Specific Disabilities & Conditions
All disabled people have the right to the highest attainable standard of health, without discrimination. This section centers disabled people’s expertise on their own bodies and experiences, informed by disability communities worldwide.
How This Section Works
Section titled “How This Section Works”These pages are not medical encyclopedias. They are community-built resources that combine:
- Lived experience from disabled people navigating these conditions
- Practical guidance on specialists, treatments, and systems
- Community connections to peer support and advocacy organizations
- Cross-links to relevant wiki sections (benefits, accommodations, rights)
Each page starts as an overview and grows through community contributions. If you have expertise to share, see How to Contribute.
Where Are You?
Section titled “Where Are You?”Different countries organize disability categories, healthcare systems, and support differently. Use the “Where Are You?” sections within each page to find country-specific resources.
Browse by Category
Section titled “Browse by Category”Conditions affecting movement, mobility, strength, or physical function. Includes spinal cord injuries, limb differences, cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophies, and many more.
Conditions affecting sight, hearing, or other senses. Includes blindness and low vision, Deafness and hearing loss, deafblindness, and sensory processing differences.
Ongoing health conditions that may fluctuate, require ongoing management, and affect daily life. Includes autoimmune conditions, fibromyalgia, ME/CFS, diabetes, heart conditions, and many more.
Neurological differences in how people think, learn, process information, and experience the world. Includes autism, ADHD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, Tourette syndrome, and more.
Conditions present from birth or early childhood affecting cognitive development, adaptive skills, or both. Includes Down syndrome, intellectual disability, and various developmental conditions.
Mental health conditions that significantly impact daily life. Includes depression, anxiety disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD, OCD, and personality disorders.
Disabilities that aren’t immediately apparent to others. This identity-focused page explores the unique challenges, misconceptions, and community experiences of living with non-visible disabilities.
Living with two or more disabilities simultaneously. Addresses the compound challenges, intersecting access needs, and navigation strategies for people with multiple conditions.
Conditions affecting small populations, often with limited research, few specialists, and challenges finding community. Includes resources for diagnosis journeys and connecting with others.
Understanding This Section
Section titled “Understanding This Section”Why “Conditions” and Not Just “Disabilities”?
Section titled “Why “Conditions” and Not Just “Disabilities”?”Language matters. Some people identify strongly as disabled. Others prefer to say they have a health condition. Many use both terms depending on context. We use “conditions” to be inclusive while centering disability identity throughout.
See Language, Terminology & Identity for more on disability language.
Medical Model vs. Social Model
Section titled “Medical Model vs. Social Model”This section acknowledges that impairments and health conditions are real — many require medical care, specialists, medications, or treatments. But we also recognize that much of what disables people are barriers created by society: inaccessible environments, discrimination, and systems not designed for us.
Both are true. Needing medical care and being disabled by society are not contradictory.
See Disability Models for more on different frameworks for understanding disability.
Categories Overlap
Section titled “Categories Overlap”Many conditions could fit multiple categories. Fibromyalgia involves chronic pain (chronic illness), is often invisible, and may co-occur with other conditions. Autism is neurodivergence but also a developmental disability. Rather than forcing rigid categories, we use cross-links and acknowledge this complexity.
Each condition has one “home” page with full information, and other relevant category pages link to it.
Finding Your Community
Section titled “Finding Your Community”Whatever condition(s) you have, you are not alone. Each page in this section includes:
- Online communities specific to that condition
- Advocacy organizations led by people with that condition
- Peer support options in various countries
For broader disability community connections, see Community & Peer Support.
For Newly Diagnosed People
Section titled “For Newly Diagnosed People”If you’ve recently received a diagnosis, these pages aim to help you:
- Understand what specialists and providers typically help with your condition
- Connect with others who share your experience
- Learn about accommodations and supports you may be entitled to
- Navigate systems (healthcare, benefits, education, employment)
- Find your community and discover disability culture
You don’t have to figure everything out at once. Start with what you need most right now.
For Healthcare Providers, Educators, and Allies
Section titled “For Healthcare Providers, Educators, and Allies”If you’re looking for information to better support disabled people in your work or life:
- See For Allies for foundational guidance
- See Professional Toolkits for role-specific resources
- Listen to disabled people — these pages share community knowledge, not just clinical facts
Contribute Your Expertise
Section titled “Contribute Your Expertise”Disabled people are the experts on their own conditions. These pages improve when community members contribute:
- Personal experience navigating healthcare, benefits, or daily life
- Country-specific resources and organizations
- Corrections or updates to existing information
- New conditions not yet covered
See How to Contribute to share your knowledge.
Related Sections
Section titled “Related Sections”- Healthcare & Medical — Navigating healthcare systems, insurance, medical equipment
- Benefits & Financial Support — Disability benefits by country
- Daily Living — Assistive technology, personal care, daily life
- Community & Peer Support — Finding your people
- Rights & Advocacy — Your legal protections
Contribute to This Page
Section titled “Contribute to This Page”Have lived experience or expertise that could strengthen this page? We especially welcome perspectives on models not well represented here, including those from the Global South and Indigenous communities.
This page centers disabled people’s expertise and is informed by disabled-led organizing globally. For questions or to suggest additions, see How to Contribute.