Disabilities

We often talk about disabled people as though they form one group, but each individual faces different challenges and health conditions.

The Disability Discrimination Act defines a disabled person as anyone who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse affect on his or her ability to carry out day-to-day activities. These impairments include:

• loss of limbs
• multiple sclerosis
• heart disease
• Down’s syndrome
• learning difficulties
• mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.

The prevalence of disability increases with age, and most disabled people are adults. Of the UK’s 10 million disabled people, 700,000 are children.

An increasing proportion of the population lives with a disability. This is because we’re living longer, and improved medical treatments are enabling more people to manage long-term health problems. The Equality and Human Rights Commission says that 58% of people above 50 will have a long-term health condition by 2020.

Lots more information is available at http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Disability

Hertfordshire Disability Sports Club Directory
The Herts Sports Partnership have produced a directory of sports clubs that welcome disbaled participants.

• Hertfordshire Disability Sports Club Directory