What Types of Chronic Illnesses & Disabilities Do you Work With?

People managing chronic illness and disability are a diverse group of people with a wide range of needs as you can imagine. It’s amazing that there are tens of millions of American adults live with a chronic illness, and many of them live with at least two. Two people with the same type of illness/disability can be affected in very different ways and some disabilities may be “hidden” or not easy to see. 

My scope of practice includes:

• Persons with chronic illnesses & their attending disabilities.

  Illnesses include, but are not limited to: cancer, chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, lupus, auto-immune conditions, fibromyalgia, Crohns disease, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, COVID long-haulers, and more.

• Persons with physical disabilities due to bodily impairment, or congenital condition

  Conditions include, but are not limited to spinal chord injuries, physical impairments, and more.

Have questions? Contact me

Please Note: I do not work with clients who have cognitive or developmental disabilities.

About Chronic Illness

“Acute illness threatens your health. Chronic illness threatens your self.

The primary locus of suffering for those with chronic illness is not their body but their person.”

-Craig Svensson

A chronic illness is a condition that endures for at least a year and requires ongoing care or consistently limits the scope of a person's daily activities. . As life with a chronic illness typically requires lifestyle changes that may be challenging or stressful adopt: new diets, life-style regimens, demanding medication and checkup schedules, & limitations on social life, work, and travel can cause stress, anxiety, anger, and in most cases, depression.

• 1 in 2 American adults have some form of chronic illness.

• In ~25%, this illness impairs daily activities.

• Major chronic conditions include cancer, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, Crohn's disease, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, auto-immune illnesses like lupus & Hashitmoto’s, lung & heart disease, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, , HIV/AIDS, stroke, and kidney disease, and now COVID long-haulers, among others.m

• Degenerative diseases (such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, Arthritis, Lupus) are those that

  cause a progressive, and usually irreversible, deterioration of health and loss of function

• For many, this results in pain, fatigue, immobility, or other physiological problems that lead to long-term suffering.

Most who suffer from chronic illness have a disabling condition that is invisible to

those with whom they live life.

How Does Chronic Illness Differ from Acute Illness?

Since most people have only experienced acute illness, it is imperative to gain an understanding of how chronic illnesses differ from acute illnesses. A common source of misunderstanding is when people export personal experience of acute illness into how people likely experience chronic illness!

Onset Duration Cause Diagnosis Prognosis Treatment

Acute Rapid Limited Singular Accurate Precise Effective

Chronic Gradual Up and Down Indefinite Multiple/Unknown Difficult/Unknown Marginal

*Information taken from Craig Svensson. When There Is No Cure: How to Thrive While Living with the Pain and Suffering of Chronic Illness, Consilium Publishing, 2019 & Psychology Today: https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/basics/chronic-illness

About Disability

Disability is part of being human . . .

Almost everyone will temporarily or permanently experience disability at some point in their life. Disability affects or 1 in 4 people people in the US or approximately 26%/ 61 million people. And over one billion people worldwide, about 15% of the global population live with some form of disability. And this number is increasing, no doubt impacted by COVID-19, COVID long-haulers, continued advances in medical technology, people living longer, etc. (Information Taken from World Health Organization: https://www.who.int/health-topics/disability#tab=tab_1)

Disability defined

Broadly defined, a disability is any physical, mental, or psychological condition of the body that makes it more difficult for someone with the condition to do certain life activities, interact, and participate meaningfully in the world around them. 

Disability also results from the interaction between individuals and their environmental and cultural environments, with factors including but not limited to: negative attitudes, inaccessible transportation and public buildings, and limited social support.

• Acquired disability: A condition that occurs suddenly or develops gradually during the lifespan; thus, the person has had prior experiences, expectations, and identity as a non-disabled person.

• Congenital or early-onset disability: When a condition is identified at birth or so early in the person’s development that her or his recollected experience has been one of always having the disability.

• A handicap is an environmental barrier.  Stairs handicap people who use wheelchairs or have mobility impairments.  Attitudes handicap people with disabilities whenever they cause exclusion for any reason. 

• Stabile disability: a disability that typically remains stable in its manifestations for many years

• Progressive disability A disability which is expected, based on medical science models, to increase in degree or severity

In 2001, the World Health Organization established a new definition of disability based on human rights, or social models, that focus on the person with their disability and their interaction with their environments.

• A disability is first of all an impairment or a problem in body function or structure

• The impairment(s) creates activity limitations: defined as a difficulties encountered by an individual in executing a task or action

• Lastly, the impairment creates participation restrictions: a problem experienced by an individual’s involvement in life situations

Some Helpful Terms

ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. At its heart, ableism is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require ‘fixing’ and defines people by their disability. Like racism and sexism, ableism classifies entire groups of people as ‘less than,’ and includes harmful stereotypes, misconceptions, and generalizations of people with disabilities.

acquired disability: A condition that occurs suddenly or develops gradually during the lifespan; thus, the person has had prior experiences, expectations, and identity as a non-disabled person.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA): Legislation passed in 1990 that protects individuals from discrimination based on disability. The ADA provides civil rights protections to PWDs in employment, state and local government services, transportation systems, most establishments/resources in the community that are open to the public (referred to in the law as "public accommodations"), and telecommunications services. The law requires that accessibility and alternatives/modifications (“reasonable accommodations”) be provided to PWDs and outlines a few exceptions to those mandates.

assistive technology (AT): Products or modifications that are used to increase the functional abilities of PWDs, thereby enabling them to perform activities or accomplish desired outcomes. Assistive technology may be low-tech or involve complex technological products and processes.

congenital or early-onset disability: When a condition is identified at birth or so early in the person’s development that her or his recollected experience has been one of always having the disability.

discriminatory referral: Refusing to serve and referring a client because the counselor feels uncomfortable working with the client due to the counselor’s judgments about the client’s values or membership in a group (e.g., race, disability, religion, or sexual orientation), without first seeking consultation, education, supervision, or other means to increase the counselor’s capacity to work effectively with the client.

essential job functions: Tasks and responsibilities that are considered to be fundamental to the job and not marginal, easily modified, or easily reassigned to other employees.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (now, Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act): The Federal law that requires local school systems to provide a free and appropriate public education to all children and youth in the least restrictive environment.

legal definition of “person with a disability”: Some Federal laws identify who is considered a person with a disability to be covered or protected by the legislation. The term as defined in the Americans with Disabilities Act includes persons who satisfy any one of these three criteria: (1) has an impairment that substantially affects major life activities; (2) has a past or current record that labels a person as having a disability; or (3) is perceived as disabled (e.g., has an abnormality or disfigurement, even if it doesn’t affect functional ability).

progressive disability: A disability which is expected, based on medical science models, to increase in degree or severity, as opposed to a disability that typically remains stable in its manifestations for many years.

personal futures planning or person-centered planning: A team planning process with the goal of maximizing the probability of personal success and satisfaction in a future stage of life, typically of an individual with a developmental or cognitive disability. That person is at the center of the process, which begins by elicit her/his desired goals and activities for the future. The process includes mapping out how goal attainment can be accomplished over time with the support and facilitation of a caring circle of family, friends, and other mentors from the community.

transition services: Coordinated services that support a PWD through the transition from one significant life phase to the next (e.g., from school to post-secondary education, work, or independent living).

universal design: An approach to designing physical and virtual spaces, equipment, programs, materials and processes that is based on principles that prioritize ease of access and use by all persons, regardless of age, size, ability level and that aim to obviate the need for accommodations or special adaptations.

Note: “PWD” = Person with a disability

Info taken from American Rehabilitation Counseling Association (ARCA) Task Force on Competencies for Counseling Persons with Disabilities (2019)