Not everyone is born with a perfectly working body. In the same manner, not everyone born is fortunate enough to keep their body perfect as is. Certain people are born with particular disabilities, rendering them to be differently-abled. Others may have witnessed an unfortunate accident, leaving them also differently-abled. Still, a perfectly functioning body deteriorates as it comes to age.
Perhaps it is more appropriate to regard people who lose one of their senses, such as their sight or hearing, or even their capability to walk, as differently-abled. But it cannot be denied that with these certain different capabilities, people who are differently-abled have a number of mobility hindrances. These mobility hindrances are not limited to being able to move freely physically, but it also entails the challenges in being able to move forward effortlessly through life in general.
Attitudinal Hindrances
One example of attitudinal hindrances that limit the mobility of differently-abled persons in going through their daily tasks is being stereotyped with having a poor quality of life. There is often a stigma that people often regard having a disability as a personal tragedy. Nowadays, people are already more aware and think of supporting differently-abled persons as social responsibility.
Communication Hindrances
People who are challenged in their hearing, speaking, reading, writing, or comprehension are often faced with communication hindrances that limit their mobility in moving forward with their daily activities. Even the elderly who usually have trouble hearing are not exempted from this mobility barrier. Communication barriers can be brought down with simple measures such as producing videos with captions or sign language translations, or using short sentences specifically intended for people with cognitive impairments.
Physical Hindrances
Physical hindrances are the structural hurdles that prevent differently-abled people to move around effortlessly. These physical mobility barriers can be a flight of stairs or a lack of ramps in walkways. Thanks to modern technology, certain gears for differently-abled people, including the elderly having difficulty to stand or walk around, have been designed to assist them to overcome physical barriers. There are lots of useful information for seniors here on a website run by mobility and accessibility experts. Some of the physical mobility gears highlighted on this site include walkers, rollators, knee walkers, bath lifts, and even lift chairs.
Policy Hindrance
Policy hindrances are policies created that failed to consider the welfare of people living with certain disabilities. An example of this is a course of action that denies qualified individuals with the opportunity to join a program or an event as a result of physical barriers such as a lack of ramps in the venue. It goes without saying that to break this barrier, awareness of the needs of persons living with certain disabilities is the key.
Programmatic Hindrances
Programmatic hindrances have a big impact in terms of health care for persons with disabilities and impairments. This becomes a mobility hindrance for persons with disabilities because it prevents them from obtaining an impeccable healthcare experience, which for some is utterly necessary. An example of this barrier is a lack of accessible medical equipment, such as a mammogram screening machine specifically intended for people who have difficulty standing. To cope up with this challenge, it is imperative, especially for medical practitioners, to fully understand people with disabilities.
Social Hindrances
Some studies show that people with disabilities are less likely to be employed. This is one social hindrance that continues to limit the mobility of persons with disabilities in terms of their career growth and advancement. Apart from this, statistics show that differently-abled individuals are more likely to be bullied, whether in school or even in the workplace. Some are overly discouraged and opt not to finish school or quit work. To break this barrier, awareness of society is needed.
Transportation Hindrances
One common example of a transportation barrier is the lack of access to public transportation, especially for people who cannot drive because of vision impairments. Apart from people with visual impairments, certain common modes of public transportation have inaccessible entrance and exit points without ramps for people in wheelchairs. This hindrance makes it all the more challenging for people with disabilities to function more independently.
In conclusion, differently-abled people are faced with several mobility hindrances in their daily lives. But thanks to advancements in modern technology, as well as new learnings in the medical field, differently-abled people have a greater chance of overcoming these challenges.
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