Differently Abled People for Class 3 EVS

In this concept, the students will learn about differently abled people. Here the students will get an idea about different types of disabilities like physical disability and mental disability. They will also know how specially-abled people deal with their disabilities.

After reading the concept, students will be able to:

Analyse the types of disability and the instruments or special learning tools used for disabled people.
Understand visual symbols and the blind reading answers, braille scripts, and the use of sticks on the road.
Know about the basic sign language used by a person who cannot speak.

Each concept is explained to class 3 students using descriptions, illustrations, and concept maps. After you go through a concept, assess your learning by solving the two printable worksheets given at the end of the page.
Download the worksheets and check your answers with the worksheet solutions for the concept of Differently Abled People and Their uses provided in PDF format.

What Is the Meaning of Disability

The physical or mental condition that limits a person's sense, movements, or ability is called disability.
A disability may be due to bodily injury or by birth.
Disability in a person may vary based on the part of the body affected.

Types of Disabilities:

1. Mental Disability: Any disability which affects the mind of a person and results in affecting the person’s ability to think, react, make decisions, and communicate is called a mental disability.

Examples: Autism and Down syndrome.

2. Physical Disability:

A disability that affects a person's body part and restricts movement or its use is called a physical disability.
Some physical disabilities are present in certain individuals by birth.

Examples: Deafness, dumbness, muscular dystrophy, and loss of any body part.

3. Disabilities due to age:

As the age of a person increases, the efficiency with which our body parts work decreases leading to specific disabilities.

Examples: Weak eyesight, bending of backbone, etc.

4. Blind Meaning and Distorted Vision

A person who cannot see is called blind.
Complete or partial blindness may be a birth defect or due to any injury.
Minor eye disorders can be tackled by using spectacles.

a. Training for Blindness and Low Vision Aids

Due to the inability to see, blind people are not capable of doing simple daily activities. Hence, they are taught some techniques to cope. A few of them are as follows—

Touching and recognising faces.
Counting the steps while going places.
Using a stick while walking, called a white cane.
Setting up their surroundings in one particular manner and making them practice identifying things at places by touching.
Some blind people adopt trained animals for help.

b. Braille Script:

Braille is a script used by blind people to read.
Louis Braille invented it in 1824.
It is based upon the sense of touch by the fingers on the embossed paper.
A blind person can identify the words by touching these dots embossed on the paper.

5. Hearing Disability:

The people who are not able to hear are called deaf.
The disability of hearing can be because of an accident or by birth.
Minor hearing disorders can be managed using a hearing aid, the major ones require surgeries, and some cannot be cured.

a. Training for Deaf People:

Deaf people are not able to hear; hence they are taught the technique of lip reading and sign language.
Also, facial expressions help them understand a few basic gestures like happiness, sadness, anger, etc.

6. Language Disorder

- People who are not able to speak are called mute.
- Disability of speaking may vary in persons based on age and type.
- Some people have a disability in pronouncing words, which can be improved by practising.
- People who cannot speak at all is because of the damage to the part of the brain that regulates speech.

a. Training for Mute People:

Mute people are trained to communicate through sign language.
People who have problems developing communication skills in the early years of growth are sent to therapies to develop their speech.

b. What Is Sign Language:

It is a language that involves different gestures to communicate meaning.
It can be used for the development of language and also for expressing.
It is based on gestures, facial expressions, hand signals, and body language.
Deaf and mute people mainly use this language.

7. Physically Challenged Meaning:

Some people are born with the improper structure of limbs, whereas some lose their limbs due to injuries or disease and they are called physically challenged people.

a. Training of People Without Limbs

- - Such people are made to practice routine activities with their artificial limbs.
  - Wheelchair and walking crutches are used in case of loss or dysfunction of lower limbs or legs.
  - Therapies are done to restore the functioning of their motor nerves, i.e., the nerves which help in movement in case of injuries or accidents.

8. Disability Due to Old Age:

As people get old, their senses and body parts lose their efficiency.
Development of eye defects, hearing impairment, and joint pain are some of the common disabilities found in aged people.
Due to old age, the efficiency of the body cannot be improved as in young people but can be taken care of by keeping the following things in mind—

Providing a healthy diet and happy environment to older people.
Regular doctor visits and medications when required.
Including regular exercises like walking and yoga in the daily routine.

Paralympics Players:

The literal meaning of the Paralympic is “The Parallel Olympic Games”.
This Olympic event is for disabled sportspersons.
Paralympics host twenty-two sports events during summer and six sports events during winter.
The athletes with some physical and/or intellectual disabilities participate in the Paralympic Games.
The First Paralympic Games started in Italy in 1960.
Some of the games in the Paralympic are as follows—


Wheelchair tennis	Para sprint race	Para powerlifting

Para gymnastic	Para ice hockey	Wheelchair archery

Para-badminton	Wheelchair fencing	Wheelchair basketball

Helping people with disabilities:

People who are disabled should be treated with sympathy and patience.
They should not be ignored or excluded from social gatherings.
Children with special needs should be sent to special schools.
Extra facilities or treatment required for making their life easy should be selected.

New Words:

Medications: Medicines or ointments used for specific injuries or to treat diseases.

Impairment: The loss of ability to do something.

Intellectual disabilities: Related to mental disabilities.

Therapy: A treatment used to heal a disorder.

Did You Know?

Hellen Keller is a very well-known author and speaker. She went blind and deaf in her early childhood.
She is known for developing extraordinary skills for communicating with people.
With her writings, she changed the perception of people toward the deaf and blind community.
Some of her famous books are ‘The story of my life’, ‘Light in my darkness’, and ‘Three days to see’.