However, there are inconsistencies and woolly definitions of whatconstitutes "disability" in statements of special educational needs andthe education and care provisions made in response to them.
A report from the Cabinet Office last year, Improving the Life Chancesof Disabled People, suggests 770,000 children in the UK aredisabled.
The 1995 Act defines a disabled person as someone who has "a physical ormental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effecton his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities".
Appendix One of the Disability Rights Commission's Code of Practice forSchools: Disability Discrimination Act 1995: Part 4 provides a moredetailed account of this definition. "Physical impairment" includessensory impairment, while "mental impairment" includes learningdifficulties and an impairment resulting from, or consisting of, amental illness. This definition also includes hidden impairments such asdyslexia, dyspraxia, autism, speech and language difficulties andattention disorders.
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