Detecting a disability
published:
Monday | June 23, 2008
Camille Gayle gives a hand to her daughter Tone-Ann Cover at the Stimulation Plus Basic School in Kingston. - Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
According to Valerie Spence, administrator at the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities, disabilities come in all forms - physical, cognitive and sensory, for example, hearing impairment.
However, not all persons can detect when a child has a disability. If the parent believes the child should be, and is not carrying out, particular functions at a stage of development, a doctor must be contacted immediately.
Signs to look for:
If you speak to a baby and he/she does not respond.
If you put an object before the baby and he/she does not respond.
If the child is not creeping.
Not responding to a call.
Not making sounds.
It is easier to detect when adults are getting a disability. Their vision might start getting blurred, and they might have problems moving their legs, among other things.
Dos and don'ts of labelling
Disabled persons deserve respect. Here are some suggestions from the Dos & Don'ts Handbook for Positive Interaction with Persons with Disabilities, published by the Jamaica Council for Persons with Disabilities.
Dos
✓ Person with an intellectual, cognitive or developmental disability.
✓ Person who is blind, visually impaired.
✓ Person with a disability.
✓ Person who is hearing impaired.
✓ Person who has multiple sclerosis.
✓ Person with cerebral palsy.
✓ Person with epilepsy, person with seizure disorder.
✓ Person who uses a wheel chair.
✓ Person who has muscular dystrophy.
✓ Person with a physical disability, mobility impaired.
