Disability - Background
‘My goal is simple. It is a complete understanding of the universe, why it is as it is and why it exists at all … It is a waste of time to be angry about my disability. One has to get on with life and I haven't done badly. People won't have time for you if you are always angry or complaining.’
Stephen Hawking, English cosmologist and physicist who has a form of neuromuscular dystrophy.
The social model of disability states that:
'disability is caused by the way society is organised, rather than by a person's impairment or difference. The Social Model of Disability looks at ways of removing barriers which restrict life choices for people with impairment or differences. When barriers are removed, disable people can be independent and equal in society, with choice and control over their own lives'.
There are 6.8 million disabled people of working age in Britain.
1 million disabled people without a job want to work.
The average gross hourly pay of disabled employees was 10% less than that of non-disabled employees (£9.36 per hour compared to £10.39 per hour) in 2008.
Disabled people make up 3.8% of the STEM workforce, but 5.9% in other sectors.
223,610 pupils had statements of Special Educational Need in England in January 2008 - a slight decrease from the 229,110 in January 2007. This is roughly 2.8%.
Disabled people have the lowest employment rate of the demographic groups considered here at 47.7%. However, since 1999 there has been a considerable improvement in the employment rate for disabled people, up 6.5 percentage points from 41.2% to 47.7%.
There are a number of different definitions of disability. The definition within the Disability Discrimination Act, 1995 ( DDA), as amended in 2005, covers a wide range of impairments from physical (for example sight and hearing impairments) to learning difficulties (including dyslexia), mobility difficulties, long term medical conditions (such as HIV or cancer) and mental health problems. The DDA also includes in its definition a stipulation that the impairment should have a substantial impact on the individual's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities and either have lasted, or be likely to last, for at least 12 months. Specific day-to-day activities are referred to in the DDA but were developed prior to the expansion of the DDA to cover education. Decisions in case law have specified, and will continue to further specify, the definition of conditions which constitute an impairment and of the nature of 'day-to-day activity' that is covered by legislation
‘For everything in my life, I had to develop creative ways to get around obstacles, creative ways to solve problems, and that is a really good skill for a scientist to have.’
Anne Swanson, a biochemist with osteogenesis imperfecta. The condition known popularly as brittle bone disease.
‘There's a role model in all of us. Find your good bits and show them and the world will be a better place’" said Maggie Aderin Pocock from Astrium at a recent talk to students. She's a great role model... she added: ‘How did a dyslexic like me come to have a PhD and be a rocket scientist?’ www.3d coaching.blogspot.com
‘When I was twelve, I wanted to be a doctor, because my father was a doctor. I just assumed that I was going to be. Shortly after that, I got very involved in model airplanes and it became more obvious that it would have something to do with aviation, and maybe physics and engineering.’
Paul MacCready the dyslexic inventor of the first practical flying machine powered by a human being.