Disability, Disorder and Impairment

The administrative category "person with a major functional disability" refers to a person experiencing significant, persistent limitations in daily life. These limitations can have an impact on work and study opportunities. 

People who have hearing loss vary in terms of the degree of their degree of disability. Some are deaf from birth, some are deafened, and some are hard of hearing. Hearing loss can be experienced either as a problem of transmission or one of perception. 

There is severe or profound hearing loss when the ear with the highest auditory capacity has an average conductive hearing loss of at least 70 decibels for sound frequencies of 500, 1000 or 2000 Hz.

Source : AQICESH

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An organic impairment is a disorder or anomaly in the internal organs. The internal organs are the cardio-respiratory, neurological, circulatory, endocrine or immune, and gastrointenstinal organ systems. A physical disability significantly and persistently impedes the persons affected by them from performing everyday activities.

Source : AQICESH and Université de Laval

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A motor impairment is a disorder that significantly and persistently impairs the everyday mobility or agility of the person affected. It includes malformation or anomaly in the skeletal, muscular or neurological systems, which are responsible for motor skills.

Source : AQICESH

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Visual impairment does not always indicate blindness. The term includes various situations and diverse disabilities that depend on three factors: (1) the nature and kind of disability, (2) its degree, and (3) the age at which it appears.

Visual impairment is characterized as serious or profound when 

• the visual acuity of each eye, after correction with appropriate ophthalmic lenses, with the exception of special optical systems and increases greater than 4.00 diopters, is no more than 6/21; 
• or when the field of vision of each eye is less than 60 degrees in the meridians of 180 degrees and 90 degrees,;
• and when, in either case, the person is incapable of reading, writing or moving in an unfamiliar environment.

Source : AQICESH

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Learning disabilities involve cognitive limitations. These limitations can affect your ability to pay attention, to read, to write, to store and recall information, to communicate, to reason and to control your behaviour.

Source : AQICESH

This video was produced by the Comité Interordres (in French only).

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Attention deficit disorder, with or without hyperactivity, is a neurological disorder. It results in difficulties controlling one's ideas (inattention), gestures (restlessness), and behaviours (impulsivity). 

Source : AQICESH

This video was produced by the Comité Interordres (in French only).

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Speech and language disorders are related to neurological disorders. These disorders include aphasia, dysphasia, audimutatis and brain dysfunction. These disorders result in persistent and significant difficulties in communicating.

Source : AQICESH

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Students frequently experience mental health disorders. The most common mental health disorders found among students include bipolar disorder, depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, schizophrenia and suicidal ideation. 

Source : Canadian Mental Health Association

This video was produced by the Comité Interordres (in French only).

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There are five kinds of pervasive development disorders (PDDs): autistic disorder, Asperger's disorder, Rett's disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive development disorder not otherwise specified (also called atypical autism). 

Source : Autism Society Canada

This video was produced by the Comité Interordres (in French only).

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