4.1: Framework for Learning
- Page ID
- 228535
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)Understanding the Categories of Disabilities
Watch the short video below to learn about 14 categories of disabilities discussed along with some specific strategies you can use in the classroom.
Defining Categories of Disabilities
Disability is an overall term defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) and incorporates these 3 components:
- impairment to:
- body functions (sensory or cognitive functions)
- body structures (organ or limb functions)
- activity limitations
- carrying out daily activities such as self-care, mobility and learning.
- participation restrictions
- challenges participating within the family and community environments or settings
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines a child with a disability as having
- an intellectual disability,
- a hearing impairment (including deafness)
- a speech or language impairment
- a visual impairment (including blindness)
- a serious emotional disturbance
- an orthopedic impairment
- autism
- traumatic brain injury
- other health impairments
- a specific learning disability
- multiple disabilities (e.g. deaf–blindness)
The Limitations of Categories
Be aware that naming and describing categories of disabilities you stay open to the reality that each child with a disability a unique. As Dr. Stephen Shore an autistic professor once said -- “When you meet one person with Autism, you’ve met one person with Autism”.
This could be said of children with all disabilities as well. The child may be challenged not only by their disability, but also by experiences common to all students, disabled or not. The same disability may pose more problems in one child or situation than in others. For example, a student with a reading difficulty may have trouble in a language arts class, for example, but not in phy-ed or a student with a hearing impairment may have more trouble "hearing" a topic that he dislikes compared to one that he likes.
Official descriptions of "categories of disabilities" do not factor in the inherent nuance and complexities in individual circumstances and experiences. Categorizations risk stereotyping the real, live humans to whom they are applied. Categories (or "labels") can be useful as a starting point to provide teachers, parents, and other professionals with a basic language or framework for talking about disabilities. Use the categories as a starting point for awareness, understanding, and learning, but be mindful of the uniqueness of each individual child.
After this chapter you should be able to define and explain these Categories of Disabilities:
- Emotional Disturbances
- Speech and Language Disorders
- Deaf and Hearing Impairment
- Blind and Vision Impairment
- Intellectual Disabilities and Cognitive Delays
- Orthopedic Disabilities
Key Terms
- Autism
- Blind, blindness
- Deaf, deafness
- Developmental delay
Sources
- Categories of Disabilities and Their Ambiguities. Educational Psychology (Seifert and Sutton). LibreTexts, Social Sciences Library.
- Disability. World Heath Organization (WHO)
- Individuals with Disabilties Act (IDEA). IDEA History. U.S. Department of Education.