Colitis Crohn’s disease (Crohn’s) and ulcerative colitis (UC) are the two main forms of a group of conditions called inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Hearing Loss & Deafness means that a person who is not able to hear as well as someone with normal hearing. 

Deaf Blindness is a distinct disability characterized by a combined loss of both hearing and vision.

Diabetes is a chronic health condition that occurs when your blood glucose (blood sugar) is too high.

Down Syndrome (also known as trisomy 21) is a genetic condition caused by an extra full or partial copy of chromosome 21.

Epilepsy is a chronic neurological condition of the central nervous system characterized by an enduring tendency to have recurrent, unprovoked seizures.

Fibromyalga is a long-term condition that causes widespread pain, extreme fatigue, and sleep problems.

Heart Disease & Stroke are both major types of cardiovascular disease that affect the heart and blood vessels. 

Learning Disabilities (or a specific learning disorder) is a neurobiological condition that affects how the brain receives, processes, stores, or responds to information.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease that affects the central nervous system, including the brain, spinal cord, and optic nerves.

Muscular Dystrophy (MD) is a group of over 30 genetic disorders that cause progressive weakness and loss of muscle mass over time.

Neurodivergent Disabilities The term  'neurodivergent' describes people whose brain development, learning, and functioning differ from what is considered typical or "neurotypical".

Parkinson's Disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system that primarily affects movement.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after you experience, witness, or learn about a terrifying, violent, or life-threatening event.

Prader-Willi Syndrome is a rare, complex genetic disorder present from birth that affects multiple body systems, metabolism, growth, and behavior.

Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental health condition that affects how a person thinks, feels, and behaves, often causing them to lose touch with reality.

Spina Bifida & Hydrocephalus are two distinct yet frequently co-occurring congenital conditions that affect the central nervous system .

Spinal Cord Injury can cause partial or total loss of feeling or movement in parts of your body. This can include your limbs and your internal organs.