Physical Disabilities: The First Step Is Understanding

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality provides a helpful worksheet with questions you should ask when choosing a hospital to treat a medical condition. This page also links to various resources, including a patient's bill of rights and a hospital quality checklist.

The Rehabilitation Page of the National Institutes of Health Clinical Center provides information about the rehabilitation center at the NIH Clinical Center, as well as facts about participating in clinical studies. Click the “reference links” option toward the bottom of the page to access an extensive list of Web sites related to physical disabilities.

America's Best Hospitals 2007 categorizes hospitals around the United States and has listed the best hospitals in different specialties.

Shriners Hospitals for Children explains admission and eligibility requirements for children who may be treated at a Shriners hospital at no charge. Shriners Hospitals for Children treat orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate cases. To see if your child is eligible for treatment, or for other injury prevention and safety information, see the menu at the left of the page.

The American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation explains how physiatrists help restore function to a person's body. See the "Conditions & Treatment" page for information about how specific physical disabilities and injuries are treated, or use the "Find a PM&R Physician" if you are searching for a physiatrist.

The American Occupational Therapy Association explains how people use therapy to enjoy their "occupation" of living a full life. The "Consumers" page explains what occupational therapy is, offers tips for living with a variety of health conditions, and provides access to a variety of consumer help organizations and public awareness campaigns.

The American Physical Therapy Association teaches that physical therapy can help a person heal from some health problems. Review the “Consumer” page of this site for facts about physical therapy and your body, and for information about insurance coverage and physical therapy.

The American Music Therapy Association discusses the benefits of music therapy in coping with disabilities, pain, illness, and rehabilitation. In the "Go to" box at the left of the page, select the "Fact Sheets" option to find resources about the application of music therapy to a variety of situations.

The Board for Orthotist/Prosthetist Certification is the national certifying body for othotists and prosthetists. Its site includes advice on how to choose a practitioner, as well as a directory of board-certified doctors.

DisabilityInfo.gov recognizes that health care is a primary concern for someone with a disability. This site links to government resources that address health-care and disability issues for various groups of people: children, the elderly, those with developmental disabilities, and veterans. You can also review several other laws pertaining to people with disabilities, in relation to education, housing, and employment.