Getting Help for Those With Special Needs
Those who have no sense impairments give very little thought to those that do. For example just because people are deaf does not mean that there mental facilities are in any way impaired. One young woman who we met who cannot hear says that people tend to view her as mentally retarded. Similarly some people feel very uncomfortable when they are around someone who is blind.
Those that are blind, however, generally welcome help when it is offered in a natural, polite way, even as help might be offered to someone elderly or someone who may seem to need help in carrying a heavy load. So there is really no need for anyone to feel uncomfortable around someone who may have special needs. If you had to give up one of your five senses, you would probably choose to do without your sense of smell. It is considered less important than all of the other senses. Although some even feel that the loss of this seemingly less important sense can be tragic
The severity of sense impairment may differ greatly from one person to another. One person may be totally deaf, being unable to hear at all while another person may have some hearing. In actuality most deaf people can hear some sound, even though they cannot hear speech. It is also the same when it comes to vision, some people cannot see at all, however in the United States a person is considered legally blind if he can only see from 20 feet. A person with normal sight can see from 200 feet.
How can you help?
Well when it comes to dealing with the varying degrees of impairment, skilled professionals have a wide variety of devices to measure the extent of your disability. The doctors my try to determine the type of impairment, and what may have been the cause. Since there is not always a medical procedure that will help, many sense-impaired people have sought to circumvent the sad consequences of their disabilities by living up to their fullest potential. They do this by developing their other abilities and talents. When someone who is handicapped feels challenged to develop his or her skills, the result is very often greater independence, and self-respect. Feeling lonely is a major problem that those with disabilities sometimes deal with. They lack companionship. Sometimes pets help, due to the fact that they make great companions.
What about those who become handicapped after a serious accident? The time that immediately follows after a disabling accident or illness is likely to be the worst for that person and those near him. The initial shock is often followed by feelings of despair, anger, and hopelessness. They may feel overwhelmed with mixtures of emotions like self-pity, and despair. A friend of mine, who was stricken by an illness that made him stiff from head to foot, told me abut the initial shock and the terrible period that followed. But he soon accepted his handicap and stopped pitying himself, and begin to live and enjoy life again. He feels that the best thing he can do know is make the most out of his life.
In order for someone who is handicapped to be successful, it is very important that those who love him or her cooperate in the right manner. This would be friends, and family members. That does not mean to do everything for them. It may actually mean not doing certain things so that they can learn how to do for themselves. Telling them to face a certain task, and then to let them try for themselves is often a greater help, then saying let me do that for you.
Those with a disability should not be treated any differently than anyone. They do not want others to underestimate their ability to handle their own day-to-day tasks. The one thing that I found that most people with a disability or a handicap hate the most is people who treat them as if there were mentally retarded.”
One way to help someone who is disabled is to maximize his or her possibilities. Certain adjustments can be made in their homes, and their outdoors surroundings, and of course their transportation. However; you do not want to totally eliminate the need for physical effort. This may cause a lack of exercise, which may lead to other health problems.
Give a little hope!
One of the best things that you can do for someone who is disabled is to give him or her hope. Doctors tend to give people very little or no hope at all. It is then up to family and friends to give that person hope of recovery, or if it is a situation that they must now learn to live with, you can give them hope of living a normal life. It may not be the life that they were once accustomed to, but it can be just as happy, and fulfilling.
