Curated by the community.
To help connect you with the products, services, events, and information for you, we categorize and curate listings based on the disabilities helped and how it serves the disabled community.
Able to serve the entire disabled community, such as a communal event, or an empowering t-shirt that is not specific to one disability or certain disabilities. Listings that help "All" disabilities will be placed in all other Disability Helped collections, such as "Amputation / Limb Difference" and "Neurological Disorder".
Limb Difference is the partial or complete absence of or malformation of limbs [2], which can result from Amputation, the removal of a limb such as a finger, toe, hand, foot, arm or leg [1].
Amputation can be congenital (present from birth), traumatic (due to an accident or injury) or surgical (due to any of multiple causes such as blood vessel disease, cancer, infection, excessive tissue damage, dysfunction, pain, etc.) [1].
Limb difference can be caused by a previous fracture, trauma to a growth plate or a previous infection. Genetic conditions or syndromes can also result in one limb being longer than the other [2].
Disarticulations are amputations of two bones at their joint [1].
Amputations are categorized based on where the amputation occurs on the body [1].
Lower Limb Amputations:
Below Ankle
Above Ankle
Lower limb amputations are also categorized based on the United States’ Medicare Functional Classification Level (MFCL), also known as the K-Level, which is a 0 to 4 point scale of functional level [3].
Upper Limb Amputations:
Below Elbow
Above Elbow
[1] “Amputation.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. Link
[2] “Limb Length Inequality.” Johns Hopkins Medicine. Link
[3] “Table 1, Lower Limb Extremity Prosthesis Medicare Functional Classification Levels (K Levels)." U.S. National Library of Medicine. Link
Blindness is not only defined functionally by the prevalence of vision loss, but also sociologically to the extent that a person must devise alternative techniques for daily living [1].
Blindness can be congenital (present from birth), hereditary (inherited from parent’s genes), or traumatic (due to an accident or injury) or caused by a disorder (due to any of multiple causes such as disease, cancer, infection, etc.) [2].
A person has Low Vision when their visual impairments cannot be corrected by glasses, medication or surgery [3].
The Vision and Eye Health Surveillance System (VEHSS) reports prevalence of vision loss and blindness based on visual acuity data for the following subgroups [4]:
[1] “A Definition of Blindness.” National Federation of the Blind. Link
[2] “Blindness and Vision Impairment.” World Health Organization. Link
[3] “Low Vision.” National Eye Institute. Link
[4] “Vision Loss and Blindness.” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Link
Deafness is not only defined functionally by the prevalence of hearing loss, but also sociologically by how people identify themselves reflects identification with the deaf community, the degree to which they can hear, or the relative age of onset [1].
People choose to identify with an audiological or cultural perspective such as Deaf, DeafBlind, DeafDisabled, Hard of Hearing, and Late-Deafened. There are variations in how a person becomes deaf, level of hearing, age of onset, educational background, communication methods, and cultural identity [1].
Deafness can be congenital (present from birth), hereditary (inherited from parent’s genes), or traumatic (due to an accident or injury) or caused by a disorder (due to any of multiple causes such as disease, cancer, infection, etc.) [2].
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines the four types of Hearing Loss [3]:
[1] “Community and Culture.” National Association of the Deaf. Link
[2] “Deafness and Hearing Loss.” World Health Organization. Link
[3] “Types of Hearing Loss.” U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Link
Mobility Impairments are disabilities that affect movement ranging from fine motor movement, such as using the hands to grasp and move objects, to gross motor skills, such as walking [1].
Mobility impairments can be congenital (present from birth), hereditary (inherited from parent’s genes), or traumatic (due to any of multiple causes such as blood vessel disease, cancer, infection, excessive tissue damage, dysfunction, pain, etc.) [2].
Mobility impairments vary over a wide range, from temporary (e.g., a broken arm) to permanent (e.g., amputation) [1].
[1] “Mobility Impairments.” California State University, Chico. Link
[2] “Individuals with Disabilities.” Connecticut's Official State Website. Link
Spinal cord injury (SCI) is damage to the bundle of nerves and nerve fibers that extends from the lower part of the brain down through the lower back which sends and receives signals from the brain This damage can cause Paralysis, temporary or permanent changes in feeling, movement, strength, and body functions below the site of injury [1].
SCI can be congenital (present from birth), hereditary (inherited from parent’s genes), traumatic (direct injury to the spinal cord itself or from damage to the tissue and bones (vertebrae) that surround the spinal cord) [1].
SCI are categorized based on level, type, and severity [2]:
The level is denoted by the letter-and-number name of the vertebra at the injury site (such as C3, T2, or L4) [2]:
The severity is described as complete or incomplete [1]:
The types are based on the amount of changes in body function from paralysis [3]:
[1] “Spinal Cord Injury.” National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Link
[2] “About Spinal Cord Injury.” National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. Link
[3] “Paralysis.” Cleveland Clinic. Link
Neurological Disorders are impairments of functioning relating to any condition that affects the brain and/or nervous system. This may result in physical disabilities (such as Cerebral Palsy), intellectual and developmental disabilities (such as Autism), or other disabilities (such as Epilepsy) [1].
Neurological disorders can be congenital (present from birth), hereditary (inherited from parent’s genes), traumatic (due to any of multiple causes such as direct injury to the brain, malnutrition, etc.), or some have unknown causes [2].
There are hundreds of neurological disorders that exist. They fall into several categories [2]:
Neurological disorders may be grouped into more than one category due to what symptoms they cause [2].
[1] “Neurodisability.” National Health Service. Link
[2] “Neurological Disorders.” Cleveland Clinic. Link
Short Stature is a medical or genetic condition that results in a person's height being well below the average height of their peers [1].
Short stature can be congenital (present from birth), or hereditary (inherited from parent’s genes) [1].
The most frequently diagnosed cause of Short stature are genetic conditions [1]:
Short stature is divided into two categories [2]:
Short stature disorders do not include familial short stature — short height that's considered a normal variation with normal bone development [2].
[1] “Frequently Asked Questions.” Little People of America. Link
[2] “Dwarfism.” Mayo Clinic. Link
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