Physical disabilities are associated only with people in wheelchairs.

Myth
While some people with physical disabilities use a wheelchair, there are many degrees of physical disabilities and not all require a wheelchair. Someone with a spinal cord injury may use crutches while someone with severe arthritis or a heart condition may have difficulty walking longer distances. People with a physical disability may also have difficulty with moving, standing, or sitting.

Physical disabilities can be progressive.

Fact
Some physical disabilities are classified as progressive in nature. This means that the condition will deteriorate over time. Some forms of multiple sclerosis and post-polio syndrome are considered progressive disorders while other conditions, such as cerebral palsy and spinal cord injury, are considered non-progressive.¹

Muscular dystrophy is a physical disability.

Fact
Muscular dystrophy is the name for a group of neuromuscular disorders that are characterized by progressive weakness and wasting of the voluntary muscles that control body movement. As muscle tissue weakens and wastes away it is replaced by fatty and connective tissue. ²

The needs of all students with physical disabilities should be dealt with in the same way.

Myth
It is very difficult to generalize the effects of a disability on a person, as each case is individual and specific to that particular person. Always use the student as a resource. People who have physical disabilities will tell you what they can and cannot do.