Too often a lack of knowledge about disability, or understanding of how people manage disability day-to-day, prevents people from interacting with each other. People with a disability have the same interests, aspirations, skills and faults as anyone else. In fact, when you have a conversation with a person with a disability, you will probably find you have plenty of stories and experiences to share.

Respecting individual needs and appreciating personal experiences will help us all see beyond the disability and help create a stronger, more supportive and welcoming community.

When considering disability insurance, people are often confused about Medicaid and Medicare. Some people know there is a difference between the two but do not quite know exactly what it is. Other people are not even aware that Medicaid differs from Medicare.

What Is Medicaid Health Insurance?

Medicaid is a program funded by states and the federal government to provide various insurance coverages for low income citizens including families, children, elderly and the disabled.

What Is Medicare Health Insurance?

Medicare insurance is the nations largest health insurance program. Medicare coverages include people age 65 and over, disabled persons under 65 and persons with permanent kidney failure.

Many people often assume that because you are disabled you have no right to play sport but tell that to the paralympics and the extremely successful Special Olympics. One of the most common disabled sports is wheelchair basketball. It is one of the most widely played sports by disabled people around the world.

The bathroom is one of the places in your home where the ability to do things independently is extremely important. While in the bathroom, most people want to be alone if at all possible.

Showering, bathing, shaving, brushing your hair, brushing your teeth. Though these are activities that many take for granted, people with limb differences can find them very difficult to do alone. Your daily grooming routine is made up of movements that require hand and wrist dexterity and flexibility, arm extension and rotation, balance, strength and coordination. When these movements are difficult or painful, grooming can be a frustrating or even risky experience without the aid of assistive devices.

Unfortunately, because assistive devices for independent living are produced by only a small number of manufacturers and there is only a small market for them, they can be expensive. Moreover, Medicare does not cover the cost of bathing equipment, including bath seats, hand-held shower heads or grab bars.

With a little thought and ingenuity, however, you can find ways to do these activities with homemade or easily available and inexpensive aids. You shouldn’t neglect safety for convenience, however.

The advent of technology has made available a number of mobility aids, designed to make  mobility easier for disabled people. Disabled equipment makes moving easier and sometimes help health professionals to better handle disabled people as well. Some products, like wheelchairs are mobility equipment designed to help with movement while others assist with daily tasks, sometimes things that seem as simple as getting in and out of bed.