Re: Elderly and self-identification as having a disability

Not sure if this is relevant but recently, I read that the preferred term
over elderly is now "older adults".

Eli Weger
Assistive Technology Specialist

Pearson
M: (610) 597-7669

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On Tue, May 24, 2016 at 10:50 AM, Cain, Sally <sally.cain@rnib.org.uk>
wrote:

> Hi Jim,
>
> I can share with you the statistic that RNIB quotes - "Almost two million
> people in the UK live with sight loss. That's around one person in 30. Of
> these, around 360,000 people are registered with their local authority as
> blind or partially sighted"
>
> This gives a very clear picture of those that do not 'self-identify' and
> register as blind or partially sighted with their local authority. Many of
> these people are likely to be older people who as you suggest put their
> disability down to 'ageing'.
>
> Thanks
> Sally
> Sally Cain
> Accessibility Technology Senior Manager
> Accessibility Support and Solutions Team
> Royal National Association of Blind People (RNIB)
> UK
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Jim Allan [mailto:jimallan@tsbvi.edu]
> Sent: 24 May 2016 15:32
> To: WAI-IG; WebAIM Discussion List
> Subject: Elderly and self identification as having a disability
>
> Hello,
> I have used, written, and repeated what I thought was a truism, but I
> don't recall when I first heard this ...
>
> Some/many elderly (aged) folks do not self identify as having a
> disability, they respond that they are just old and things don't work as
> well as they used to.
>
> Based on conversations with elderly relatives and others (aged and people
> in the disability field)...I found this to be true. Perhaps it was the way
> the question was asked.
>
>
> Be that as it may, I was trying to verify/research this truism. When I
> searched on "self identification" and other terms -- of course I found
> forms to self-identify, demographics, services, etc. all about folks who
> have self-identified.
>
> What I could not find is anything that verifies that elderly do not self
> identify because in their view they are not disabled, they are just old.
> There may other subsets of folks who would/could be considered disabled but
> for whatever reason choose not to self-identify.
>
>
> Do you have any insight/ideas...anything?
>
> --
>
> Jim Allan, Accessibility Coordinator
>
> Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired
> 1100 W. 45th St., Austin, Texas 78756
> voice 512.206.9315    fax: 512.206.9264  http://www.tsbvi.edu/
>
> "We shape our tools and thereafter our tools shape us." McLuhan, 1964
> --
>
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