The Reality Of Being Disabled

Describe the effects that having a physical disability can have on a person’s day to day life

Some family have stereotypical ideas about disabled, but for Amy Purdy and her family that motivate them to live their lives beyond their limits. Although, she lost some parts of her body. For example, she lost both her legs below the knees, the spleen, kidneys. Unfortunately, she became unable to hear in her left ear. Another person who born with disability, Maysoon Zayid which is cerebral palsy. However, she did not give up for this so she worked hard and persevere to get a scholarship which was from Arizona State University. From Amy Purdy and Maysoon Zayid, we learn that facing problems forces us to get creative, and we should be optimistic when we want to change a critical situation.

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.

In her essay, “On Being a Cripple”, Nancy Mairs, an essayist with multiple sclerosis, writes about her experiences with her disease. She wants her audience of able-bodied people to stop pitying towards disabled people and instead show acceptance. Mairs achieves her purpose by presenting herself as similar and relatable to her able-bodied audience with many anecdotes and a blunt tone. This discussion of her condition removes the discomfort about disabilities felt by her audience and allows for them to accept disabled people. While Maris’s primary audience is an able-bodied person who supports disabled people, other readers, like someone with her condition, may be drawn towards this essay as well. Unlike an able-bodied person, a disabled person

Disability simulation is the process where an able-bodied individual assumes a position of the person with disability to try and understand what really happens in the life of a person with disability. It is offers experience that allows one to learn more about people living with disability and hopefully treat them better; have a change of perception. It gives ‘first hand’ experience on how life of person with disability really is. A day alternating as a person on the wheelchair and as assistant had so much to offer as will be illustrated below.

We encounter disability everywhere we go and we do not realize it. Prior to this assignment, I never acknowledged how frequently we encounter disability. Some of my encounters over this 24-Hour period have been positive ones, but some focused on disability in a negative way.

Switched at Birth shocked the nation with its compellingly unique storyline and portrayal of a disabled main character. The show follows the intertwined lives of Bay Kennish and Daphne Vasquez who were accidentally placed in the wrong cribs at the hospital soon after they were born. Bay grew up in an upper-class family and attended a private school in the city. Daphne, on the other hand, grew up in a single parent family who struggled to make ends meet every month. Daphne contracted meningitis when she was three, leading to her gradual deafness. After meeting for the first time, the families realized that they must learn how to live their lives together despite their conflicting backgrounds (Switched at Birth S:1). Although this show demonstrates the “Disability drift and the disability hierarchy” myth, it effectively shows how people with disabilities can live their lives the same way as able bodied people and have the same opportunities to achieve their goals. The writers accomplish this by focusing heavily on the social model of disability, which highlights the idea that “disability is caused by the way society is organized, rather than by a person’s impairment or difference” (Scope par. 1). Viewing disabilities from this perspective educates viewers on the flaws in our society and how we should work together to change our communities.

I was apprehensive about this exercise. I did not want to trivialize what it means to be living with a disability. I wondered; which disability am I comfortable doing? Do I have the resources? Am I capable? Nevertheless, this appeared to be a simple task and I have plenty of experience working with people with disability. I thought,

I get really passionate when talking about topics like this one because I’m an immigrant so sometimes I feel discriminated against and I feel the pressure of society upon me when I have to change some of my cultural patterns in order to fit in into this new society. To be honest, volunteering in general and doing service-learning projects like this one help me fulfill a lot of personal goals. I’m into social justice, in fact, I want my master’s in either social justice or human rights. Therefore, this project gave me more social understanding because people who suffer these types of diseases, consequently, suffer physical impairment. This project made me understand that they don’t suffer disability; rather, disability is a social construct.

I chose to do this reading response on Valle’s article on rethinking disabilities. This piece begins by talking bringing up the notion that when one reveals that they are a special education teacher, instantly they are looked at and thought about differently. Next, the piece goes on to discuss the medical model of disabilities, which is basically the same process as going to the doctor when you are sick, being examined, prescribed a treatment, and finally schedule a follow-up visit. The chapter continues by discussing how disability can be look at as a social construction. The origin of normal, and the increase of normal in schools is discussed next. The IQ test and intelligence tests in general are the main focus of this section, especially

Disability is a thing that can happen to anyone whether it is that they are born with it or they get into an accident and ultimately end up being disable. This is something that is life changing and it affects a person’s life forever. According to Sinclair, & Xiang (2008) “Disability is a major public health problem that affects approximately 20% of the US population, including children younger than 18 years. It is estimated that 5.8% to 18.0% of children in the United States have a chronic physical, developmental, behavioral, or emotional disability” (Sinclair, & Xiang (2008). Luckily, there is a place that people facing these circumstances can go to for help with their disabilities and this place will help them to readjust themselves and

I had not thought much about people with a disability. But, once I read Cycle of Hope, I realized my life can change in an instance. People with a disability are very determined and strong-minded. People with a disability that are confided to a wheelchair can carry out anything that they put their mind too. Just because someone has a disability, it doesn’t mean they can’t leave their life to the fullest. They can live a normal life just like me, even though they are in a wheelchair. With today’s technology, they can drive a car, live own their own and enjoy their everyday life. Disability people can hold down a full-time job and live on their own. I think someone with a disability is very strong-minded and they are determined to carry

First off, this is one of the most depressing metaphor stories I have ever read. He just woke up on the morning and started to lose his 'human body' and kept trying to push himself to protect his job.At first, I thought it was going to be a metaphor for drugs and alcohol, but it turned out to a more darker matter. I would think he was trying to replace the symptoms for becoming disabled. From his description, he may have suffered a stroke or a brain rupture leaving him with brain damaged. His voice became unrecognizable, he had to struggle to move around, plus brain damage can lead to some malformation.

For my final reflective response of the term I have chosen to focus on the writing of G. Thomas Couser. The article written by Couser is titled, “Disability, Life Narrative, and Representation”. Couser focuses on the narrative of disability within a social cultural context. He focuses upon the ability of the disability community to re-write their story from their own point of view. I will focus on the importance of the disability community to own their stories, and share them.