The topic of both disability and disability communication was one that we as a class discussed during lecture and I feel that disability is a topic that isn’t talked about enough. Something crucial that I learned during the lesson was the importance of the way that we communicate with people who are disabled and how it has an impact on them. The definition of a disability is a physical or mental impairment substantially limiting a major life activity. There are many examples of disabilities in humans and many of them impair an aspect of you that you spend most your life doing. Some examples of this include but are not limited to: walking, talking, learning, etc. The best way to communicate with the disabled is to simply put the individual before …show more content…
Through this method of communication comes two different manners of person first language, to successfully communicate with the disabled. The two phrases of Person-First disability language are affirmative phrases and negative phrases. Affirmative phrases are the correct method when applying this concept and involves putting the person first and the disability second. An example of an affirmative phrase when describing an individual with a developmental is by saying “Person with a developmental disability”. An example of the opposite and negative phrase in this situation would be describing the person as being “Mentally Retarded”. The main goal for this method of communication is to make sure the disabled know that they matter to us and are equal with everyone in the world. This was a main principle in the Schlossberg Theory of Marginality and Matter discovered by Nancy Schlossberg. Marginality is defined as a sense of not fitting in and feeling different from everyone else. This sense can cause depression, irritability and lack of confidence within one’s self-esteem. These feelings can result when someone who experiences them to feel like they don’t
Living the Drama by David J. Harding is a text which draws on many sociological theories that are presently relevant to the lives of many individuals. Particularly this compilation of personal accounts and theoretical connections textbook focuses on the role of neighborhood and community’s effect on the lives of present day boys. The book provides real life examples are given to demonstrate two key topics being cultural heterogeneity and collective efficacy. In neighborhoods collective efficacy is relevant regardless of the racial or socioeconomic make up of the area, as it comprises the neighborhoods trust and cohesion with shared expectations of control, which in response determines the public order of that community. In these communities we then find cultural heterogeneity, which is defined as the existence of a myriad of competing and conflicting cultural models. Cultural Heterogeneity, according to Harding, is greater in disadvantaged neighborhoods especially in relation to the topic of academic ambitions and career aspirations of adolescents in these areas. Youth and juveniles are heavily effected by the collective efficacy of an area which determines how may different social models and norms there are in the area or neighborhood in question. In Living the Drama, examples are given which indicate that higher collective efficacy would likely result in less cultural heterogeneity. This relationship between the two theories Is important as it effects the collective leadership, direction and social norms of an area and plays a role in the success or failure of the youth from that specific neighborhood.
Disability in our day in age is seen as being worse than death. People with disabilities should not feel like they don 't belong. They are just like everyone else and want to be treated like everyone else. Many without disabilities think that it can be contagious and stray to even look at people with disability. This is not the case for it 's not contagious and one should not be seen as a different person just because of their disability. They didn 't choose that life and shouldn 't be mistreated for what they are. “People with disability should be treated equally to everyone else.”
After reading “People First Language” by Kathie Snow, the first thing that came to my mind was the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I have never agreed with this saying because words can inflict pain just like sticks and stones. Words really do matter. Kathie Snow believed that other people’s attitude towards others is the greatest obstacle facing people with disabilities. According to Kathie Snow (2010), “The real problem is never a person’s disability, but the attitudes of others!
There have always been implications in the way a teacher can teach a student. You have your perfect students who seem to know more than you, the bad student who doesn’t want to learn, and then you have your student with a disability. These students try hard to succeed, but without the proper equipment, are unable to do so. This comes into play especially with students who are unable to speak. There were many ways in the past to help people who couldn’t talk by either writing the words down all the way, to using sign language. Using these methods to convey a message to a person or group of people can take a long time. This could be, and is, very discouraging for someone who just wants to tell you the answer, or ask a question; however there isn’t an easy way to get it out. Luckily a company over in Europe developed a system that enables teaching and learning to come easier to a person with a disability. This system is called DynaVox.
Historically, we have been taught that people with disabilities are different and do not belong among us, because they are incompetent, cannot contribute to society or that they are dangerous. We’re still living with the legacy of people with disabilities being segregated, made invisible, and devalued. The messages about people with disabilities need to be changed. There needs to be more integration of people with disabilities into our culture to balance out the message. Because of our history of abandonment and initialization, fear and stigma impact our choices more than they would if acceptance, community integration, and resources were a bigger part of our history.
People who have physical disabilities often experience negative situations and connotations that they must overcome to thrive in society. People who offer narratives about their disabilities often give the most accurate representation about the challenges those with disabilities face. Ms. Marenge, reported that one of the hardest things about leaving the rehabilitation center after becoming paralyzed was living in a house that was inaccessible, and having to rely on her family to carry her up and down the house (Casey Marenge, 2011). Similarly, a student with muscular dystrophy, says that she wishes more places were wheelchair accessible, because when they aren’t she feels that society is holding her back, and she can’t reach her full potential. Alisha also reported that t making friends is hard because some kids would ignore her at school because of her situation and she is often separated from the mainstream students at school. Alisha, doesn’t want to be defined by her disability, however, she believes that many people who look at her only see her wheelchair (Alisha Lee, 2011). Despite the many negative ways people who suffer from physical disabilities are affected, it is important to note that they don’t always feel bad for themselves, and that having a disability doesn’t stop them from loving
This essay has served to give a brief understanding of the theories and practices of the medical and social models of disabilities, and how they affect people with disabilities. It is an important issue to consider as there are still many things in the world the disable people and we still have steps to make society inclusive.
The term disabled means to me that the body don’t have all the functioning parts. Being mentally challenged can be challenging. Social worker is put in place to serve them the best possible life if possible. But there is that one thing that are always a barrier, the stigma in the society. One of the client who is working a social worker have dealt of feeling the low because he has been classified as disabled would say that people around him, he feels that they are saying that he is stupid. It disheartens to hear that not only from the client but the norms.
The second misconception the public has is that “people with mental handicaps are indifferent to the language that is used in referring to them and their handicaps” (Dudley 81). However, results of numerous studies show that a large percentage of the disabled community who are called upon as mentally retarded prefer a less stigmatic label, such as “developmentally disabled, slow, mildly retard...
Disability is an topic that has produced conflict, and is viewed very differently from either side. For able-bodied people to truly understand what disabled people go through they need to see disabled people more; see their lives. If seeing disabled people more often became reality, they would be viewed as normal more, and it would make interacting easier for both sides. Disabled people have a hard life, but it does not mean it is not worth living. Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson all have physical disabilities, and have written about their experiences and views. In their writings, they touch upon both similar and different points. A very present similarity between the authors is they all play to the same audience. In their messages, both Mairs and Johnson agree that able-bodied people automatically assume that disabled people have a lower quality of life or are unhappy. The strategies used by each author plays to their message, and aids them in getting across their position. Disability isn’t always easy to understand, and these authors help illustrate that.
The first thought that crosses the mind of an able-bodied individual upon seeing a disabled person will undoubtedly pertain to their disability. This is for the most part because that is the first thing that a person would notice, as it could be perceived from a distance. However, due to the way that disability is portrayed in the media, and in our minds, your analysis of a disabled person rarely proceeds beyond that initial observation. This is the underlying problem behind why disabled people feel so under appreciated and discriminated against. Society compartmentalizes, and in doing so places the disabled in an entirely different category than fully able human beings. This is the underlying theme in the essays “Disability” by Nancy Mairs, “Why the Able-Bodied Just Don’t Get it” by Andre Dubus, and “Should I Have Been Killed at Birth?” by Harriet Johnson.
There are several ‘models’ of disability, the two most frequently spoken about being the ‘social’ and the ‘medical’ models of disability. The medical model views the individual’s impairment as a problem and their inability to join in society to the full extent is a direct result of their it. The social model believes that it is not the individuals impairments that is holding them back as much as it is society’s lack of resources. Those who support the medical model believe that it is the individual’s disability that holds them back.
In the article The Effect of Negative Attitudes towards Persons with Disability, by the Malta Independent, these situations of prejudice on a daily basis, easily starts chewing away on a person’s confidence. All of a sudden, they become scared to ask for accommodation, say nothing when they feel unwell, and is afraid to share their struggle with somebody in the fear of being judged once again and being cast out and misunderstood even further. These people are constantly placed into the group of “disabled”, “handicapped”, or “extra work.” After a while, these individuals start to doubt whether their closest friends and family feel the same about them, and soon they will start seeing themselves in that way. According to research, small children with
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
French, S. & Swain, J. 2008. Understanding Disability: A Guide for Health Professionals. Philadelphia: Churchilll Livingstone Elsevier: 4