Unit 8_Wheelchair- Accessibility issues

As many as 650 million people worldwide live with some form of physical disability, and about 100 million of the disabled need a wheelchair at least part of the time.

What does "disability" mean?

• a condition that makes it difficult to do things other people do

• the outside of something

• the condition of being poor

• a smooth surface that allows access between levels

Industrialized, higher-income nations in Asia, Europe, and North America are seeing an older population grow more incapacitated as they age, whereas in lower-income countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, poverty, conflict, injuries, and accidents account for most disabilities, many of them in children.

What does "incapacitated" mean?

• able to do something

• difficult to imagine

• unable to do things normally

• to be responsible for, be the cause of

Industrialized, higher-income nations in Asia, Europe, and North America are seeing an older population grow more incapacitated as they age, whereas in lower-income countries of Africa, Asia and Latin America, poverty, conflict, injuries, and accidents account for most disabilities, many of them in children.

What does "poverty" mean?

• the condition of being poor

• the inside of something

• leisure activities

• the surface of land

Wheelchairs provide a more independent lifestyle, but they come with their own set of problems. They are wide, unwieldy, and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces, on slippery surfaces, and on steep slopes – not to mention impassable stair steps.

What does "unwieldy" mean?

• able to do something

• difficult to imagine

• small

• unable to do things normally

Wheelchairs provide a more independent lifestyle, but they come with their own set of problems. They are wide, unwieldy, and difficult to maneuver in tight spaces, on slippery surfaces, and on steep slopes – not to mention impassable stair steps.

What does "slippery" mean?

• unable to do things normally

• difficult to imagine

• causing things to slide or slip, difficult to hold or stand on

• able to do something

Wheelchairs provide a more independent lifestyle, but they come with their own set of problems. They are wide, unwieldy, and difficult to maneuver in tight speces, on slippery surfaces, and on steep slopes – not to mention impassable stair steps.

What does "slope" mean?

• a button used to run on lights or machines

• the surface of land

• a smooth surface that allows access between levels

• the surface at an angle, with the top higher than the bottom

Accessibility issues abound at home, work, and school; in recreation activities, and in transportation.

What does "abound" mean?

• to modernize, improve

• to make necessary

• to raise edge of the street

• to exist in large numbers

Acessibility issues abound at home, work, and school; in recreation activities, and in transportation.

What does "recreation" mean?

• the inside of something

• the condition of being poor

• leisure activities

• hallway

Kitchens need lower counters and shelves as well as accessible switches for lights, garbage disposals, and exhaust fans.

What does "switch" mean?

• the outside of something

• hallway

• to raise edge of the street

• a button used to run on lights or machines

Also, because most homes have at least a few steps, a wheelchair ramp is a must.

What does "ramp" mean?

• the surface at an angle, with the top higher than the bottom

• the outside of something

• the inside of something

• a smooth surface that allows access between levels