The Negative Factors Of People With Disability In The 20th Century

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

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.

Disability is a definition of a physical or mental condition which impacts on a person’s movements, activities and senses. People with disabilities were informed of bias and disadvantages compared to an ordinary person. There are many biases and prejudices contributed to the discrimination of individuals with a disability. Partly because of social connotations the disabled people are useless, cannot work. In fact, these extraordinary people always bring and do incredible things. They not only overcome their grim fate, but also bring good things to life, especially those who are perfectly considering better than an ordinary person, they are not aware of the capacity of individuals disabilities with them characteristics such as loyalty, dedication, and hard work.

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

If you saw a person in the mall in a wheelchair, would you judge them? Or would you look at them like they are a normal human-being? People who have a disability whether they are physically disabled, mentally disabled, or learning disabled, are still themselves. Nancy Mairs was forty-three year old woman with multiple sclerosis. She wrote an essay, “Disability”, that explained her views of her physical disability.

At the end of the Civil War, Andrew Johnson alleged our nation 's supposed investment in our veterans by claiming that “ a grateful people will not hesitate to sanction any measures having for their relief of soldiers mutilated...in an effort to preserve our national existence.” Since then, our changing perception of disabled veterans of military service has affected the success and practice of their rehabilitation. Historians and social scientists have found it difficult to understand the process of identity formation among disabled veterans. This difficulty is rooted in historian’s inability to make sense of the disabled veteran’s history, social position, and representation in culture and discourse. Historian Paul Lawrie, who argues one of many interpretations of how these veterans are represented, believes that the conflation of disability and blackness denied African-American veterans basic human rights in the time after World War II. However, as racial prejudices slowly improved over the course of the century, historians interpreted other social, political, and cultural forces as main influences of the formation of representation of these veterans. Historians have suggested that, in addition to race, social welfare policy, film, and gender have all worked in cohesion, or in conflict at times, to determine these representations.

Despite many crucial developments surrounding acceptance of others there is still a long and arduous path ahead of our society. People with disabilities, whatever a given disability may be and mean for the individual, are frequently stigmatized. They are not always offered equal opportunities, nor are they always offered the proper support to fortify their capabilities so that the individual may be the best they can be. Because of this there are many people who never go or return to college, are unemployed, or are isolated from the community.

Disability in a socio-cultural context can be defined as "a barrier to participation of people with impairments or chronic illnesses arising from an interaction of the impairment or illness with discriminatory attitudes, cultures, policies or institutional practices" (Booth, 2000). The traditional view of disability often focuses on the individual, highlighting incapacities or failings, a defect, or impairment. This focus creates obstacles to participation on equal terms since an individual who seems to lack certain capacities may not be able to attain autonomy.

When you see someone suffering from a disability or some type of disease you might not always think it will happen to you. No matter what the disease or disability is, it’s always going to be an inconvenience for the person that has the condition. Some people are out in the open about their disease, while other are quiet and in the dark about it. I believe that even though people have these issues in their life, they should embrace it and continue to be who they are. They may think why me? Why was I given this burden? Even though this disease may stand in the way of them doing specific things they should come to terms with it and do all the other things that it does let them do.

The Disability Social History Project website is a great side were you can find information and articles pertaining to disabilities in one place. The information is well organized and easy to find. It has 11 buttons on the left-hand side with the different sections. It has information about the history of disabilities in different time periods and different disabilities. The exhibits section has different articles that talk about freak shows in the United States in 1840 through 1940, disability campaigns in the United States during the 30’s through 60’s, and the Nazis’ extermination policies for people with disabilities during the 20’s through 50’s. The people's section of this website is a great inspiration since it has stories of people

However, the disability culture doesn’t just stop in American society, it extends all over the world and into different communities. It is also where people are born and raised and the resources available to them in their environments that helps constitute whether families can help support their members with disabilities or if they can even find those kinship ties within their communities. Some parts of the world don’t have as strong of a disability community so often times it can be very difficult for those with a disability to find someone who has lived through similar struggles. The location of the person with the disability has a big impact on whether their family will be able to support them emotionally, mentally, and physically. For example, in America, there has been an evolution over the past decades of how society views those with disabilities. We went from the establishment of “ugly laws” to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, where those with disbailities need to be given equal opportunities and cannot be discriminated against. However, in other countries they don’t have the same amount of resources or community support as the U.S. so it can become much more difficult for those within the disability community to find support from their family or each other. And the concept goes further to the culture in which people have grown up in, in China or India the presence or absence of disability in constructed by broader notions of kinship and radically different epistemologies from those used in the West” (Adams et al., 83). In some places a disability, depending on the conditions, can be seen as a gift from God or in other instances and cultures as a

In this essay I will attempt to explain people’s attitudes towards the person with disability, also about the causes due to which our society discriminates against them. Few of these reasons are stereotyping, psychological discomfort, lack of accommodation, paternalization & pity.

Despite the response to disability varying greatly between times, places and cultures (Barnes, 2012), there is no doubt that disability has an immeasurable impact on people’s lives. Disability affects an individual’s identity and their ability to work, socialise and be involved in society. In this essay I will discuss how approaches to disability have changed over time, specifically how approaches to disability have developed in recent centuries. I will start by discussing the medical model before moving on to its direct challenge in the social model. Finally I will discuss responses to the social model, in particular the biopsychosocial model.

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.

Approximately 15% of the world’s population is, in a way, disabled. Whether it is a physical disability or a serious chronic disease, we have about one billion people in the world that live with a disability every day of their lives. It often occurs that these people are seen as an outcast of society; people that cannot live normal lives. It is important to realize that this is not true at all. People with disabilities are completely able to be part of the world. It is just the world’s duty to accept them.