Young people with physical and sensory disabilities

It is hoped that reading here will contribute to the development of a rational and broad view of the way in which you support pupils and students experiencing physical or sensory disabilities. All of us have our own view of disability, and work done with over 200 teachers and teaching assistants has elicited a tremendous variety of responses (Cornwall, 1995) to the question ‘What is the difference between the words impairment, disability and handicap?’ The answer depends upon your own definition of disability or your understanding of the current definitions. Often people’s perceptions of these differences are reflected in their use of language to describe the phenomena of disability intertwined with descriptions of individuals. They become one and the same and hence reflect many unclear views about disability and ambiguous feelings about disabled people. This is quite surprising and does not mean that they are uncaring or ignorant. It simply reflects the hidden nature of the concepts and ideas surrounding disability. The best definition is the one that comes from people who are, themselves, disabled. It is important that no matter what the origins and consequences of a young person’s disability, they are not treated as if they have the group characteristics. Each pupil should be treated as an individual, not as an illness or a condition.