How Can Normal People Be Divided By Individuals With Disabilities?

1850 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Disability and stigma essay

When we see individuals with disabilities out in public, many people usually think that those with physical disabilities are not able to do very much because they may be in a wheelchair or have to use some kind of support if they are able to use their legs to an extent. However, that is not the case. Those with a physical and/or cognitive disability can do many things that even “normal people” can do. Not a lot of people will see, or choose not to see that individuals with disabilities can do a lot more than some “normal people” can do or may think. So why is it that many “normal people” think that individuals do not have the same freedom as we do as “normal people”? According to Academic Journals (2015), perceived freedom in leisure is …show more content…

Individuals do not see that they have the freedom to be “normal”, when in reality, they are just like everybody else in the world. We all have a disability of some sort; some either do not realize that they have a disability or they have a very minor disability and nobody notices. Participants often emphasize the need for staff or for their aid to embrace a support rather than a caring role to them. Participants also have often pointed out the change in attitudes that are needed from others in the community when individuals are out in public and trying to fit into society as best they can. Individuals with disabilities feel they do not have the same freedom as everybody else because of how other people treat them in public. According to Dr. WanYoung of the University of Bristol in the UK (2006), individuals with long-term psychiatric illness are so disabled and impaired that they are difficult to be placed in the community because of how they may act in public. When Dr. WanYoung (2006) was measuring perceived freedom of people with long-term psychiatric illness, “it would be better to relate the measuring items to their daily lives as well as the management practice of …show more content…

I think that they should be able to do the simplest tasks and have some, but kept minimal, help so they can have the freedom to live independently and have a life of their own. I understand that some individuals with certain disabilities have to have the help of their parent or caregiver, but at least let them have the ability to try to do the simple tasks on their own and if they need or ask for help with something, then by all means then someone can help them. For those who see individuals out in public all the time and make rude comments to the parents or try to avoid the family or individual all together, that is really rude and inhumane for those who do not understand what it is like to take care of an individual with a disability. If people do not know what that is like, then they should not say anything; let alone look at an individual like they are

Show More
Related

  • Andre Dubus 'Why The Able-Bodied Still Don' T Get It

    916 Words  | 2 Pages

    Most people feel relatively uncomfortable when they meet someone with an obvious physical disability. Usually, the disability seems to stand out in ones mind so much that they often forget the person is still a person. In turn, their discomfort is likely to betray their actions, making the other person uncomfortable too. People with disabilities have goals, dreams, wants and desires similar to people without disabilities. Andre Dubus points out very clearly in his article, "Why the Able-bodied Still Don't Get It," how people's attitudes toward "cripples" effect them. It's is evident that although our society has come a long way with excepting those with physical disabilities, people do not understand that those with physical disabilities are as much human as the next person

    Read More

  • Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, Harriet McBryde Johnson: Disability

    1916 Words  | 4 Pages

    What comes into one’s mind when they are asked to consider physical disabilities? Pity and embarrassment, or hope and encouragement? Perhaps a mix between the two contrasting emotions? The average, able-bodied person must have a different perspective than a handicapped person, on the quality of life of a physically disabled person. Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson are three authors who shared their experiences as physically handicapped adults. Although the three authors wrote different pieces, all three essays demonstrate the frustrations, struggles, contemplations, and triumphs from a disabled person’s point of view and are aimed at a reader with no physical disability.

    Read More

  • Rosie Anaya's Article 'The Best Kept Secret On Campus'

    1159 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.”

    Read More

  • How To Write A Persuasive Speech Outline On Intellectual Disabilities

    452 Words  | 1 Pages

    They are human beings determined to make something good in their lives. Across the world, people with disabilities have poorer health outcomes, lower education achievements, less economic participation and higher rates of poverty than people without

    Read More

  • Aimee Mulara A Phenomenology Of Disability

    1176 Words  | 3 Pages

    When many of us hear the word “disabled,” we often times have a preconceived notion characterized as a limited individual or even one who lacks skillfulness. Although most of us don’t choose these thoughts in a critical manner, we frequently overlook the potential opportunities that these disabled individuals have to adapt and overcome difficulty. In all fairness, I can admit that at times when I have thought of a “disabled” individual, I am guilty of having a predetermined mindset. Since being recently introduced to “Clara: A Phenomenology of Disability,” and Aimee Mullins “The Opportunity of Adversity,” I have become much more mindful in the way I perceive those living life with a disability and how it may affect their future.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Kevin Michael Connolly's 'Double Take'

    1268 Words  | 3 Pages

    I was always the person to shy away from a disabled person because I didn’t know how to handle it. I always thought if I avoided them I wouldn’t have to face the truth, which is I was very uncomfortable with disabled people. However, since our discussions in class, reading the book, and going to the event my views on the disabled have changed drastically since then. I learned that people with disabilities can do the same things, if not more, that a person without disabilities can do. I realized that I need to treat people with disabilities just like any other person, like an equal. People shouldn’t be ostracized for something that they cannot control. Everyone should treat disabled individuals with respect, dignity, and concern. This is why from now on I will not shy away from a disabled person I will welcome them with open arms because they are no different than

    Read More

  • disability

    912 Words  | 2 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Physical Posability: Understanding The Inequality Of Physical Disabilities

    1513 Words  | 4 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Social Model Of Disability

    1654 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Essay On Social Construction Of Disability

    967 Words  | 2 Pages

    Disability is defined as a long term condition that restricts an individual’s daily activities (Government of Western Australia Department of Communities, n.d.). A disability can be identified in numerous types which are physical, sensory neurological and psychiatric. Due to the assistance with appropriate aids and services, the restrictions experienced by individuals with a disability may be overcome. However, the ways society perceives disability may have a significant impact on individuals living with it and also families around them. Therefore, the aim of this essay is to reflect on the social construction of disability through examining the social model of disability and how it may impact on the lives of people living with disability.

    Read More

  • Comparing The Works Of Andre Dubus And Harriet Mcbryde Johnson

    1645 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Understanding the Disabled

    1223 Words  | 3 Pages

    Being disabled is just a single facet of their life, and they have the same capacity to be happy as anyone else. While these three authors have different reasons to write their essays, be it media unfairness, ignorance, or ethical disputes, they all share a basic principle: The disabled are not viewed by the public as “normal people,” and they are unfairly cast away from the public eye. The disabled have the same capacity to love, desire and hurt as any other human being, and deserve all of the rights and privileges that we can offer them. They should be able to enter the same buildings, have representation in the media, and certainly be allowed the right to live.

    Read More

  • Discrimination Against People With Disabilities

    1586 Words  | 4 Pages

    People with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in society. As a result of the stigma associated with disability, persons with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment, and community life, which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being (Stefan). It is such barriers and discrimination that actually set people apart from society, in many cases making them a burden to the community. The ideas and concepts of equality and full participation for persons with disabilities have been developed very far on paper, but not in reality (Wallace). The government can make numerous laws against discrimination, but this does not change the way that people with disabilities are judged in society.

    Read More

  • Inclusive Education Reflection Paper

    833 Words  | 2 Pages

    Prior to Introduction to Inclusive Education, I viewed people with disabilities from the separation perspective. They were the obvious group of individuals, the people motioning down the street with canes, walking with obedient guide dogs, parking within the blue lines, sitting in the reserved seats at the front of the bus, staring in the designated section to see the sign language interpretation, and the people who simply didn’t blend in with the rest. People with disabilities were different and incapable to perform like others; or if they could perform, they needed assistance at all times. I held this viewpoint, not because I wanted to, but because society played a critical role in my outlook.

    Read More

  • Disability Reflection Paper

    933 Words  | 2 Pages

    People with disabilities are still people, they are people with hearts and they are actual physical beings; people with disabilities do their best to live every day to their fullest, yet that is still not enough for others. I feel like as a whole, humans are generally uncomfortable with people who have disabilities. Let’s think of it this way, people live their life every day in their normal lives and then they come across a person with a disability and suddenly their life is interrupted, like it is such a barrier in their flow of life to come across someone different from themselves.

    Read More

More about How Can Normal People Be Divided By Individuals With Disabilities?

Open Document