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Disabilities

There are many different conditions, diseases and injuries that can affect your ability to carry out daily tasks. Cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, spina bifida and Parkinson’s are just a few examples of diseases that attack the nervous system, affecting your ability to control your muscles. Head injuries can likewise affect control if a critical part of the brain is damaged. And serious injuries or amputations to other parts of your body, especially your spinal cord, may make movement painful or impossible.

Just as important are disabilities that impact your senses, or your ability to communicate. Impaired vision and hearing can seriously impact every aspect of your life, whether due to injury, illness or lifelong condition.

Overcoming the barriers

Whatever the reason for your disability, you face a number of challenges. The first is to your health. Staying fit and avoiding complications from your disability may require a maintenance regimen of exercises, medication and treatment from a specialist. Achieving as much function as possible and preventing deterioration of your abilities will be another major priority. Physiotherapists and rehabilitation therapists are specialists in this field. Finally, you may need help achieving an independent lifestyle. This may require modifications to your home, furniture and vehicle. Perhaps you need assistive devices, such as a wheelchair or communication device. Some level of assistance from an in-home caregiver may also be necessary. And many people with disabilities face challenges finding the right job, so there are retraining programs and placement services to help.

Finding help

Disability and the rights of the disabled have attracted a high level of public concern over the past few decades, so there are now a number of organizations, government services and corporations dedicated to helping you.

• March of Dimes
• Government of Canada Office for Disability Issues
• Easter Seals
• Canadian Abilities Foundation

Ten debilitating diseases

• Cerebral Palsy
• Parkinson’s Disease
• Spina Bifida
• Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
• Osteoporosis
• Arthritis
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Diabetes
• Polio

Other Topics

• Vision Impairments
• Hearing Impairments
• Head injuries
• Amputation
• Spinal cord injury

Conductive Education
Conductive education is a holistic approach to rehabilitation that focuses on education, skills training, confidence-building and body control. The goal is a more independent and active lifestyle.

Recreation
Your disability might make it hard to get out there and meet new friends, or hang out with old ones. Don’t despair! There are organizations dedicated to creating social opportunities you in your area.

Dynamic Devices
Need a special gadget around the house? The March of Dimes may be able to help!

Making Ends Meet
Finding the right job can be tough when you have a physical disability. The March of Dimes can assess your abilities, then help with training, job placement and the return to work transition.

By The Numbers

• Almost one in three premature babies are affected by cerebral palsy to some extent
• By the time Parkinson’s is diagnosed, around 80% of the dopamine-producing cells in the brain have already stopped functioning
• 70% of neural tube defects, including spina bifida, are preventable if the mother takes folic acid supplements before and during pregnancy
• Women are more than three times as likely to develop Multiple Sclerosis as men
• 1.4 million Canadians suffer from osteoporosis
• There are around 125,000 polio survivors alive in Canada today
• Only 25% of working age people with vision loss are employed

Source: The March of Dimes and Canadian Institutes of Health Research

TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR

Reading about conditions online should never replace a visit to your doctor. The information provided here can help you get educated about various conditions and their treatments. Always seek the advice of a physician or other licensed health care professional regarding any questions you have about your medical condition(s) and treatment(s).