Many disabled persons do not like to count themselves among such a disadvantaged group and avoid being counted. Organizations to assist the disabled have a vested interest in making the statistics appear larger so they can fight for more funding. Interestingly, the uses of facilities designed to eleviate the difficulties of the physically disabled were often more widespread than imagined. Side walk curb cuts are used more by women with Carriages than by the mobility impaired. The presentation of material in both print and oral form serves more than the needs of the blind and the deaf.
Educators are increasingly aware that people learn differently.
Some comprehend material better in text format while others learn best by the spoken word. Adaptations originally made to assist a special group were conveniences appreciated by society at large. At the same time as disability advocacy groups were demanding a voice for the handicapped in shaping their lives, space age electronic and materials technologies were providing still another form of empowerment. War is not only a time of devastation, it is a time when all kinds of technical and scientific advances are stimulated. The multitude of physical and mental problems resulting from wartime provide the field of medicine with unusual opportunities to learn and grow.