Disability Identity Development Model

In the video “Inclusion, belonging, and the disability revolution” (TEDTalks, 2014), speaker Jennie Fenton opens with describing situations where people with disabilities are segregated and excluded from their communities, sent to live together away from society, or even treated as lesser humans. She then proceeds to introduce her family, including her six-year-old daughter that was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Jennie admits to previously having negative or frightened thoughts about having a child with a disability, but with her “seven realizations,” she learned that her daughter was merely on a different path than others, but that no one should ever feel broken or not a whole person (TEDTalks, 2014). After she explains that there are roughly one billion people with a disability throughout the world, Jennie states that she believes in possibility over disability. If a person’s

The article “introducing disability Studies” by Ronald J. Berger was an eye opener in uncovering the past history of negative stigma associated with having a disability. Through history people have felt the need to stare at people with disabilities or to turn away in fear of maybe contracting the “disease”. This negative attitude was positively reinforced by ordinances such as the Chicago “ugly law” in which a person with physical deformities would have to pay a fine for simply being too “disgusting” looking to other citizens. This law was in place from 1880 to 1973, which is pretty recent in history. However there are positive glimpse in history when it came to uncovering and defining disabilities. Men like Leo Kanner and Asperger have dedicated

Journal entry – It is reasonable to provide someone with a disability with special privileges since their life long goals are limited. Although it is understandable to see why they are provided with these privileges, it is only required for them to use it well and not act condescending where they take too much of an advantage of the privileges they are provided with. The same aspect applies to

Disability is a topic viewed differently by each set of eyes. To truly understand a disability, one must live through it or frequently view the lives of another, struggling with an infirmity. Living with a disability may be hard, but it does not mean it is not worth living. Nancy Mairs, author of the essay “On Being a Cripple,” has written about her views and experiences, explaining to the public the truth behind being a “cripple,” and proving that disease does not control you. Explained in the paper, able-bodied people make assumptions to how low quality life must be, living with a disease and that these individuals are constantly unhappy however

Humans are social creatures. We identify ourselves through our community, loved ones, and those who genuinely appreciate our presence. Our identity defines our personality traits, highlight social roles. Those with disabilities are often confused about their identity because they are misunderstood and stigmatized. Through the use of literature, one can empathize better with other people especially those who are misunderstood by society. Disabled people are more likely to be neglected and subjected to prejudice or discrimination. In “Delusion of Grandeur”, Terry Ann Thaxton, talks about the struggle between Adam and his mother because of his disability. Adam struggles to cope with his environment and finds himself isolated and misunderstood. Families ultimately suffer but through their experience, they can learn some amazing lessons.

Nancy Mairs in her “disability” has done a good job in delivering her message. I believe she managed to persuade the audience that there is no reason to exclude disabled people from the media. Her information was clear and made sense, her examples were enough to support her thesis and her tone added a certain flavor to her essay. “Disability” can actually make certain changes if it is addressed to its right audience and I certainly recommend it to my friends and anyone who might be interested in this

The purpose of this work is to inform the public about what it is really like for people with disabilities both inside and outside the United States. For example he talks about how during research that the Human Rights Watch conducted, they “found that some school administrators refuse to admit children with disabilities because they believe these children are unable to learn, unsafe around other children, or engage in disruptive behavior” which is a harsh reality for disabled kids around the world because they are seen as inept, or unable to do the same as the kids without disabilities.

Over the course of this semester, I have come to the realization that above all, students with disabilities need to be treated with the respect and dignity that one would give any other child. This is why it is important to talk to and about people that have disabilities with “people first” language (Evans, Civil Rights Final Day, 9.17.16). This stems from the idea that a perceived disability is just one of a person’s many attributes. Students with disabilities are people that have individual abilities, interests, and needs. By using “people first” language, one emphasizes the importance of the individual over their diagnosed disability. According to The Arc, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities, “the language in a society used to refer to persons with disabilities shapes its beliefs and ideas about them” (The Arc, 2016). Using “people first” language not only ensures the person in question knows that they are valued, but it also helps set a precedent for the perception of people with disabilities in one’s environment. It also gives the student the opportunity to define his/herself, instead of being identified solely with their disability (The Arc, 2016).

I never put too much thought into the reaction I give if someone tells me their child has a disability therefore, never noticed if they showed distaste to any apology or sympathy I offered. I’m sure that I am not the only one who has not meant any harm by these things, but the article helps see the situation from the opposing parent’s point of view which offers enlightenment on how to handle future encounters to ensure everyone is comfortable and the language isn’t ignominious. I intend to utilize the wisdom I’ve learned from Ms. Snow’s article in my own classroom one day. Along with her words I now feel inclined to do further research on how to better create lessons, organize my classroom, and provide the proper tools as well as become a support system for any student with any kind of disability both learning and

Displayed in the media to this day are people shown with disabilities. These people are wrongly perceived by society as heroes or sensations. Instead of focusing on that, we should focus on how they are able to overcome the disability during their daily lives. A very trusted author and professor of journalism, Charles A Riley, wrote a book called “Disability and the Media: Prescriptions for Change”. After carefully analyzing this text from Everything’s an Argument, it is clear that Riley wants to adjust the way society views people with disabilities. He is against the fact that people with disabilities are not known for who they really are. I agree with Riley’s stance and can feel what he is expressing throughout his text.

In this weeks reading, I read the narrative essay “Disability: There is more than meets the I” by Katie Cooper. Prior to the reading the essay, I expected being paired with similar essays that might have expressed mental disabilities and the struggle with them. Similarly to my expectations, Cooper delves into her experience at nine years old of learning she was dyslexic. Cooper goes into detail about how unsettling it was learning she had a disability and discovering the definition of disability had made her doubt herself. It is important to critically assess Cooper’s narrative in order to understand the role of narratives and how it helps with the acceptance of the identity of being disabled.

An individual decided it was time to change the traditional framework of negatively depicting disabilities and started teaching classes that would educated journalism students on disabilities. It has had a positive impact thus far and it helps

I like to talk about why businesses and housings don't like putting in a wheelchair accessible ramp and why they don't make their businesses and housing wheelchair accessible. Businesses and housing isn't good with people in a wheelchair because don't want to put in a wheelchair accessible ramp and change them to be wheelchair accessible, but they should try to make it wheelchair accessible so they can get more customers, make them independent in their home, and understand the laws by putting a wheelchair accessible ramp and making it wheelchair accessible into a business and

Through this course study, including course readings and classroom discussions, has allowed me to view disability with a whole new scope and perspectives. It may sound

This week’s discussion dealt with Individuals and Disabilities. Over the years, people who have a “disability" have been subjected to prejudice and more. And the first way to diminish someone is through language, by using words or labels to identify a person as "less-than," as "the others—not like us," and so forth. Once a person has been identified this way, it makes