Albinism: A Disability or Not?

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Albinism: A Disability or Not?

October 23, 2022 Masse 1 Comment

Neither the general public nor those with the condition agree about whether to identify albinism as a disability. This ambiguity creates a problem in the language used to talk about albinism. It also makes it difficult for those with albinism to identify themselves as a group. In many ways, albinism is a unique condition.That uniqueness, however, leads to separateness and isolation for many people.

Social attitudes toward albinism are often similar to those experienced by other disability and minority groups. These attitudes include a lack of understanding, fear of the unknown, and prejudice based on appearance.

The Americans with Disabilities Act defines disability with respect to an individual as “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of the major life activities of such individual; a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment.” Since albinism involves a visual impairment, some people consider it a disability. One definition of handicap is “the obstacles a person encounters in the pursuit of goals in real life, no matter what their source.” Thus a person with a disability may or may not be handicapped in pursuing the life they want to live.

The identification of albinism as a disability is complicated by the concept of legal blindness. In the United States, a person is legally blind if his or her vision cannot be corrected with glasses or contacts to better than 20/200 in his or her better eye. By this standard some with albinism fit the legal category of visual impairment and some do not. Yet, in spite of varying visual acuity, many of the problems experienced by those with albinism remain similar.

National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation
https://www.albinism.org/information-bulletin-social-aspects-of-albinism/

One Comment

    September 11, 2024

    I have a son born with Albinism his name is David he is 8 years old he lives In new Jersey he was born in west Africa Sierra Leone,is there any financial help for him please let me know I am a single mother with 4kids financial problems I am going through

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