Disability results from the interaction between people with disabilities (PWD) and their environmental obstacles that creates barriers to their participation in society on equal basis with others due to lack of inclusion. Inaccessible environment plays a huge role on their experience that may have negative effects on their wellbeing. For example, lack of accessible physical space or software solutions that could support people with visible or invisible disabilities. Therefore, it is important to always design with accessibility in mind to support their health and wellbeing.

Disabilities can be categorized in three interrelated areas. Firstly, impairments which are the problems in body functions. For example, loss of vision or memory. Secondly, activity limitations which are difficulties in executing day to day activities such as eating or walking. lastly but most importantly, participation restrictions which are obstacles that are created by society that hinders people with disabilities to be involved in certain aspects within the social life.  for instance, lack of employment offerings for PWD due to discrimination.

Over the years, there has been a shift in models of disability from a “charity model” to a “medical model” to a social model due to the reason that disability should never be viewed solely as medical nor as solely social condition. Therefore, Biopsychosocial model represents a better model of disability because it considers the different aspects in terms of the individual’s health conditions along with the individual’s contextual factors of environmental and self- esteem.

Historically, perceptions towards disability have varied significantly from one community to another. in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), under the National Policy for Empowering People with Special Needs, people with special needs or disabilities are referred as ‘people of determination’ to recognize their achievements in different fields. The law in the UAE defines a person with special needs as someone suffering from a temporary or permanent, full or partial deficiency or infirmity in his physical, sensory, mental, communication, educational or psychological abilities to an extent that limits his possibility of performing the ordinary requirements as people without special needs. The UAE Cabinet approved a People of Determination Protection from Abuse Policy aiming at protecting the people with special needs from abuse while empowering them, their families and their co-workers to deal with cases of abuse. The Government condemns all forms of abuse and neglect of people of determination. Abuse and neglects involves depriving people of determination of their basic right to care, rehabilitation, medical care, recreation or community integration. It also condemns using such people to get material profits and not spend on them.

In just two weeks, I learned a lot about visible and invisible disabilities along with the different models of disabilities and how disability is perceived.

I would like to end on this note: never ask someone how they got the disability because it doesn’t matter, what matters is that we need to work together to improve their situations by providing life-enhancing services or products support them. That’s why we are here, learning from the best!