Common Misunderstandings
Myth - Anyone who uses a wheelchair chronically ill or sickly.
Fact - The association between wheelchair use and illness came from hospitals using chairs to transport sick people. Wheelchairs are some people's legs and fee
Myth - Wheelchair use is confining; users of chairs are wheelchair bound.
Fact - A wheelchair is like a bicycle or an automobile, it is a personal assisting device that helps someone get around.
Myth - People with disabilities are more comfortable "with their own kind."
Fact - Years of grouping people with disabilities in separate schools and institutions has reinforced this misconception. Today more and more people enjoy the mainstream of our society.
Myth- It is all right for non-disabled people to park in handicapped parking spaces for a short time.
Fact - Because handicapped parking spaces are designed and situated to meet the needs of a person with a disability, these spaces should only be used by people who need them.
Myth - People with disabilities always need help.
Fact - Many people with disabilities are quite independent and capable of giving help. But if you want to help someone with disabilities, ask first if they need it.
Myth- there is nothing one person can do to help eliminate barriers confronting people with disabilities.
Fact - Everyone can contribute to change.
Myth - All people with a hearing loss lack the ability to speak.
Fact - While people who were born without hearing may experience some difficulty in learning to speak, people who have lost their hearing after the development of speech may have little difficulty speaking. Many persons with "prelingual" deafness learn to use their voices in speech clas
Myth - Hearing aids cab correct a hearing loss.
Fact - Hearing aids may improve hearing for many people with a hearing loss, but they are not corrective devices. They simply amplify sound. If a person's hearing loss stems from profound damage to the inner ear, sounds will remain distorted even with amplificatio
Myth- People who are deaf use one system for communicating.
Fact - People who have hearing impairments use a variety of communication systems. Among the choices are Sign Language, Signed English, Finger spelling, speech reading, cued speech and writing.
Myth - Blindness means living in a world of total darkness.
Fact - What a person is able to see depends upon the age of onset, degree of visual memory vision regarding light, shape, etc.
Myth - All people who are blind or visually impaired read Braille.
Fact - Only about 10% read Braille. There are many other options available, including computer equipped with screen readers, listening aids, and volunteer readers.
Myth - People who have a visual impaired cannot cross the street without assistance.
Fact - They can cross the street. If you would like to offer assistance, ask first. If your offer to help is accepted, let him or her take your arm. The motion of your body.
Myth - People who are blind can hear and feel things no one else can; they have a "sixth" sense.
Fact - Certain senses often become more highly developed because people who are blind rely upon them more. There is nothing mystical about this phenomenon.
Myth - All people with cancer are dying.
Fact - Cancer is a large group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells. More then one third of people with cancer today are completely cured, and the others are living with cancer, not dying of it. Many cancers can be cured if detected and treat promptly.
Myth - Insulin cures diabetes.
Fact - There is no cure for diabetes, but insulin combined with diet and exercise can result in productive and healthy living with diabetes.
Myth - People with epilepsy are likely to have seizures at any time.
Fact - Over 2 million Americans have seizure disorders and the overwhelming majority are controlled by medication. Many seizure episodes are as blinking or a brief lapse of attention.
Myth - People with mental illness are mentally retarded.
Fact - Mental retardation refers to lower intellectual functioning while mental illness refers to a biochemical brain disorder which is unrelated to a person's intelligence. Many people with mental illness are of average or above average intelligence. During adjustment periods to medications, people with medications, people with mental illness any appear lethargic, but the medications do not affect their intelligenc
Myth - People with mental illness are violent and dangerous or should be feared in some way.
Fact - Although some mental illnesses include symptoms of aggressive behaviours, people with mental illness are generally no more violent than anyone else. If violent behaviours are part of a person's specific illness, they can usually control it with can medication and psychotherapy
Myth - Only adults experience mental or emotional disorders.
Fact - Anyone, regardless of age, economic status or race, can develop a mental or emotional disorder. A lot of people experience a diagnosable mental disorder that interferes with employment, attendance at school or daily life.
Myth - Depression is just "feeling blue".
Fact - Clinical depression involves multiple symptoms, such as loss of energy, appetite and feelings of hopelessness, that are experienced continually or for more then two weeks.
Myth - People with mental illness never get better.
Fact - Most people with mental illness experience improvement over time in their diagnosed condition. Some conditions, such as schizophrenia, are usually permanent; however, self-help groups, medication, case management and psychotherapy can improver their quality of life and ability to adapt.
Myth - People with mental illness bring it on themselves.
Fact - Numerous research studies have shown that mental illnesses are due to a combination of biological, psychological and environmental factors. Some mental illnesses tend to recur in the same family.
Myth - There is no treatment for schizophrenia.
Fact - In recent years, the treatment of schizophrenia has focused on the use of antipsychotic medications. These medications are frequently successful in alleviating the symptoms of schizophrenia and reducing the chances of recurring episodes. Individual psychotherapy and group therapy have also proven to be effective in the treatment of people with schizophrenia, particularly when provided in conjunction with proper medication.
Myth - People with paraplegia are paralyzed from the waist down and people with quadriplegia are paralyzed from the neck down.
Fact - Both paraplegia and quadriplegia are conditions with varying degrees of paralysis. A person with a high cervical injury may have total paralysis from the neck down, respirator the assistance of a respirator for breathing. Someone with a low cervical injury may have movement and control of the upper extremities except for finger grasp.
Myth - Paralysis means lack of both muscle and sensation.
Fact - Although many people who have become paralysis cannot experience certain sensations, there are many forms of spinal cord injuries that resulting varying levels of movement and sensation. For example, it is possible for someone with a spinal cord injury to have no muscle control of her lower extremities, but to have sensation to touch.
Myth - Accommodation for persons with mobility impairments mean the complete removal of all architectural barriers.
Fact - The term "accommodation" covers a multitude of possibilities. Making worksite modification, adjusting schedules, and acquiring specialized equipment are examples of accommodation. It is a highly individualized mat
Myth - Providing accommodations of people with mobility impairments is expensive.
Fact - The overwhelming majority of accommodations for people with physical disabilities (over 80%) cost less then $500. Many, such as removing clutter from hallways or raising desks on blocks, cost nothing.
