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Lesson 2 of 4
  • Year 7

Disability and impairment

I can describe some of the barriers for people with disabilities.

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View unit
Lesson 2 of 4
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New
  • Year 7

Disability and impairment

I can describe some of the barriers for people with disabilities.

Download all

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

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These resources were created for remote use during the pandemic and are not designed for classroom teaching.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. Impairment and disability are not the same thing.
  2. We can make life fairer for people with disabilities by changing how we act and design places.
  3. The social model of disability says people are disabled by barriers in the world around them.
  4. People can be held back if others don’t make adjustments for their needs.

Keywords

  • Impairment - a characteristic or feature that might impact the way that a person’s body or mind functions, their physical appearance, or cause them pain

  • Disabilities - the barriers experienced by a person with impairments in a world that is not designed for their needs

  • Barrier - anything that stops or prevents something from happening or being achieved

Common misconception

People with disabilities could solve their problems if they just tried harder.

It's a harmful myth that people with disabilities face issues because of a lack of effort. The lives of people with disabilities can be improved by adapting the environment, removing barriers to their inclusion, participation and ability to thrive.


To help you plan your year 7 RSHE (PSHE) lesson on: Disability and impairment, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

Consider how you are applying the social model of disability to your classroom environment. Without pointing out individuals, discuss how the buildings and lessons at school have been adapted to include people with learning difficulties and disabilities.
Teacher tip

Equipment

Content guidance

  • Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
  • Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Prior knowledge starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
A is a group of people brought together by shared attitudes, interests, beliefs or location.

Correct answer: community
diversity
responsible

Q2.
Which of the following statements are true?

You can only belong to one community.
Correct answer: You can belong to more than one community.
Being part of a community makes us feel isolated.
Correct answer: Being part of a community makes us feel like we belong.

Q3.
Having a community means that we can represent a range of voices and experiences.

Correct Answer: diverse, multi-cultural, varied, inclusive

Q4.
Being part of a responsible community means:

excluding people
only listening to some opinions
Correct answer: including everyone
Correct answer: listening to everyone's opinions
being unfair in decision-making

Q5.
How could communities raise awareness or campaign for change? They could ...

Correct answer: start a petition for an important cause
Correct answer: give a speech encouraging others to join
keep their ideas to themselves
Correct answer: make a leaflet to raise awareness

Q6.
Which of these statements are false?

Correct answer: Only community leaders have responsibilities within it.
Everyone within a community has the responsibility to make sure it's kept safe.
Everyone within a community has the responsibility to make sure it's inclusive.
Communities are shared spaces.

Assessment exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Match the words to the correct definitions.

Correct Answer:impairment,a characteristic that may impact how a person's body or mind functions

a characteristic that may impact how a person's body or mind functions

Correct Answer:disabilities,barriers experienced by a person with impairments

barriers experienced by a person with impairments

Correct Answer:barrier,anything that stops or prevents something from happening

anything that stops or prevents something from happening

Q2.
Which of the following statements are true?

Impairment and disability are the same thing.
Correct answer: Impairment and disability are not the same thing.
An impairment is caused by barriers in the environment.
Correct answer: A disability is caused by barriers in the environment.

Q3.
The of disability suggests that it is barriers in society that cause a person's disability, not the impairment itself.

Correct Answer: social model

Q4.
Match the type of barrier to the example.

Correct Answer:no lift for mobility aid users,physical

physical

Correct Answer:font too small for visually impaired,communication

communication

Correct Answer:make assumptions about impaired people,attitudinal

attitudinal

Q5.
Which of these adjustments could help improve accessibility for someone who is hearing impaired?

braille or large font
Correct answer: British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters
Correct answer: a hearing induction loop
ramps or lift access

Q6.
People with disabilities could overcome barriers if ...

they tried a little harder
Correct answer: people's attitudes towards those with disabilities improve
Correct answer: society thinks carefully about the way in which places are designed