People with disabilities

Vulnerable groups. Typically including the elderly, orphans, widows, people with disabilities, people with HIV/AIDS, refugees or internally displaced persons, among others. Vulnerable groups face special difficulties in supporting themselves because of some particular aspect of their situation. 

The Leadership Consortium, a scheme for very talented people with disabilities. 

In addition to such direct advantages, pervasive computing has a big social contribution to make. It can be used, for example, to enable patients and their relatives to keep in touch, and to help people with cognitive disabilities function on a daily basis. One illness that lends itself to such treatment is senile dementia, which is likely to be a growing trend in the graying populations of the Western World. 

The costs of care for people with cognitive disability in the UK have been estimated at between UK 14 926 and 47 232 per person (updated to 1997/8 costs), depending on the severity of disability and the setting of care (Kavanagh et al, 1993 Kavanagh and Knapp, 1999). Reports of the total costs of care for people with dementia in the UK range from 1 billion to 6 billion per year (Gray and Fenn, 1993 Bosanquet et al, 1998 Manca and Davies, 1999). These... 

One study used quality-adjusted life years to capture the range of health-related dimensions that may affect the quality of life of patients. This measure also provides an estimate of the value or preferences for changes in health status (Neumann et al, 1999). The study used the Health Utility Index Mark II in a sample of patients and carers, which is a generic measure of the value of health-related quality of life. However, it is clear that further research is needed to explore (a) the key determinants or dimensions of quality of life that are important to people with dementia and their carers (b) whether existing instmments to measure and value health-related quality of life are able to detect differences in quality of life that are important to people with cognitive disability and their carers and (c) whether the assessment and... 

The quality of life experienced by people with MCS is shaped, to a great extent, by the level of awareness of environmental health issues where they live and work. Some are recipients of workplace accommodations in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act others are harassed and ostracized at work, or fired from their jobs. Some disabled by chemical exposures in the workplace receive workers compensation the majority of chemical-illness claims are denied. Some cities, schools and other institutions have adopted fragrance-free policies and Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs to reduce chemical barriers and dangers in public places others still resist despite all the prevalence studies and research indicating that MCS is a serious threat to public health. 

Why would anyone expect to recover completely when very few people do One of the most poignant quotes I ve heard was One guy told me he has completely recovered from MCS—twice. It s more productive to think about this illness as being more like diabetes than the flu. If your doctor and your family members think you can just get over this, they re going to be mad at you when you don t. People with other disabilities—like those who are paraplegic... 

In Marin I ran into situations time and again when someone I knew couldn t enter the hospital because there was new carpet, or couldn t get a pap smear or a breast exam, or couldn t take kids to the ER or to a clinic because of chemical barriers. I began working with some of the disability activists in Marin County and San Francisco and tried to learn what the laws were. In 1985 I started a newsletter, called The Reactor, about civil rights and access rights for people with chemical and electric magnetic field sensitivities. 

Symptoms can range from mild to disabling and can even be life threatening. Reactions may vary depending upon the person s general state of health and the amount of other recent exposures. The onset of symptoms following an exposure may be immediate or delayed for hours or even days, and quite often are masked by the effects of ongoing exposures. Symptoms can last from a few seconds to a few weeks or months. Some people experience distinctly different constellations of symptoms in response to different substances. New symptoms may develop over time, and some may resolve. People with moderate to severe cases of MCS may be partially or totally disabled for several years or for life. Many improve but full recovery is rare. 

Referrals, policy development, research and advocacy. Expertise in indoor air issues, rights of those disabled by chemical/environ-mental exposures, public and commercial buildings access issues, accommodations in the workplace and more. Provides info package, media packages, educational materials and speakers bureau. Member of the President s Committee on Employment of People with... 

Ali, Z. 2001. Pica in people with intellectual disability a literature review of aetiology, epidemiology and complications. Journal of Intellectual and Developmental Disability, 26 205-215. 

According to the UK National Initiative for the Care of the Elderly only specialists in the care of people with dementia (that is, psychiatrists including those specialising in learning disability, neurologists, and physicians specialising in the care of the elderly) should initiate treatment. Carers views on the patient s condition at baseline should be sought. 

Willemsen-Swinkels, S.H.N., Buitelaar, J.K., Weijnen, F.G., Thijssen, J.H.H., and Van Engeland, H. (1996b) Plasma P-endorphin concentrations in people with learning disability and self-injurious and/or autistic behaviour. Br J Psychiatry 168 105-109. 

Branford, D., Bhaumik, S., and Naik, B. (1998) Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors for the treatment of perseverative and maladaptive behaviours of people with intellectual disability. / Intellect Disabil Res 42 301—306. 

Szymanski, L.S., King, B., Goldberg, B., Reid, A.H., Tonge, B.J., and Cain, N. (1998) Diagnosis of mental disorders in people with mental retardation. In Reiss, S. and Aman, M.G., eds. Psychotropic Medications and Developmental Disabilities The International Consensus Handbook. Columbus, OH The Ohio State University Nisonger Center, pp. 3-17. 

Protect people with disabilities from discrimination... 

Medicare A federal health insurance program for people age 65 and older and younger people with disabilities that partially covers hospital, medical, and prescription drug costs. 

The most welcome technical achievements in life science are the ones that enhance well-being or restore impaired or lost biological functions. Rehabilitation engineering is a research field that has devoted its full spectrum of efforts to compensate for malfunctions and disorders in human biological systems. This includes the development of devices for the rehabilitation of neural disorders which are termed neural prostheses. Neural prostheses directly interface with the central and peripheral nervous system. The most commonly known neural prosthesis is the cardiac pacemaker, which has existed for more than 30 years. A variety of other lesser known devices have been developed to partially restore neural functions in disabled people. 

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