Creating an

Inclusive School
Understanding the Disability

1 Dr. T. Ponmalini
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Introduction
 Impairment
 Disability
 Handicap
 Differences
 General Characteristics of Disabilities
 Causes & Types

Dr. T. Ponmalini
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Impairment
 Any loss or abnormality
 Refers to a problem with a structure or
organ
 Hearing Impaired
 Visually Impaired

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Disability
 Disability = Impairment in body organs
+
Inability to perform certain task
+
Lack of ability to perform day
to day activities

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Handicap
A disadvantage that limits the fulfillment
of a social role
 It is not a characteristic of a person

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Differences among the terms

Impairment, Disability & Handicap
Impairment Disability Handicap
Any loss or Any restriction or Disability caused
abnormality lack (resulting by impairment &
from impairment) cannot perform
social roles
May be genetic/ Results from Facilities available
developmental impairment in the society
stages/accidents/
diseases
cannot be Reduced with the Proper
completely use of equipments exploitation of
rectified social resources
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Characteristics of Disabilities
 Due to loss or abnormality of physical organs
 Disorders due to dysfunctioning of organs
 Impairment of organs of the body
 Genetic disorders, developmental defects,
accidents or deceases
 Inability to undertake daily activities
 Degrees can be reduced with appropriate
use of equipments
 Rehabilitation could be provided by offering
proper educational climate and exercise
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Causes of Disabilities
 Genetic disorders
 Severe Malnutrition
 Diseases (Polio, Paralysis, brain fever,
cerebral palcy etc.)
 Adverse effects of drugs consumed
during pregnancy
 Artificial fertilisation
 Problems during delivery
 Severe accidents
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Different types of Disabilities

 Sensory Disabilities
 Motor Disability or Orthopedic Disability
 Mental Disability
 Neurological Disorders
 Psychological Disorders
 Multiple Disabilities

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Visual Disability
 Two Categories
 Totally Blind
 Partially Sighted
 5%Of our school children have visual
disability

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How to identify Visually

Impaired Pupils
 Rub eyes frequently
 Covers one eye with hand and tilts the
head forward
 Holds textbook close to the eyes
 Asks other children when taking notes
from the black-board
 Blinks more frequently
 Watery eyes

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Causes for visual Impairment

 Genetic disorders
 Malnutrition
 Diseases
 Impact of drugs
 Artificial fertilisation
 Complication encountered during
delivery
 Eye injury due to accident
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Hearing Disability
 Loses hearing capacity after acquired
speech – Hard of Hearing
 Born with less capacity of hearing or lost
their hearing capacity before the ability
to speak – Deaf (Deaf will be Dumb also)
 Loss of hearing in early stage assessed by
audiometer
 Intensity of sound measured by Decibel

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Auditorily Handicapped
 Hear sound of 50 decibels & more
 Oral Education an important component
 Visual and Tactile stimuli used
 Lip reading and sign language for
communication

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Auditorily Handicapped
 Provision of part time specialized teachers to
help them daily
 Training use of hearing aids
 Auditory training
 Training in lip-reading and sign language
 Speech correction

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Causes for Hearing Loss

Sensorineural hearing loss Conducive hearing loss
 Age  Perforated ear drum
 Loud Noise  Otosclerosis
 Genetic Abnormality  Cholesteatome
 Viral infections  Swelling around
 Meningitis eustachian tube
 Acoustic neuroma
 Multiple sclerosis
 Malformation of the ear
 Cerebral stroke
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Speech Disability
 Two types of speech disability
 Dumbness
 Producing defective speech

 Speech Disorders
 Stuttering
 Stammering
 Lisping
 Apraxia
 Dysarthria

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Causes for Speech Disorders

 Vocal cord damage
 Brain Damage
 Muscle weakness
 Stroke
 Polyps
 Vocal cord paralysis

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Motor Disability
 Partialor total loss of function of a body
part - Motor Impairment
 Loss of limb or limbs

 Lossof limbs due to Genetic disorders or

accidents/ diabetes

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Limb movement difficulties

 Paraplegia
 Dysfunctional
upper limbs
 Quadraplegia
 Hemiplegia

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Psychological or Mental Disorders

 Patterns of behavioural or psychological

systems
 Create distress

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Mental Disorders

Industrialization
Competitions Needs &
& Scientific
& Conflicts desires
Advancement

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Patterns of Mental Disorders

 Mild Mental derailment – Psycho-Neurotic
disorders
 Severe Mental derailment – Psychotic disorders

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4 Patterns of Abnormal Behaviour

 Psycho-Neuroses
 Psycho-Somatic Disorders
 Psychoses
 Personality Behavioural Disorders

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Psycho-Neuroses
 Anxiety Neurosis
 Phobic Neurosis
 Hysterical Neurosis
 Hypochondriacal Neurosis
 Neurasthenic Neurosis
 Depressive Neurosis

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Psycho-Somatic Disorders
 Cardio-Vascular Disorders
 Gastro-intestinal Disorders
 Respiratory Disorders
 Skin Disorders
 Genito-urinary Disorders

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Psychotic Disorders

 Seriousdisorders (Personality Disintegration

takes place)
 Loses Contact with reality
 Conscious mind flooded with unconscious
material
 Includes Schizophrenia, Manic-Depressive
Psychosis, Psychotic Depression & Split
Personality

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Psychotic Disorders
Psychotic Organic Psychological Cultural
Disorders = Factors * Factors * Factors

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Personality Behaviour Disorders

 AntisocialPersonality
 Compulsive Gambling
 Delinquency
 Alcoholism
 Drug Dependence
 Sexual deviations

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Causes of Mental Disorders

 Predisposing Causes (Faulty Development)
 Precipitating Causes (Various forms of severe
stress)

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Faulty Development
 Arrested Development
 Distorted Development
 Special Vulnerability

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Precipitating Causes

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Mental Retardation
 Sub-average general intellectual functioning
originated during development period &
associated with impairment in adoptive
behaviour

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Mentally Retarded
 Low intelligence
 Peculiar shape of head, legs & hands
 Muscular functions below normal
 Learn & develop more slowly
 Emotional integration & adaptation is
below normal
 Shorter Life span
- leads to functional quality of
life is poor.
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Identifying the MR Children

 Analyzing the developmental tasks of
students
 Administering standardised IQ test(IQ < 70)
 Observation
 Administering Socio-metric test (identify
isolates)
 Evaluation from teachers, parents & Peers

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Categories of MR Children
 Morons (IQ 50-70, Educable Retarded)
 Imbeciles (IQ 25-50, Trainable Retarded)
 Idiots (IQ below 25, Untrainable Retarded)

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Cerebral Palsy
 Group of disorders that affect muscle
movement & coordination (hearing, vision
& sensation also affected)
 Cerebral – brain; Palsy – weakness

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Symptoms of Cerebral Palsy

 Delays in reaching motor skill milestones
 Delays in speech development & difficulty in
speaking
 Stiff muscles
 Abnormal muscle tone
 Lack of muscle coordination
 Tremors or involuntary muscles
 Excessive drooling & problems with swallowing
 Difficulty in walking
 Favouring one side of the body
 Neurological problems

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Causes for Cerebral Palsy

 Lack of oxygen to the brain
 Severe jaundice
 Maternal infections such as German
measles & Herpes simplex
 Brain infections such as encephalitis &
meningitis
 Bleeding into the brain
 Head injuries
 Child abuse
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Risk for Cerebral Palsy

 Premature birth
 Low birth weight
 Being a twin or triplet
 Breech birth

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Multiple Disabilities
 Person with several disabilities (sensory
disability with a motor disability)
 Spasticity/cerebral palsy/multiple disability
 Spastic Society of Gurgaon (charitable
bodies)

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Characteristics
 Psychological Characteristics
 Behavioural Characteristics
 Physical/Health Characteristics

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Psychological Characteristics
 Feeling ostracized
 Tendency to withdraw from society
 May become fearful (due to disabilities)
 Self-injurious behaviour

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Behavioural Characteristics
 Immature behaviour inconsistent with
chronological age
 Impulsive behaviour & low frustration
 Difficulty forming interpersonal
relationships
 Limited self-care skills & independent
community living skills

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Physical/Health Characteristics
 Varietyof medical problems accompany
severe disabilities (seizures, sensory loss,
hydrocephalus & scoliosis)
 May be physically clumsy & awkward
 May be unsuccessful in games

Dr. T. Ponmalini