What are teens with disabilities?

Teens with disabilities include teens who have intellectual, mental, physical, sensory impairment or combination of impairments. The impairment can occur from birth or occur anytime during the course of their lives.

Adolescence is a time of great emotional and psychological change, of emerging sexuality and important life choices about employment and education. During this period of transition, adolescents, and especially those with disabilities, may be vulnerable in society.

Adolescents with disabilities are among the most marginalized and poorest of all of the world’s youth. According to the United Nations, almost a third of the disabled population is youth and over 80% of them are living in developing countries.

Teenagers with disabilities also have rights like other teens. These include the rights:

• To be respected
• To have opportunities to learn and grow to their potential
• To be involved in making decisions that affect their life
• To receive support when needed
• To complain about services.

Making decisions

Teens with disabilities have the right to be involved in decisions that will affect their lives. However sometimes, family members, especially parents, try to make all the decisions for teenagers with disability.  As other normal teenagers, it takes time for these teenagers and their parents to work out who decides what. Before the parents hand over the responsibility, the teenagers may have to show to their parents that they are able to take care of themselves

Making friends

Many people find it hard to make good friends, even if they do not have a disability. People who have a disability can find it even harder to make close friends. That does not mean it’s impossible. It means looking for the right groups and working harder at it than others have to.

Physical health

Teenagers with disabilities often find that people only seem to think about what they cannot do or their ‘problem’, rather than what they can do. However teens with disability can do most of the things like other teens, just like they do it differently.

Parents with disabled teens have the responsibility to ensure their teens have the tools and the skills that they need to be able to manage themselves. With good support, teenagers with impairment can achieve a near normal life style. They can live on their own, have a job to support themselves and have a good social life.

Remember teenagers with disabilities have the same sexual desires as others teens.

Reference

1. http://www.asksource.info/resources/adolescents-and-youth-disabilities-issues-and-challenges
2. aappublications.org/adolescents with disabilities