My Work with Children with Disibilities Essay

Disability has been a difficult topic of society for years. Many people find discomfort in the presence of the disabled and many feel pity for those who are disabled. Back in the 1800s, the disabled were perceived as unable to contribute to society, often forced to undergo sterilization, and forced into institutions and asylums (“A Brief History”). In fact, this treatment of the disabled and mentally ill has been persistent until somewhat recently, when the Civil Rights movement took place, and those with disabilities decided to take a stand for their rights. Although people with disabilities continue to face difficulties in finding jobs, legitimizing their opinion, having the right to vote, and choosing whether or not they receive or refuse

People with disabilities have not been treated fairly in the past. I believe that that those with disabilities have been treated worse than the elderly. They were not allowed to go to school with the normal kids; they were not allowed to work at most jobs. They were teased and made fun of, sometimes there were rejected by their own families. When they were in the mental hospitals they were treated very harsh, they sometimes had to go through shock therapy. Even though they are different types of disabilities, if was something that was noticeable you were treated different, as if you did not belong.

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.

     When a child doesn’t seem to be learning, some teachers and parents in his/her life might criticize the child and think of them as stupid, or maybe just too lazy to want to learn. What they don’t realize is that the child might have a learning disability. But how are these children being helped? There are many programs, special schools and facilities, home teaching methods and many other ways in which children with Learning Disabilities are being helped.

Children with behavioural, social and emotional needs without the right support in place can struggle within an education setting, children with these difficulties can be identified under the SEN code of practice when this identifies the problems and how the setting can support/set reachable targets for the child this is usually in the form of a IHP or a statement.

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).

People with physical limitations and diseases are judged based on the way they look. Just because someone looks different does not mean they are different. Everyone is equal. Just because someone is crippled does not mean they cannot do anything: “ People – crippled or not – wince at the word ‘cripple,’ as they do not at ‘handicapped’ or ‘disabled’” (Mairs 525). People flinch when they hear the word cripple. People with physical limitations can do normal things just like normal people can

There are stereotypes that people believe that can be completely inaccurate. Having group discussions about stereotype that are not accurate with people who believe and do not believe the stereotype will allow people to see both sides. Ways to cut down on disability stereotypes is when students and teachers without disabilities contribute in class activities that would equal out to having a disability. These activities will put the students without disabilities in the shoes of the students that have a disability. According to Ellman, merely adding children with disabilities in a classroom with students who do not have a disability is not going to be a very effective educational experience. Teachers and professors will have to find another way to cut down on ableism by students who are not disabled. Other ways that people in the community can help stop ableism is to have a multitude of clubs and activities that consist of disabled and nondisabled people. This will bring people in the community together and they would understand how people with a disability have. More parades of people with disabilities will make them feel better as a person. The more parades there are for people with disabilities the more people will understand how serious it can be. Ellman states that interacting with role models who are advocates for students with disabilities will help people understand the disabled. Young adults generally look up to what their role models do; so if they go against ableism, so will the student. Stopping ableism is nearly impossible, but if the government and the community come together, we can cut down drastically on the amount of people that make fun of people with

However, the second choice is challenging to follow, since people demonstrate prejudice when they meet a person with disabilities. As shown in the videos, they often are treated as inferior, incapable, dependent,

Prejudice and Stereotyping is one of the main causes in disability discrimination. Some people tend to believe disabled people have limitations and less potential beyond the disability itself.

Do you know anyone who suffers from a learning disability? There are several disabilities out there, so chances are you must know someone who battles with the day-to-day hassles. But, are learning disabilities really a hassle? More often than not, this can be considered a misconception. Learning disabilities (LD) affect the way a person “of at least average intelligence receives, stores, and processes information” (NCLD 2001). This neurological disorder prevents children especially from being able to perform well academically. Therefore more time and special programs are fostered to them. Once one is educated about what the disability means, the causes of LD, what programs are available to

Preparing Your Home for a Child with Disability Taking care of a child is already a monumental task, but taking care of a child with disability can be even more of a challenge. Unlike normal kids, a child with disability may require anything from medication and special amenities to attending therapy sessions and perhaps even specialized education. Preparing your home for a child with disability is an important part of all this. Unfortunately, preparing the home for a child with disability can be just as overwhelming as actually taking care of the child.

It doesn’t matter what you look like on the outside, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, but our society today lacks to understand that. In today’s time different is not accepted, people that are different are discriminated, looked down upon and usually picked on. People with disabilities are seen as different creatures by most people, the disabled don’t choose to be the way they are, but still our society alienates them. There are different types of disabilities, some type of disabilities are; mental disability, physical disability, learning disability and socializing disability. These disabilities are seen as weakness in our society that hence contribute to the stereotype that leads to the discrimination against the disabled.

In 2012, the U.S. Census Bureau released a report that approximately 1 in every 5 Americans has a disability, which translated into almost 56.7 million people (U.S. Census Bureau, 2012). Moreover, more than half of that population was severely disabled. However, many disabled people are stigmatized and excluded from everyday activities, do not receive the required disability-related services, and are not accorded equal access to employment opportunities, education, and health care. Despite the treatment people with disabilities get from other people, disability has been recognized as a human rights issue. It also proves that people with disabilities increasingly lead poor lives and experience poor socio-economic outcomes than other people.