Questions and Answers
The following questions and answers give a basic overview of the topic. Links are provided to articles with further information.
If you have suggestions for further questions please email info@durbanreview.org
What is a disability?
A physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of a person, or a record of such impairment, or regarded as having such an impairment.
See the article "defining disability"
What are the categories of disability?
There are five major categories of disability, these are: Mobility Impairment, Cognitive Impairment, Hearing Impairment, Visual Impairment and Speech Impairment
See the article "Categories of Disability"
What sort of discrimination do people with disabilities face on the internet?
People with Intellectual Disabilities are easy target on the internet. They are mocked as in everyday life, but the internet gives people the license to abuse with no consequences for their actions so the behavior becomes both more common and more extreme.
See the article "Online disability discrimination"
Do people with disabilities still suffer abuse?
Yes, people with disabilities are still regularly subjected to both physical and mental abuse. Widespread casual and institutional disablism creates the conditions where disability hate crime can flourish without being recognized or challenged.
See the article "Disability discrimination today"
What needs to be done?
The time has come to stand up for the dignity of all people living with special needs and disabilities. It's important for all of us to be the voice of those who can't defend themselves. Speak up for the most vulnerable of our society. Disabilities don't only begin at birth. They can happen at any time. A society is judged by how well it listens to the needs of the most vulnerable among us. We must not sit by and watch as people with disabilities are abused and neglected in front of our eyes. We must speak up and protect those who need and deserve our help. Why shouldn't people with disabilities be afforded the same respect we ask for ourselves and our families?
Other articles on discrimination against people with disabilities
For related articles, visit the discrimination against people with disabilities section of Durban Review or select from the articles below. Other anti-racism themes, conference details, and news are available from the Durban Review home page.
- Questions and Answers
An introduction to the topic of discrimination against people with disabilities through short questions and answers - Defining disability
A look at different definitions of disabilty and where some fall short. - Categories of Disability
The five catagories of disabilities explained. - Online disability discrimination
A look at discrimination against people with disabilities on the internet. - Disability discrimination today
Where we as a society stand today, a look at some recent incidents and information. - Bruce Maguire, Telecommunications access and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Australian Human Rights Commission, 16 February 2009.
- Hannah Jacobs, Public blindness to discrimination against those with disabilities
Recent statements by public figures, including President Obama, highlight the casual discrimination against people with disabilities in todays society. - Nazi persecution of the disabled: Murder of the Unfit
Nazi persecution of persons with disabilities began with forced sterilization and escalated toward mass murder. The Euthanasia Program was in itself a rehearsal for Nazi Germany's broader genocidal policies. [External link]
