HOW TO CREATE HEALTHY ENVIRONMENTS FOR SURVIVORS AND PHYSICALLY DISABLED
In this article, I will explain different ways to create healthy environments for survivors and physically disabled people. Suppose you have disabilities or know someone who is disabled or has survived a critical situation resulting in permanent or temporary disability. In that case, this article is the right one for you. If you are a survivor or a disabled person, you know how difficult it is to live in certain places with little or no facilities for you and your disability. Having a healthy environment to live in can boost your health and help you recover from temporary problems.
Being a survivor, you must be in the right environment to live properly with little problems and setbacks. Physical and social environments affect you in various ways, whether good or bad. Different disabilities need extra care and places to be monitored, which is why there are different medical centres for various medical conditions. What works for a speech impaired person cannot work for someone who lost a leg.
When I talk about the social environment, I mean those around you, people who are available to provide for your special needs, such as pieces of equipment, good technology, and funds for the improvement of various important things you need. It also means the way you interact with those around you, as your society has a way of moulding you into a certain type of person.
For instance, if you are kept in a centre or home where the people around you are always moody, you’re more likely to be sad or depressed, which is totally wrong and unhealthy for you, coupled with the fact that you’re in a sad condition. How you react to your environment says a lot about that place and the people in it; if the environment is positive, you will feel better and possibly heal faster if it is a temporary disability.
How you interact with your environment will determine how well you will do.
What is a disability?
Disability can be defined as being unable to perform important or profitable activities due to physical or medical issues or impairments, which can last for a long time or possibly lead to serious problems like death. A disabled person is one who is unable to do certain things properly, like walking, talking, or seeing, in his or her physical capability, due to deficiencies and medical problems.
Who is a survivor?
A survivor can be defined as someone who has managed to escape and live through an incident or situation that is quite deadly and could result in death. Most survivors are left with scars, especially physical ones, that may be permanent and difficult to live with.
Healthy Environments for Survivors and Physical Disabled People.
- Good Physical Environment:
The physical environment can be presented as two major parts: the natural environment and the built environment. The natural environment has to do with your surroundings and everything in it, ranging from the weather to the land and the plants in it. Your natural environment can affect you in different ways, so it’s quite important that you create a safe place that is suitable for you or a disabled person to live in.
For instance, if you’re asthmatic or know someone who is, plants that can trigger the effects of asthma, like ryegrass or ragweed, must not be around your environment to avoid consistent asthmatic attacks. Another example is a walking disability. If you find it hard to walk properly, an environment where the geographical position is flat will make it less difficult for you to walk than in a location where the lands are mostly hills.
The built environment is the manufactured home you live in, and it entails every piece of equipment you will need to carry out various activities as a disabled person. There are built-in objects that are designed for practical reasons. For instance, objects like computers, telephones, and dishwashers are created to improve and increase the human ability to carry out activities without much stress or barriers.
- By stopping negative attitudes towards disabled persons:
It is no news that most disabled people get mistreated and are easily berated by others because of their physical disabilities. If you can stop stereotyping and stigmatising them, you are creating a healthy and happy environment for them.
- Permanent Modification of Home Designs:
Being disabled can come with so many complications that may alter the way you use things. This is because the built-in instruments you use daily can be redesigned to fit you properly. For example, you can get a wider door, a lower kitchen sink if you use a wheelchair, a better lighting bulb for a deaf person to see signs from others, and so on.
- Preventing Policy Barriers:
As a disabled person, you are most likely to be underestimated when it comes to your ability to work and have a career. Most people make the mistake of exempting survivors and disabled people from working, which is why you hear of the numerous complaints about job issues because they were told they were not fit for the job. If you can remove those thoughts from your mind and see disabled people in a better light, you will create a good environment for them.
- Environmental Alteration:
To help disabled people participate in activities like work, education, and social and leisure communication as a parent, friend, or partner, it is important that some changes must be made and equipment is made available. Braille writers, prosthetic limbs, elevators, voice-activated computers, and sign language interpreters should be available to the disabled.
Conclusion
Disabled people go through a lot, and the least you can do is to help them feel better in any way you can. Creating good environments for them can go a long way. Always be nice to survivors.
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