There are different types of physical and development disability camps for children. There may be disability camps that accept all handicapped kids, while there are others that accept kids with specific needs. These handicap camps range from learning disability camps to cancer camps to physical disabilities.

Camps for kids with disabilities

• The June Rusche Hamrah Camps for All : This is a non-profit organization that works in co-ordination with various special needs groups to provide an accessible environment for disabled kids. It offers ample opportunity for activities, education and therapeutic needs of children of all ages.

• Very Special Camps : This is an online camp directory for locating special needs camps. They have a variety of camps to choose from depending on your special need and activities preferred.

• Children’s Association for Maximum Potential : is a weeklong camping session held every summer to benefit kids with special needs.

• Timbertop Camp : This non-profit camp is jointly sponsored by YMCA and the Association for Services for Learning Disabilities. It is designed for children who require extra care and attention due to their various types of learning disabilities.

• Lose the Training Wheels : is an organization dedicated to teaching children with disabilities how to ride a two-wheeled bicycle and become independent bike riders.

• Camp Lee Mar : helps children with learning and development difficulties to participate in regular camping activities and improve on their interpersonal and activity skills.

Special needs camps for kids with disabilities are abundant in variety and availability. There are disability camps that serve specific needs and wants of children with learning, behavioral and physical disabilities. While regular camps are well equipped for disabled kids as well, there are also specific camps to help a child adjust better around similar children.

A handicap camp is one of the best ways to allow a child to interact with other kids who are in a similar situation and thus allow them to develop their communication skills, as well as make friends. These tips and resources may serve as a starting guide to your perfect special needs summer camp search.

What to expect out of a handicap camp?

A child with special needs has the same basic needs when it comes to the growing up process. With an extra emphasis on addressing their unique disabilities, a handicap camp is designed to benefit kids by developing their interpersonal skills and also making sure they have a good time.

Even though each disability camp has its own way of conducting activities, there are some basic aspects that must be expected out of all of them. Special needs summer camps exist to make sure kids are involved in several activities and unique interests that develop their athletic and creative sides. Some of these handicap camps are designed to address specific disabilities so that children do not have to feel out of place.

Moreover, this encourages interaction with other kids, and helps them develop inner confidence. These disability camps also allow kids to have an opportunity to develop friendships, respect elders and also develop leadership skills. As they are away from their parents for extended periods of time, they also learn to become independent and self-reliant.

Different types of special needs summer camps

Deciding on the correct kind of disabled camp for your child is very important. It is essential that you include your child in this decision as they might have specific requests as well. The first step is to determine the duration of the camp. Camps range from daytime only, weekend, or even entire summers. Talking to your child and figuring out what would be best for them and their special needs would benefit all. After deciding on the duration, one must look into the different types of camps.

Inclusionary camps are the main kind of camps that have existed for years. However, in recent years, the ADA – The Americans with Disabilities Act – requires that all camps must make appropriate accommodations for children with disabilities. This may include adding wheelchair accessibility ramps, wider hallways and so on. In this way, regular camps can now accommodate special needs kids and make them feel welcome.

Sometimes, the disability of a child makes it impossible for them to attend a regular camp. The family might even prefer not to send them to a regular camp for the fear that the child may feel out of place there. Camps for kids with disabilities are very common these days.

Finding the correct kind of special needs camp is essential to the growth and confidence building process of the kid. Conducting a lot of research and asking other parents for recommendations would help in making the right decision for your child. Refer to the List of Camps for Kids with Disabilities.

Various mobility products are now in the market which can be used to increase mobility within the household. Such daily living aids allows individuals to travel between rooms, take showers without dangerous bathroom accidents, go up and down the stairs and many other simple tasks that everyone takes for granted. The market identifies the needs of the disabled and continuously comes out with mobility products that will greatly benefit the disabled.

Importance of mobility aids

Without a doubt, personal safety and independent living are the topmost reasons for the innovative mobility aids that we see today. Innovators are continuously looking to improve the lives of disabled people and provide them with devices that may work as daily living aids in order to make every day a little bit easier. Not only are these disability aids now being widely used, they are becoming an important part of thousands of individuals’ lives who are benefiting everyday from some form of household mobility aids.

These mobility products are designed for the handicapped, as well as the senior and elderly who have lost the control of one of more muscles in their body and have difficulty getting around. Some people have difficulty with the smallest of tasks which we take for granted, such as bending down to pick up a dropped towel, washing plates, walking up the stairs or even just turning a key. These mobility aids provide make such tasks easy again for disabled individuals and allow them to lead a normal life.

Useful aids for daily living

There are innumerable amounts of mobility aids that are now available in various stores and locations. These are specifically create to address certain common issues faced by disabled and mobility challenged individuals. Some of the most commonly used and sold items today are:

• Stair lift chair : This mobility aid device is created for individuals who have stairs within their house. This electric mechanized device allows the individual to be transferred up and down the stairs while being seated on a wheel chair.

• Bathroom chair : These chairs are specifically designed for bathrooms to assist in handicap mobility. They are water resistant and have non slip handles and wheels. It allows for easy transfer to and from the bathtubs. Custom designed swing doors are often required and preferred in order to allow such chairs to be accessible.

• Mobility scooters : are very convenient disability aids that allow individuals with weak walking abilities to move around over extended periods of time.

• Bed mobility aids : Several custom adjustments can be made to beds in order to make it more comfortable for a disabled individual. Adjustments may include adjustable back rests, side railings, leg raisers or attached bed tables.

• Grab rails : These mobility aids can be installed in virtually all parts of the house. Simple railings can make it much easier for the mobility challenged to move around all over the house.

• Key extenders and turners : A small key may be impossible to use for some people. A key extender may be attached to a regular key to extend the surface area of the key. A key turner may also be used to get a better grip on the key.

• Grips : Grips may be put over things like a door knob, on tables, or even on the floor. The non-slip feature of this disability aid allows a person to get a better grip on slippery objects and ensures safety around the house.

Accessibility within one’s home is the most important thing to all individuals. Increasing mobility through disability aids gives more freedom to a person and allows them to do daily tasks with little or no help from others. Simple daily living aids like the ones mentioned here and many more contribute to a much better and safer home environment for disabled people. Everyday there are new mobility aids that are being discovered which makes it a little bit easier to complete daily chores.

How handicap hand controls are used?

A non-handicapped individual may often wonder how a mobility disabled individual can drive a regular car. The automobile industry has advanced greatly and has come up with ingenious ways to provide mobility independence and make disabled driving a possibility. People who are wheelchair ridden use their hands to get around. Cars are installed with handicap hand controls in order to help such individuals drive. Several custom adjustments may be made to a car in order to suit your personal needs.

In most cases, the regular functioning of the brakes and gas are kept intact so that the resale value of the car is not depleted. Additional hand controls are simply installed within the reach of the driver which helps operate the vehicle. An automatic transmission vehicle is compulsory for these disabled hand controls to work. Usually a single lever is installed for gas and brake. A pull would accelerate the car while pushing on the lever will apply brakes to it. Additional levers and buttons may be installed for horns, lights, indicators, wipers and so on.

Even though all these handicap hand controls may be bought at a number of stores, it is advisable to have the authorized dealer install it for you. Installing a hand control for effective adaptive driving can be a very tiresome task. Moreover, being certain that has been installed correctly is imperative to your safety while driving. The cost of these hand controls may run quite high. Installation charges are then added on to that. However, authorized dealers often offer a $1000 adaptive driving rebate to install certain handicap hand controls.

There are also several agencies like the Veteran’s Administration, development disabilities services, local rehabilitation centers and such similar places that offer compensation. At times, health insurance companies or driving insurance companies cover costs for installing vehicle medications for adaptive driving. Help is available to make driving easier and possible for you. A disabled individual must not give up the hope of driving that soon!

Types of modifications for adaptive driving

Hand controls are not the only form of modifications that are possible on vehicles. There are several other ways in which adaptive driving is made possible. Some of the common modifications are:

• Siren detectors for the hearing impaired.
• Bioptics for individuals with low vision.
• Amputee ring for drivers with prosthetic hooks.
• Floor-mounted steering for complete foot control of the steering wheel.
• Remote switches for commonly used functions like wipers, signals, horns etc.
• Wheelchair adjustable seats and seatbelts for comfortable entry and exit from the car.
• Pedal extender to raise the brakes and accelerator pedals for wheelchair accessibility.

Tips for disabled driving

Adaptive driving can be a very tiresome task. Knowing what is available and how to install hand controls and other devices can get overwhelming. Getting used to newly installed handicap hand controls can take awhile and a lot of practice.

• The Association of Driver Rehabilitation Specialists provides a thorough check up and useful recommendations of the types of hand controls and other modifications required by your car.

• Conduct lots of research based on your special needs in order to find out what is available for you and your car.

• Hand controls are hard to install, so make sure you have an experienced person install them for you.

• Practice repeatedly with your adaptive driving controls before you hit the roads!

Adaptive driving for disabled individuals is becoming more and more popular as technological advances come up with various devices to help such individuals operate vehicles just like a regular person. Handicap hand controls, once installed, become a very easy way to operate vehicles for wheelchair ridden people. It gives such individuals a new outlook on life as they can now be independent and need not always rely on public transportation. Such improvements make adaptive driving a possibility and a comfort factor for the thousands of people who are now benefiting from it.

Wheelchair Accessibility

Easy Wheelchair Access Indoors

• Remove loose carpets or rugs to facilitate movement.
• Change doorknobs to lever-type handles.
• Replace narrow doors with pocket doors or even curtains so you have no trouble getting from room to room or even entering the house while you are on your wheelchair.
• Move furniture to allow at least a 32-inch path and a 5-foot turning radius. There is nothing more annoying than not being able to move freely within your own home.
• Add a 36-inch string to each door handle. A wheelchair user can use this to pull the door closed when moving through the doorway.
• Add furniture coasters or decorated, small blocks of wood to raise tables and desks above knee level.
• Tack or glue down small, wedge-shaped pieces of wood or metal to serve as mini ramps over high door thresholds.
• Use drop leaf, roll-away carts for kitchen work areas.
• Change bathroom vanity-style sink fixtures to pedestal types.
• Change the toilet to a taller, narrower handicapped toilet to permit access by commode wheelchair.
• Install grab bars as necessary in the bathroom.
• Install a nonslip floor in the bathroom.
• Install a hose/nozzle system in the shower.
• Put in a water-powered ascending/descending tub seat.
• Install lever handles on kitchen and bathroom sinks.
• Consider changing appliances to front-control, front-access types.
• Plan an emergency exit for the wheelchair user.

Easy Wheelchair Access Outdoors

• Install a ramp for at least one entrance/exit of the dwelling. The ramp should be built at no more than a 1-to-12 gradient.
• Convert gravel walks to concrete for all-weather access.
• Construct ramp access to the garage or carport to allow sheltered entrance into and exit from a vehicle.
• Move the mailbox to an accessible point.

Making some of these changes to your home might seem tiresome and you might even get put off by the costs of these wheelchair accessibility changes. However, you must understand that if you are confined to your wheelchair for the long term, it is important that you maximise wheelchair accessibility for your home. Therefore, even though it might be expensive in the beginning, it is a capital investment that will prove to be very useful and helpful in the long run.

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.

Communicate Better With Disabled People

Following are some tips that you should keep in mind when communicating with disabled people.

• Treat people with a disability with the same respect and consideration you have for everyone else.
• Don’t assume what a person can or can’t do.
• Speak to people with a disability directly, not through their carer, assistant or interpreter.
• Ask before you help – don’t just jump in.
• Can’t understand what’s being said? Don’t pretend – ask again.
• Take some time – people with some kinds of disability may take a little longer to understand and respond.
• Some disabilities are invisible. Get to know people.
• Guide dogs are working dogs. Never pat or speak to a guide dog while it’s wearing a harness.

Other Useful Communication Tips

• When talking with a person with a disability, speak directly to that person rather than through a companion or sign language interpreter who may be present.
• When introduced to a person with a disability, it is appropriate to offer to shake hands. People with limited hand use or who wear an artificial limb can usually shake hands. (Shaking hands with the left hand is an acceptable greeting.)
• When meeting a person with a visual impairment, always identify yourself and others who may be with you. When conversing in a group, remember to identify the person to whom you are speaking.
• If you offer assistance, wait until the offer is accepted. Then listen to or ask for instructions.
• Treat adults as adults. Address people who have disabilities by their first names only when extending the same familiarity to all others. (Never patronize people who use wheelchairs by patting them on the head or shoulders.)
• Leaning or hanging on a person’s wheelchair is similar to leaning or hanging on a person and is generally considered annoying. The chair is part of the person’s body space.
• Listen attentively when you’re talking with a person who has difficulty speaking. Be patient and wait for the person to finish rather than correcting or speaking for the person. If necessary, ask short questions that require short answers, a nod or a shake of the head. Never pretend to understand if you are having difficulty doing so. Instead, repeat what you have understood and allow the person to respond. The response will clue in and guide your understanding.
• When speaking with a person in a wheelchair or a person who uses crutches, place yourself at eye level in front of the person to facilitate the conversation.
• To get the attention of a person who is hearing-impaired, tap the person on the shoulder or wave your hand. Look directly at the person and speak clearly, slowly, and expressively to establish if the person can read your lips. Not all people with a hearing impairment
  can lip-read. For those who do not lip-read, be sensitive to their needs by placing yourself facing the light source and keeping hands, cigarettes, and food away from your mouth when speaking.
• Relax. Don’t be embarrassed if you happen to use accepted, common expressions such as “See you later,” or “Did you hear about this,” that seem to relate to the person’s disability.

Yoga Helps All Disabilities

The gentle stretching of yoga and its centered-breathing discipline can benefit people who may have arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), Parkinson’s disease, or osteoporosis as well as those who have had a stroke. The “asanas,” or poses that make up a yoga practice can also help with balance and strength while helping you find a calming emotional space that helps not only with healing, but also with the day-to-day challenges of life.

In addition, notes the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability (NCPAD), yoga aids your:

• Digestive system, as the bending and stretching poses stimulate the digestive system
• Cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary systems (also known as your heart and lungs!), as the more active poses increase heart rate and lung capacity through aerobic activity.
• Lymphatic system (essentially, the primary component of your immune system), which needs strong muscles and active interaction among the lungs, diaphragm, and thorax to stay strong.
• Skeletal and muscular systems, which benefit from yoga’s focus on proper alignment, flexibility, and muscle-strengthening

Yoga Improves Activities of Daily Living

Besides leaving students with improved virtues such as confidence and patience, yoga has practical applications for everyday living. In his book, Waking: A Memoir of Trauma and Transcendence (Rodale, 2008), Matthew Sanford mentions one of his students who has cerebral palsy, which caused the man to have frequent falls and resulting injuries. After becoming a regular student in Sanford’s yoga classes, the man fell in the shower one day but was able to use his improved body control to land in a way that spared him from injury.

Sanford said that in his own life, yoga has given him the strength to easily transfer in and out of different wheelchairs, as well as produced noticeable improvements in balance and flexibility.

Learning More About Yoga for People with Disabilities

One of the best free sources of information regarding yoga and its benefits is the NCPAD’s website section, “Yoga for Individuals with Disabilities.”

Included among its overviews, articles, videos, and online demonstrations are information about yoga’s benefits, yoga equipment, what to expect in a yoga session, demonstrations of specific exercises, a resource list, a directory of yoga organizations (definitely needs updating/expanding), and a relatively current (2005 is most recent publication date) list of books and articles about yoga for various conditions.

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.

Other Medicaid Disability Insurance Details

• Individuals must have a certain basic income to qualify for Medicaid. While Medicaid is techniclaly administered by the federal government, states are allowed to set their own qualification rules. As a result, qualification requirements for Medicaid might vary from state to state.
• Disabled people covered by Medicaid are covered for hospital services, x ray services, home health care services and dental insurance for children as well.

Other Medicare Disabled Insurance Details

• The coverage for Medicare is divided into two parts. Part A is the Hospital Insurance and Part B is the Medical Insurance.
• Part A is usually designed for those over the age of 65.  If you have this type of Medicare, you do not have to pay an insurance premium as you have probably paid for it via taxes while you were working. However, if you have never worked or have not paid Medicare taxes then you might have to pay a certain amoutn of premium to be insured with Medicare Part A disability insurance. Part A Medicare insurance covers hospital care, nursing care and hospices.
• Part B Medicare insurance covers a variety of health services including but not limited to physicians, outpatient vists and all therapists that are considered absolutely essential for medical purposes.

These are the basic differences between Medicaid and Medicare.

Blind Person’s Kitchen: Getting Organized

• Develop a system so you know where your utensils, spices and ingredients are stored. And make sure that other family members are aware so that they return things to their proper places.
• Labeling with large print or braille as well as tactile markings can help distinguish similar types of containers or the right setting on an oven or microwave. Wrap a rubber band around the juice container, for example, to tell it apart from the milk.
• Use all your senses. Touch and hearing can help you identify ingredients and operate appliances. Do you know how to tell a can of cream soup from noodle soup? Listen and feel as you shake the cans – the noodle soup will splash and feel looser. Some stove dials click as you turn the knob to various temperature settings. You can smell toast getting brown to know it’s done or burning. Meat is brown when it’s rough to the touch.
• Know your lighting needs. Install under-the-counter lighting and/or use gooseneck, adjustable arm lamps to position light directly onto your work area. Seat yourself so windows are behind you or to your side.

Getting Started With Your Disability Kitchen

• Keep cabinet doors fully closed or fully open. Contrasting tape on the insides or backs of cabinet doors can make it easier to tell if one is open. Install contrasting knobs or handles.
• Use a cutting board that contrasts in color with the items that you’re cutting. Long armed oven mitts, dish towels and utensils that contrast with countertops can make them easier to find.
• Use a timer when heating foods. You’ll not only know when the food is done, but get a reminder to turn off the appliance.
• Divided measuring cups are more accurate and easier to use than a standard measuring cup for both dry and liquid ingredients. It can be difficult to detect the lines for each measure on a standard measuring cup and divided measuring cups are available in a variety of colors, so you can utilize color contrast techniques.

Disabled Kitchens :Using Appliances

• Many appliance manufacturers offer large-print or braille dials, overlays, contrasting color features and marking kits, so ask before you buy.
• A popular addition to many kitchens, the George Foreman Grill allows you to cook food on both sides simultaneously, without setting any dials or needing to flip or turn the food.
• Easy-to-set bread machines, crock pots and rotisseries can simplify the cooking process.
• Install counter-level outlets for easy access, or use battery-operated appliances. Some people feel more in control when using manual appliances.
• Small countertop appliances – including toaster ovens, coffeemakers and microwaves – may be safer and easier to use for heating food than the oven or stove.

Cooking Tips For The Blind

• Record your recipes for easy access. There are cookbooks available in large print and braille as well as on audiocassette. If you’re online, you can access recipes from Web sites and print them in an accessible format.
• Pay attention to the sounds of food cooking. When asked how long a pan of enchiladas needs to be baked, one man said, “When they’re talking loudly, not whispering, but fairly shouting, they’re done!” Listen for the rolling, bubbling noise that becomes louder and more forceful as liquids boil. Wait to hear the popping of frying food to know it’s browning. When the sounds die down, food usually is ready to be turned.
• As food cooks, odors change. Often you can smell when something is done, for example, when cookies are baked.
• Smell spices before you sprinkle. There’s nothing like mistaking pepper for cinnamon.

Disability Kitchens : Setting Your Table

• Use contrasting plates, tablecloths, placemats, and napkins. Use light or dark colored plates, glasses, or cups to contrast with food and beverages.
• Plates that are pattern-free make locating food much easier.
• Use tinted rather than clear glasses for greater visibility.
• Push chairs under tables.
• Use a tablecloth to cut the glare from shiny or polished surfaces such as Formica tabletops.
• Eat in a well-lit area. Sunshine streaming into a room can cause glare. Consider adjustable window curtains or shades.

Albert Einstein
The Mathematician/Physicist who had a learning disability and did not speak until age 3. He had a very difficult time doing maths in school. It was also very hard for him to express himself through writing.

Alexander Graham Bell
Had a learning disability

Cher
Has dyslexia

Christopher Reeve
Never has a person with a disability commanded so much media attention in recent history. Christopher Reeve, crippled after a horse-riding injury, wants to be up on his feet & wants to help others stand confident too. His life is now dedicated to harnessing the power of medical research to get up & ride again.

David Blunkett
The Rt Hon David Blunkett MP is without doubt Britain’s most famous guide dog owner. Often photographed with his guide dogs – Ted, Offa and Lucy – David Blunkett also holds the powerful political post of Home Secretary. Joining the Labour party aged 16, he was elected to Sheffield City Council aged 22. He was the council leader from 1980 to 1987 until he was elected MP for Sheffield Brightside. Seen as the archetypal municipal Socialist, he is in many senses a traditional Labour man – beard-wearing and blunt-talking. Arguably, he is a role model for disabled people who just want to get on with their lives.

Edison
Edison had a learning disability. He couldn’t read until he was twelve years old and had a very difficult time writing even when he was older.

Franklin D. Roosevelt
Roosevelt had Polio, was governor of New York State then elected President of the United States for 4 terms.

George Washington
Had a learning disability. He could barely write and had very poor grammar skills.

Goya
Spanish painter (1746-1828): At age 46, an illness left him deaf. He went on to create the most famous Spanish art of the 19th century.

Helen Keller
(Devoted Life to Persons with Disabilities) She was Blind, Deaf, and Mute

Ian Dury
movement/walking disability, resulting from polio. Hits from 1978 (“Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick”) into 1980’s. Recorded “Spasticus Autisticus” which was banned from radio, not surprising, as lyrics could be mis-construed as disabled-ist

John Milton
English Author/poet (1608-1674): He became blind at age 43. He went on to create his most famous epic, Paradise Lost.

Lord Byron
“Mad, bad and dangerous to know”, Britain’s great romantic was also born with talipes, a club foot. It is said that he “walked with difficulty but wandered at will”. He toured Europe extensively and captured the popular imagination through his poetry and his personality. From gloomy egoism through to satiric realism he was renowned for his writings, his sexual ambivalences and his championing of Greek independence from the Turks. Disability activist Tom Shakespeare summed him up in the following way: “Most of his poetry hasn’t stood the test of time, but he was a blockbuster in his day, and like very few other heroes, his name is still used as an adjective – ‘Byronic’, meaning dashing.”

Lord Nelson
Viscount Horatio Nelson is certainly Britain’s greatest naval hero. His skill as a naval commander is, of course, well-documented. He won crucial victories at Trafalgar in 1805 and the Battle of the Nile in 1798, during the wars with revolutionary and Napoleonic France. What is less often remarked upon is that a great part of his naval career and his major victories were won as a disabled person. Going ashore in Corsica following the fall of Toulon, a French shot flung debris into his face leaving him without sight in his right eye. Later, an assault on Tenerife resulted in a shattered right elbow – back on his flagship the arm was amputated. He carried on as a disabled seaman for nearly ten years, securing his most important naval victories at the Battle of the Nile and the infamous Battle of Trafalgar – where he died on October 21, 1805. Contrary to popular belief, he didn’t say “I see no ships”. Instead he said, during the Battle of Copenhagen, “… I have only one eye. I have a right to be blind sometimes” and, raising his telescope to his blind eye, “I really do not see the signal”.

Ludwig van Beethoven
(Famous Musician) – known to be deaf

Marla Runyan
One of the women representing the Unites States in the 1500 metre track event at hte 2000 Olympics was Marla Runyan. The American runner finished seventh in her preliminary heat and rose to sixth in the semi finals to qualify for the finals. During the final race, Marla lost track of the major competitors. She finished in eighth position, 3.20 seconds behind the gold medal winner. In 1996, Marla set several track and field records at the Paralympics in Atlanta, Georgia. Following that success, Marla wanted to compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney — even though she is legally blind. The 31-year-old runner has been diagnosed with Stargardt disease. This is a condition that leaves her with a limited ability to see what is in front of her. In Sydney, Marla became the first legally blind athlete to compete in an Olympics.

Marlee Matlin
Marlee Matlin is a stand-up comedian and an actress. Some of her films include A Dead Silence, My Party,A Hear No Evil, A Bridge to Silence, A Walker, and A Children of A Lesser God. In 1987, she captivated the world by winning the Academy Award for Best Actress in the film A Children of a Lesser God. Marlee Matlin became deaf in infancy due to Roseola infantum. However, deafness has not disabled her or her career.

Michael Bolton
(famous Singer): Deaf in one ear

Robin Williams
(famous Hollywood Star) was diagnosed to be suffering from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder(ADHD) as a child. He never refuses a role related to medicine e.g Awakenings, Patch Adams.

Sarah Bernhardt
French actress (1844-1923) Disabled by a knee injury, her leg amputated in 1914, she continued starring on stage until just before her death. She is regarded as France’s greatest actress — “The Divine Sarah”.

Stephen Hawkings
Physicist/mathematician has Lou Gehrigs Disease and is in a wheelchair. He needs a computer to speak.

Sudha Chandran
(Indian actress and classical dancer) This brave lady dances with a Jaipur foot. She has acted in a movie on classical dance called “Nache Mayuri” & today acts in a variety of TV serials.

Tanni Grey-Thompson
Tanni Carys Davina Grey-Thompson OBE – to give her full name and title – is the disabled athlete that most people instantly recognise. Formerly Tanni Grey – the Thompson was added following her marriage in 1999 – she has competed in Paralympic Games since 1988, representing Britain at distances ranging from 100m to 800m. She has won fourteen paralympic medals including nine golds, and has broken over twenty world records. As a wheelchair athlete she was also the winner of five London marathons – in 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998 and 2001. In recent years, she has established herself as a TV presenter – including BBC TWO’s From the Edge disability magazine programme.

Tom Cruise
(Hollywood Star): is severely dyslexic

Walt Disney
Had a learning disability

Woodrow Wilson
U.S. President from 1913-1921. Had a learning disability – he was severely dyslexic