Common barriers to participation experienced by people with disabilities

Nearly everyone faces hardships and difficulties at one time or another. But for people with disabilities, barriers can be more frequent and have greater impact. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes barriers as being more than just physical obstacles. Here is the WHO definition of barriers:

“Factors in a person’s environment that, through their absence or presence, limit functioning and create disability. These include aspects such as:

• a physical environment that is not accessible,
• lack of relevant assistive technology (assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices),
• negative attitudes of people towards disability,
• services, systems and policies that are either nonexistent or that hinder the involvement of all people with a health condition in all areas of life.” 

Often there are multiple barriers that can make it extremely difficult or even impossible for people with disabilities to function. Here are the seven most common barriers. Often, more than one barrier occurs at a time. 

• Attitudinal
• Communication
• Physical
• Policy
• Programmatic
• Social
• Transportation 

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