Disability
The issue of disability is not just a matter that concerns disabled people. It is a central subject or social phenomenon that has shaped American history and an unseen yet strong force that continues to influence the way people interact with one another. Douglas Baynton (2013) argues that disability is the most dominant justification for inequality in gender, race and ethnicity as well as for rationalizing and legitimizing discriminatory practices organized in law. This is especially reflected in America’s three major citizenship debates, namely, African American freedom and civil rights, the women’s suffrage movement, and the immigration restrictions in which, disability was central in substantiating and validating their conception, acceptance and implementation. Black Americans were believed to possess inherent mental disabilities i.e. insufficient intelligence, which justified their slavery. Their enslavement would in fact help them to be placed in a productive endeavour that would be beneficial to society. Women on the other hand suffered “great temperamental disabilities” which justified their denial of political franchise or the right to vote. Entitling women with voting rights would endanger political stability as women are easily swayed by controlling and manipulative politicians. Finally, the subject of disability also played a central role in framing American immigration policies as reflected in the injunction or prohibition of entry against idiots, lunatics and other persons deemed to be a liability to society.
Quite interestingly, disability as a justification for inequality is a customary, satisfactory, valid and acceptable ground for differences in treatment that people generally recognize even ...
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...discussion and as Baynton argues, the concept of disability plays a key role in justifying inequality in treatment. This has been shown throughout American history as reflected in the discriminatory practices that has denied women of suffrage, deprived African Americans of freedom and civil rights and prohibited immigrants from entry to the Land of Milk and Honey. Disabilities emanating from race and gender that had since been proven to be untrue or socially construed constitute a case of discrimination. Meanwhile, disabilities in lieu of diversity justify issues of exclusion or differences in treatment in order to accommodate the specific special needs of people with true disabilities.
Works Cited
Baynton, D. C. (2013). Race, Class, and Gender in the United States: An Integrated Study. Disability and The Justification of Inequality In American History, 94.
Behiling, Laura L. "The Necessity of Disability in 'Good Country People' and 'The Lame Shall Enter First'." Flannery O'Connor Review 4 (2006): 88-89. MLA International Bibliography. Web. 2 Apr. 2014.
Baynton, Douglas. "Disability and Justification of Inequality in American History." The New Disability History. New York: New York University Press, 2001. 285-294. Print.
As social scientists, we are intrigued on analyzing relationships within society that can help us understand individuals and surrounding issues. In “Feminist, Queer, Crip” Kafer challenges the issue and ideas of disability through the analysis and frameworks intersected with feminist, queer, and crip theories to argue how society has rendered disability towards people with disabilities not having a “future”. Kafer quotes, “disability is seen as a sign of no future” (p.3). In other words, people with disabilities are perceived and expected to not have a future because they are not capable of conducting things as to someone who is an ableist. Kafer states that disability needs to be addressed, and mentions that “The military complex causes illness,
Culture and disability takes at its starting points the assertion that disability is culturally created and stands as a reflection of a society’s meaning of the phenomenon it created. This includes the fact that disability is a cultural reality that is both time and place dependent: what disability means is different from one social group to another and different from one historical period to another. (p. 526)
Disability is a ‘complex issue’ (Alperstein, M., Atkins, S., Bately, K., Coetzee, D., Duncan, M., Ferguson, G., Geiger, M. Hewett, G., et al.., 2009: 239) which affects a large percentage of the world’s population. Due to it being complex, one can say that disability depends on one’s perspective (Alperstein et al., 2009: 239). In this essay, I will draw on Dylan Alcott’s disability and use his story to further explain the four models of disability being The Traditional Model, The Medical Model, The Social Model and The Integrated Model of Disability. Through this, I will reflect on my thoughts and feelings in response to Dylan’s story as well as to draw on this task and my new found knowledge of disability in aiding me to become
Erkulwater, Jennifer L. Disability Rights and the American Social Safety Net. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2006.
The first theme we discussed in class was ableism. Ableism is discrimination of disabled or handicapped people (Croft, Ableism Powerpoint, 2016). The disability does not have to be obvious such as the person needing a wheelchair or a cane. They can be less obvious to what we consider “normal” such as the person wearing glasses. One of the questions that were discussed in class was “How do we decide who is able?” and “What is standard?” (Croft, Ableism Powerpoint, 2016) . The answer to those questions is power and privilege. If a person has power, they can do anything, meaning they have all the necessary resources. They are accepted because they have the power to influence others (Croft, Ableism Powerpoint, 2016). Privilege
Interestingly, the Medical Model of disability starkly contrasts how other forms of discrimination are typically viewed in society. For example, most individuals believe that the social ailments surrounding racial and ethnic minorities, women, and sexual minorities stem not from any sort of physiological abnormality, but rather from societal environments that breed discrimination. Thus, discrimination against these minority groups are often viewed as unreasonable. Moreover, attempts at justifying the discrimination against any of these groups is deemed socially deplorable. In contrast, many people seem to view discrimination against disabled individuals as not only rational, but also morally acceptable (in the RGT context specifically). The result, therefore, is that individuals who strive against discrimination in other contexts may be apt to justify discrimination against disabled
"Disability the facts." New Internationalist Nov. 2013: 20+. Advanced Placement Government and Social Studies Collection. Web. 27 May 2014.
Over time, perceptions of inequality have evolutionized. Slavery was abolished in 1865, women could finally vote in 1920, and Americans with disabilities were given support in 1990 due to the Americans with Disabilities Act. It is a fact that although many steps have been taking in history in order to provide equality with those with disabilities, there are still stereotypes that are used to label those who are mentally and physically impaired. This is shown in the short story “Cathedral” by Raymond Carver, in which a blind man by the name of Robert, visits the narrator's wife in their home. Throughout the whole visit, the narrator blunty stereotypes Robert because of him being blind and is astounded as to how Robert can do menial tasks that
Susan made some very important points and she discussed how disabled individuals are often referred as the “Other”. I strongly agree, people with disabilities are often looked as failures and they are represented as ...
It could be said that in modern industrial society, Disability is still widely regarded as tragic individual failing, in which its “victims” require care, sympathy and medical diagnosis. Whilst medical science has served to improve and enhance the quality of life for many it could be argued that it has also led to further segregation and separation of many individuals. This could be caused by its insistence on labelling one as “sick”, “abnormal” or “mental”. Consequently, what this act of labelling and diagnosing has done, is enforce the societal view that a disability is an abnormality that requires treatment and that any of its “victims” should do what is required to be able to function in society as an able bodied individual.
Disability: Any person who has a mental or physical deterioration that initially limits one or more major everyday life activities. Millions of people all over the world, are faced with discrimination, the con of being unprotected by the law, and are not able to participate in the human rights everyone is meant to have. For hundreds of years, humans with disabilities are constantly referred to as different, retarded, or weird. They have been stripped of their basic human rights; born free and are equal in dignity and rights, have the right to life, shall not be a victim of torture or cruelty, right to own property, free in opinion and expression, freedom of taking part in government, right in general education, and right of employment opportunities. Once the 20th century
The World Health Organisation, WHO, (1980) defines disability in the medical model as a physical or mental impairment that restricts participation in an activity that a ‘normal’ human being would partake, due to a lack of ability to perform the task . Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (n.d.) states that the medical model emphasizes that there is a problem regarding the abilities of the individual. They argue that the condition of the disabled persons is solely ‘medical’ and as a result the focus is to cure and provide treatment to disabled people (Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, 2014). In the medical model, issues of disability are dealt with according to defined government structures and policies and are seen as a separate issue from ordinary communal concerns (Emmet, 2005: 69). According to Enabling Teachers and Trainers to Improve the Accessibility of Adult Education (2008) people with disabilities largely disa...
Every day in America, a woman loses a job to a man, a homosexual high school student suffers from harassment, and someone with a physical or mental disability is looked down upon. People with disabilities make up the world’s largest and most disadvantaged minority, with about 56.7 million people living with disabilities in the United States today (Barlow). In every region of the country, people with disabilities often live on the margins of society, deprived from some of life’s fundamental experiences. They have little hope of inclusion within education, getting a job, or having their own home (Cox). Everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed in life, but discrimination is limiting opportunities and treating people badly because of their disability. Whether born from ignorance, fear, misunderstanding, or hate, society’s attitudes limit people from experiencing and appreciating the full potential a person with a disability can achieve. This treatment is unfair, unnecessary, and against the law (Purdie). Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in the country today. Essential changes are needed in society’s basic outlook in order for people with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to succeed in life.