A General Overview of Physical Disabilities

Disabilities can be categorized into four groups; physical, intellectual, cognitive, and psychiatric. Each category has its causations of the disability, synopsis, and historical background. The ADA played an important role in defining for various reasons the technical definition of a disability. For this reason, there has been an increase in individuals with disabilities over the past years. However, the continuum of having a disability still exists.

The four types of disability can be categorized into two sub-parts; invisible and visible. Invisible disabilities are the disabilities that one may not notice from the first encounter. These disabilities will only present themselves under certain circumstances. Visible disabilities are more noticeable, usually within the first encounter. Having a physical disability means one has an impairment that one can see and touch. Physical disabilities are diagnosed using standardized, quantifiable laboratory procedures.A General Overview of Physical Disabilities