CACServiceLearning - Disability Research, 10

Disability: impairment (physical or mental), which limits one’s activities. There are many types such as physical, mental, learning, social, or cognitive which can be acquired during one’s life or genetic (present at birth) or a combination of both.

Different disabilities and special needs (Alphabetical order):

Acquired Brain Injury, ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit Disorder/Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), Aicardi Syndrome, AIDS, Alzheimer's Disease (both age related and early-onset), Amputation, Angelman Syndrome, Anxiety Disorders, Apallic Syndrome, Arthritis, Arthrogryposis, Asperger's Syndrome, Ataxia, Autism – Asperger Syndrome, Asthma.
Becker Muscular Dystrophy, Bipolar Disorder, Blindness, Bronchiectasis
Cerebral Palsy, Charcot-Marie-Tooth Syndrome, Christ-Siemen's-Touraine syndrome, Chronic Fatigue Syndrome, Cockayne syndrome, Congenital Muscular Dystrophy, Cri du Chat syndrome, Cystic Fibrosis.
Deafness, Degenerative Joint Disease, Dementia, Depression, Diabetes, Distal Muscular, Dystrophy, Down's Syndrome, Duchenne's Muscular Dystrophy, Dwarfism ("people of short stature"), Dyscalculla (like Dyslexia but to do with numbers), Dyslexia, Dysplasia, Dyspraxia.
Emery-Dreifuss Muscular Dystrophy, Epilepsy, Eating Disorders.
Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy, Fibromyalgia, Friedreich's Ataxia.
Guillain-Barre Syndrome
Hearing Impairment, Hemiplegia, Huntington Disease
Limb-Girdle Muscular Dystrophy, Lou Gehrig's Disease
Meniere's Disease, Mental Retardation, Motor Neurone Disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Myasthenia Gravis, Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy.
Narcolepsy
Obsessive Conpulsive Disorder, Oculopharyngeal Muscular Dystrophy, Osteogenesis Imperfecta (brittle bone disorder also known as Adair-Dighton syndrome)
Paraplegia, Parkinson's Disease, Phobias (eg Agoraphobia), Polio, Post Polio Syndrome, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Prader-Willi Syndrome
Quadriplegia
Refsum Disease, Rett Syndrome
Speech Disability, Schizophrenia, Spina Bifida, Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Traumatic Brain Injury, Trichorhinophalangeal Syndrome (An Ectodermal Dysplasia Syndrome), Tuberous Sclerosis
Williams Syndrome
Visual Impairment (total or partial)

Parkinson’s Disease:

What is it?
- A progressive disease in the nervous system that affects middle ages and elderly people.
- Symptoms:
  - Involuntary shaking/trembling or quivering movement (done without conscious control).
  - Stiffness of the muscles (beginning in the legs) as well as pains.
  - Slow and inaccurate movements.
  - Automatic movements; blinking, constipation, difficult swallowing, drooling, impaired balance when walking.
  - Lack of expression in the face
  - Movement problems; difficulty walking, writing
  - Slowed movements
  - Treatment:
    - At the moment, there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease.
      - Organizations/foundations are trying to find a cure.
    - Medications are given to the patients in order to control or limit the shaking as well as the many other symptoms by increasing the levels of dopamine in the brain.
  - Causes:
    - Parkinson’s occurs when the nerve cells in the brain that make dopamine slowly get destroyed (w/out dopamine nerve cells can’t send messages properly)

Resources:
Allison. "Disabilities." Yahoo! Answers . Web. 21 Jan. 2012. <http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20090508190742AA6kgaL>.
"Different disabilities ." Adding to Life Pluss. Web. 21 Jan. 2012. <http://www.pluss.org.uk/different-disabilities>