Physical disability facts for kids

A physical disability is a condition that affects how a person's body works. It might change how a part of the body grows, moves, or does its job. People with physical disabilities can still live full and active lives, often finding different ways to do things.

Types of Physical Disabilities

Disabilities People Are Born With

A disability that a baby has when they are born, or even before they are born, is called a congenital disability. These are sometimes called "birth differences."

One common congenital disability is heart disease that babies are born with. This means there are problems with how the heart grew and works. In 2013, over 34 million people worldwide had this type of heart condition.

Other examples of disabilities babies are born with include:

• Fetal alcohol syndrome
• Spina bifida, which is a problem with how the spinal cord formed
• Microcephaly, where a baby's head is smaller than usual
• Problems with how the brain, spinal cord, kidneys, or digestive system grew

Disabilities Passed Down in Families

Some disabilities that people are born with are "inherited." This means they are passed down from parents to children through their genes. These are also known as genetic conditions.

Examples of inherited physical disabilities include:

• Cystic fibrosis
• Sickle cell anaemia
• Tay-Sachs disease
• Huntington's disease
• Hemophilia

Disabilities People Get Later in Life

Acquired disabilities are conditions that people get after they are born. These often happen because of injuries or illnesses.

Examples of acquired physical disabilities include:

• Paralysis, which can be caused by an injury to the spinal cord
• Brain injury, from a head injury or an infection in the brain
• Amputation of a body part due to injury or illness
• Long-lasting back pain from injuries
• Ongoing health problems like epilepsy, heart failure, kidney failure, and cancer

Famous People with Physical Disabilities

Many famous people have lived with physical disabilities. Here are a few examples.

Leaders and Politicians

• Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the U.S. President from 1933 to 1945. He became paralyzed from the waist down because of polio.
• King George VI was King of England from 1936 to 1952. He had a speech disorder called a stutter.
• Winston Churchill, who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom during World War II, also had a stutter.
• John F. Kennedy was the U.S. President from 1961 to 1963. He had several painful health issues, including Addison's disease.

Actors

• James Earl Jones, Emily Blunt, Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson, and Bruce Willis all have stutters.
• Michael J. Fox has Parkinson's disease, which affects movement.

Singers

• Neil Young, Lil Wayne, and Prince all have epilepsy.

Other Famous People

• Stephen Hawking was a brilliant physicist and writer. He was paralyzed due to motor neurone disease.
• Jim Abbott was a baseball player born with only one hand. He played ten seasons in Major League Baseball, pitched a no-hitter, and won an Olympic gold medal in 1988.

Related Pages

• Paralympic Games (Olympic Games for people with disabilities)

See also

In Spanish: Deficiencia motriz para niños