Impairment
Impairment – Missing or defective body part, an amputated limb, paralysis after polio, restricted pulmonary capacity, diabetes, nearsightedness, mental retardation, limited hearing capacity, facial disfigurement or other abnormal condition.
Disabilities – As a result of an impairment may involve difficulties in walking, seeing, speaking,hearing, reading, writing, counting, lifting, or taking interest in and making one’s surrounding.
Temporary Total Disability – Period in which the affected person is totally unable to work. During this period, he may receive orthopaedic, opthalmological,auditory or speech any other medical treatment.
Temporary partial Disability – Period when recovery has reached the stage of improvement so that person may began some kind of gainful occupation.
Permanent Disability – Permanent damage or loss of use of some part/parts of the body after the stage of maximum improvement [from any medical
treatment] has been reached and the condition is stationary.
Handicap – A disability becomes a handicap when it interferes with doing what is expected at a particular time in one’s life.
Rehabilitation – Refers to a process aimed at enabling persons with disabilities to reach and maintain their optimal physical, sensory, intellectual,
psychiatric or social functional levels;
‘Person with Disability’ – A person suffering from not less than forty percent of any disability as certified by a medical authority.
Institution for persons – An institution for the reception, care, protection, with disabilities education, training, rehabilitation or any other service of persons with disabilities.
Note: Various State Governments have also adopted different sets of definitions for example, Government of Tamil Nadu declared one-eyed persons in the same category as blind persons and have extended various concessions.
Speech:
(a) Inappropriate sound in speech.
(b) Stammering
(c) Baby speech
(d) Inability to learn correct sound and use incorrect speech
(e) Incomprehensible speech
Physical Disabilities
(a) Deformity in neck, hand, finger, waist, legs
(b) Difficulty in sitting, standing, walking
(c) Difficulty in lifting, holding, keeping things on floor.
(d) Difficulty in moving or using any part of the body.
(e) Difficulty in holding pen
(f) Using a stick to walk
(g) Jerks in walking
(h) Lack bodily coordination
(i) Epileptic behaviour/have tremors.
(j) Joint pains
(k) Any part of the body is amputated.
Note: If answer to any of the above written statements is positive, the child should be carefully examined by a qualified orthopaedic surgeon and referred to a physiotherapist &/or prosthetic/orthotic technician as needed.