Opening the Doors

Working with young people with a disability

Definition

When most people think of the word “disability” they immediately picture someone in a wheelchair. But there are many different types of disability.

People with a disability may include:

• people who are blind or partially sighted
• people with learning or intellectual disabilities
• people who are deaf or hearing impaired
• people with a physical disability
• people with long term illnesses
• people with mental health or psychological difficulties
• people with an acquired brain injury

According to the World Health Organisation, a disability is…

“any restriction or lack (resulting from any impairment) of ability to perform an activity in the manner or within the range considered normal for a human being” ²⁶

A disability includes those that:

• are present, or
• once existed but don’t any more, for example, a person who has had a back injury, a heart attack or an episode of mental illness, or
• may exist in the future, for example, a person with a genetic predisposition to a disease, such as Huntington’s disease or heart disease or a person who is HIV positive, or
• someone thinks or assumes a person has. ²⁶

It is likely that some of the young people who already use your service are young people with disabilities.

Demographics

In NSW 8% of 15-24 year olds have a disability. ²

However people with disabilities are under-represented in many services and activities.

Terminology

“Language is critical in shaping and reflecting our thoughts, beliefs, feelings and concepts. Some words by their very nature degrade and diminish people with a disability”  ¹³

The term “disabled young person” tends to convey a message that the only thing worth mentioning about a person is their disability.  It is better to say “young person with a disability” as this emphasises the person first without denying the reality of the disability.

Terms such as cripple, spastic, handicapped, invalid are derogatory, offensive and you should avoid them.

Sometimes people with a disability are compared to normal people. This implies that the person with a disability is abnormal and ignores the fact that everyone has their own unique identity and abilities. For comparisons you could say other people instead.

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