Hearing impairment – a total or partial loss of hearing function, which impedes the
communication process essential to the language, educational, social and/or
cultural interaction;
◦ Speech and language impairments – one or more speech/language disorder of voice,
articulation, rhythm and/or receptive and expressive process of language;
Disability due to Chronic Illness – group of health conditions that last a long time. It
may get slowly worse over time or may become permanent or it may lead to death. It
may cause permanent change to the body and it will certainly affect the person's quality
of life;
Learning disability – any disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes
(perception, comprehension, thinking, etc.) involved in the understanding or in using
spoken or written language;
Intellectual disability – results from organic brain syndrome (i.e., mental retardation,
acquire lesions of the central nervous system, dementia, and/or non-psychotic
disorder);
Orthopedic disability – is disability in the normal functioning of the joints, muscles and
limbs;
Mental/Psychosocial disability – any acquired behavioral, cognitive, emotional or
social impairment that limits one or more activities necessary for effective
interpersonal transactions and other civilizing process or activities for daily living such
as but not limited to deviancy or anti-social behavior;
Visual Disability – one who has impairment of visual functioning even after treatment
and/or standard refractive correction, and has visual acuity in the better eye of less
than (6/18 for low vision and 3/60 for blind), or a visual of less than 10 degrees from
the point of fixation. A certain level of visual impairment is defined as legal blindness.
One is legally blind when your best corrected central visual acuity in your better eye is
6/60 or worse or your side vision is 20 degrees or less in the better eye.
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By now, the government is expected to have identified their national and local
constituencies who are persons with disabilities. In 2019, the Philippine Statistics Authority ii
reported that:
around 12 percent of the Filipinos age 15 and older experienced severe disability
A higher percentage of females than males experienced severe disability
Almost one in every three persons (32%) with severe disability belonged to the older
population age group of 60 and older.
As early as 1992, even earlier than when the whole world recognized the same through
the UNCRPD, the Philippines has recognized in the Magna Carta on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities that:
Persons with disabilities are part of Philippine society, thus the State shall give full
support to the improvement of the total well-being of persons with disabilities and
their integration into the mainstream of society. Toward this end, the State shall adopt
policies ensuring the rehabilitation, self-development and self-reliance of persons with
disabilities. It shall develop their skills and potentials to enable them to compete
favorably for available opportunities.
Persons with disabilities have the same rights as other people to take their proper place
in society. They should be able to live freely and as independently as possible. This
must be the concern of everyone, the family, community and all government and nongovernment organizations. Their rights must never be perceived as welfare services by
the Government.
The rehabilitation of persons with disabilities shall be the concern of the Government
in order to foster their capacity to attain a more meaningful, productive and satisfying
life. To reach out to a greater number of persons with disabilities, the rehabilitation
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