AHRS Disability

The amount of people who live with disabilities is a controversial number. Depending on what law and diagnostic tools used, a person may have a visible disability, or one that may lie beneath the surface of his or her appearance. Some people believe that the term “disability” is merely a label use to hold back, or prescribe helplessness. Meanwhile, individuals who have been properly diagnosed with disabilities struggle to maintain respect and acceptance every day. In plain language, there is a lot of misunderstanding between people with disabilities and those without. It is firstly important to get everyone on the same page regarding the definition of disability.

Individuals with disabilities have a long, hard history. In early times children born with disabilities were seen as weak and helpless, often resulting in them being hidden away or even killed. Due to not having the knowledge on the level of which we have today about disabilities in the past, people did not know what caused it. Sometimes giving birth to a child with a disability would be blamed on sins of family members, often leading to feelings of shame and guilt by the parents and/or other family members. The view on people with disabilities progressed positively into the 1900’s, but society was still not informed on how to treat those with disabilities. Instead of treating them like people, feelings of pity were commonly evoked in others. The arrival of disabled veterans after World War II and the civil rights fights of women and racial minorities had an immense impact on the changing perspectives on disability in the United States. With this changing perspective came the view of how inaccessible environments and the attitudes of others affected the disabled, bringing forth that access to programs and services was a civil right. This led to legislation which included the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (later updated and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA), and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA). These and other laws entitle people

Most of society does not see the challenges that people with disabilities go through. I also think that if the world had more resources for those with disabilities we could erase prejudice. For example, more hospitals should provide an ASL interpreter for the patients who cannot understand what the doctors are saying and can’t express their issues to their doctors. All in all, society just needs a better understanding of what people with disabilities go through on a day to day basis.

Formerly, persons with disabilities were kept private and out of public view. In recent years, the number of people living with disabilities has increased due to longer life expectancy and advancement of medical treatments for life-threatening illness. With the transition of persons with a disabilities into more conventional lifestyles, they are now thriving in society. Disabled persons can be increasingly independent through an assisting device such a cane or wheelchair, though cultural barriers still exist between disabled and able-bodied persons.

Throughout history both in the past and present many individuals who are living or who lived with a disability have been viewed as a burden to society. According to The Dimensions of a Disability Oppression (2010) by L.J Charlton several aspects are intertwined with disability oppression which is beliefs, politics and economics. Policy and the world system have a lot to do with how people see another person especially an individual with a disability because thanks to poverty and powerlessness are viewed as daily experiences in the life of someone living with a disability. In our society when it comes to differences we either ignore it and if we feel that it’s not dominant enough we start to think its subordinate compared to us. We are taught

There are so many different thoughts that run though a person’s head when they hear the word disability or see a person with a disability. During the Roman and Greek eras a person with a disability was treated very badly, they were killed or abandoned in the woods in Greece, drowned and burned during the Spanish Inquisition, shackled to their beds in the U.S institution because there was an insufficient number or staff members to care for residents and not allowed to attend neighborhood schools and much more. People with disabilities were treated like they weren’t human. During the Greek and Roman era people with disabilities were considered punishments of the Gods a bad or evil sin. Being chained left on hills to die, locked away and forced

Before commencing service learning, I had a number of misconceptions towards people with disabilities. Before volunteering, I had a lack of understanding, viewing people with disabilities as dependent and in need of constant help. Another misconception towards people with disabilities was focusing on the person’s lack of ability rather than the individual which consequently resulted in a one-dimensional outlook towards people with disabilities. Reflecting upon these views, I am appalled with these naive and prejudice

In the past, having a disability was seen as a physical imperfection. People with disabilities were treated as moral and social subordinates. We were trained that if a person had a disability they were not able to perform a task with the same ability as a normal person. They have been denied jobs for which they are highly qualified because they have been considered incompetent, or because employers were not comfortable with their presence in the workplace. Occasionally people with certain disabilities have been committed to institutions and facilities because people believed they were incapable of making decisions or caring for themselves or because people did not want to interact with them (Blanck, 2004).

There are numerous individuals that believe disability makes a person helpless and incapable of obtaining a life full of accomplishments. Catherine Kudlick proved that this is not the case; anyone with a disability has the opportunity to achieve their life goals. It is clear in her interviews and writings that people without disabilities need to be educated on how disability can be an advantage. She learned how to change her perspective and in doing so, she dedicated her career to change other’s perspective on disability and the way it is viewed by society, in general. Catherine Kudlick has learned over time and through her experiences that disability is not to be ashamed of and with her acceptance she has made her career on educating individuals about disability.

After completing the able-bodied privilege assignment and watching the videos assigned I have learned a lot more about people with disabilities and the obstacles they have to overcome. All of the videos showed different types of disabilities and allowed viewers to have a deeper look into their challenging life. It made me think about many things that I had not previously taken into consideration prior to the assignment. I have always been grateful to have full physical capabilities and good health. It is difficult to put yourself into another person’s shoes and it is not possible to ever fully understand disability without having a disability.

Individuals typically have a misinterpreted image of what an incapacity entails. Frequently, what comes to mind is an image of a person in a wheelchair. The truth is that disabilities may come in other forms that are psychological, mental, or physical. They can either be physically protuberant: for example amputation; to undistinguishable incapacities such as dyslexia. Various historical movements outline the operational definition of what it means to have a disability. These past actions include Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1793. Individuals with physical disabilities remain stigmatized and thus might not achieve complete social acceptance. For instance, people with incapacities are more likely to be undervalued and shunned by able-bodied folks (Nario‐Redmond, 2010). The people without a 3

This is just one example of how a student can be held back from being comfortable on a campus. Another challenge is staying technological advance in the resources that help support a student who has disabilities that may not be visible. For example, students with a learning disability might need to be able to see words typed in a larger font or need to record class sessions. When institutions do not have these technological advances, students might struggle more. In addition to this, another challenge professionals will have is working with difficult faculty members who might not see the need to accommodate a student’s needs because they do not want to change the way they do things in their classes. As a result, these professionals in disability

It is nearly impossible for me to grasp the idea of what being truly disabled is like. There are far too many people around the world living day by day, with major struggles to accomplish the basic tasks of life because of their affliction. Through volunteering this past summer at Hartford Hospital, serving meals to destitute people at the South Park Inn Homeless Shelter and meeting disabled veterans at a Rangers Lead the Way fundraiser, I have seen first-hand, some of the problems and challenges of people with disability. Through these experiences and the insight gained from them, I believe that I am on a quest to enable the disabled around the world.

The purpose of this review is to examine the existing literature around stigmatization and more specifically the stigmatization of those with physical disabilities and how this effects their social interactions. Suggestions for eliminating stigma will also be considered. The literature revealed common instances of stigmatization and common misconceptions that those with physical disabilities experience. Those with physical disabilities often feel they are viewed as less valuable members of society, they are ignored or overly helped, and their identities are often thought to revolve around disability. The role of the biomedical model and the Social model in understanding disability will also be discussed. To help break this stigma increased social interactions between the community and those with disabilities is important. Educating the public was also an important suggestion for change.

Over the years, perceptions towards disability have been significantly changing as result of the long pathway the disable community has taken fighting for Civil Rights, inclusion and against discrimination. Unfortunately, this last one has not been totally accomplished yet. Barriers to social integration still exist in the society. Perhaps the greatest barrier is not the disability itself; is the attitude of people.