Stereotypes and Prejudices Against the Intellectually Disabled “It is clear that one’s intellectual capacity has no bearing on their ability to love.” Stereotypes formed on disabled parents can result in the removal of the child(ren) from their household. The above quote is from the movie I have chosen to write about “I am Sam” Sam is a dad with an intellectual disability who has a daughter (Lucy) with a homeless woman who does not want the baby. Sam successfully raises Lucy with guidance and help from his neighbor (Annie) up to her 7th birthday when social workers removed Lucy from his home. The courts intervene and try to prove he is incapable of being a parent. The courts perceive that Sam is not qualified to be a parent because he is …show more content…
mentally disabled. Several government agencies have stereotyped Sam as an inadequate caregiver and love is not enough to raise a child. Unfortunately, it is very common for society to automatically stereotype disabled people, mentally or otherwise to not be capable of parenting. The result of their stereotyping and prejudice is either sterilization or through the court system to have the children removed from the disabled parents. In the article “Rocking the Cradle” the goal is to promote the understanding of parents with disabilities and their rights. Parents should be free of prejudices from society forming the typical stereotype that they cannot be productive and responsible parents. Moreover, even in 2012 eleven states still have involuntary sterilization laws on the books for people with disabilities. Some people still believe society would be better served by preventing them from procreating. Removal rates where parents have a psychiatric disability have been found to be as high as 70 percent to 80 percent, where the parent with an intellectual disability, the rate is 40 percent to 80 percent. This is not only due to neglect or dysfunction but also to the influence of perception. The article also states that personal bias from professional agencies can also discriminate against the disabled parties making is even harder for them to retain custody of their children.
The law is supposed to be written in a way that protects everyone involved but some changes still need to be made. The mental health professionals may harbor their own stereotypes in turn bringing that bias to the court system and changing an outcome for individuals that may have, in different circumstances, had a more positive conclusion. In the movie, Sam had to go through the court system to prove he could be a suitable parent to Lucy, his lawyer Rita Harris, had a tough job because he mentally was the same age as his daughter. The judge and prosecutor both had preconceived perceptions that he was not …show more content…
suitable. Furthermore, in the textbook Reflect & Relate on pages 90-91 it writes about stereotypes which is what the movie is widely based on. Also, on pages 141-142 it mentions prejudices, this is a negative influence for disabled people and the process they go through for keeping their children. Assumptions are made without getting to know the individual person and the quality of life they can bring to their child. Not all parents are perfect and to assume a parent with disabilities cannot possible be competent is certainly a prejudice against them. The social worker in the movie strongly believed her impression of mental disability and should most unquestionably result in the removal of Lucy from Sam’s care. Her stereotypical presumption could have been detrimental to Sam’s case and him ultimately not retaining custody of her. The prejudice against the mentally disabled has been and continues to be a problem in our society. Stereotyping against the intellectually disabled has resulted in the removal of child not due to their protecting but rather to misguided and prejudicial ideas.
This is according to the Journal of Social Welfare and Family Law. The article “Stereotypes, parent with intellectual disability and child protection” touches on the fact that if a parent has an intellectual disability then the child will need to be removed to protect their health, safety and wellbeing. The process happens too frequently when the situation is unnecessary and without basis. The guidelines for determining the criteria for intellectual disability has changed several times over the years that it seems to be a moving target. The public and the professional agencies have taken to stereotyping all levels of disabilities into the discarded pile of being too unsuitable to be parents. The statistics are staggering in this article, it proves if you are a parent with a disability you are 45.5% likely to lose your
child(ren). In conclusion, the prejudices and stereotypes that are so frequently used to view the intellectually disabled has caused catastrophic outcomes in the lives of so many people. The process of having children and being able to raise them to adulthood is taken for granted for most of the human race, but to a percentage of people with disabilities it is a worrisome vision. The realization that they may never be blessed to have their own children is an all too common conclusion. Studies have shown that children of disabled parents have positive childhoods and have grown to be productive with a loving bond to their parents. The negative concepts that people put on certain types can be harmful and we all need to be more empathetic to our differences.
Patricia Bauer was a former Washington post reporter and one of the founders of the UCLA, a school for young adults with intellectual disabilities, although she gains most of her knowledge on the topic from raising a daughter with Down Syndrome. This article was originally published in The Washington Post, one of the most circulates newspapers in America. When this article came out in August of 2008, two major things were happening concerning mental disabled people. The first was a movie that came out
Smith & Tyler (2010), discuss databased practices; moreover self-determination. Most people with intellectual disabilities have most decisions made for them. They have little choices. They “are not permitted the time necessary to actually develop an understanding of their own preferences, likes, and dislikes”(p 285). Amanda appears to have lower level of self-determination.
While acknowledging the diverse influences of capitalism, colonialism, urbanization, and industrialization on the perceptions and constructions of intellectual disability, this book also adds a new and significant dimension by including analysis of social and cultural notions of identity, personhood and selfhood.
As time goes on, the law has put more emphasis on facility just like Bridgewater State Hospital in which many of the actions of the facility workers can face legal consequences such as facing prison time, fines, lawsuits, and etc. Society has a better understanding of why certain people act the way that they do and being more knowledgeable about psychology and mental diseases allows us to have a different approach when dealing with these topics or these individuals. In today’s era, there are many normal individuals who are willing to stand up for those who do not have a voice of their own. I believe that this change in one’s ability to stand up for another individual or group of individuals is what brought about change to the medical environment of those who are mentally
This trend is evident in many aspects of society, including the recent advancements in the treatment, perceptions and rights of those with disabilities. If you look back a mere one hundred years to the beginning of the 20th century we find evidence of how people with disabilities were treated as inferior and institutionalised for most if not all of their usually short lives. This was especially the case for those who suffered from a congenital disability such as cerebral palsy or Down syndrome.
The. In this article, the author raises the question of whether or not parents of severely developmentally disabled children should be able to terminate their child’s physical in order to arguably improve their child’s quality of life. This calls into question how much power parents should be allowed to have over their child, in particular with regards to profound disability and the “Ashley Treatment”. Liao, S., Julian Savulescu, and Mark Sheehan. “The Ashley Treatment: Best Interests, Convenience, and Parental Decision-Making.”
Do you think that everyone is treated equally despite the fact that they may be different from others? Perhaps you believe that the law protects all of those who should have the right to keep custody over their children when in reality, it does not. The court should not have the right to take away full custody from parents with mental disabilities given that section 15 of the Charter protects against discrimination. Mental disabilities should not prevent you from living a life you want to live, they should never hold you back. There are many reasons why a parent with a disability should be allowed to keep their children especially in Sam’s case in the movie “I am Sam”. The court had no right to take the custody away from Sam because there was
While reading Chapter Eight in the book “Family Poverty in Diverse Contexts,” by Broussard and Joseph, I recalled this phrase from my own memory, about the realistic wish of a mother who was raising a disabled child. From her quote above, I made assumptions about how much time a disabled child must take in the daily lives of their families. At the time, I felt bitter towards her, not knowing how difficult raising a disabled child could truly be.
“If the technology became available for the deaf to hear completely, would you want your deaf child to have this technology?” It is every parent’s dream for their child to grow up healthy and happy. There are so many children in the world that do not have the ability to hear, and it is a horrible thing. Many would think it wrong for a parent to not want to give their child the gift of sight. If I had a child that was deaf, I would do everything in my power to help them get their hearing. If the technology was there to fix this disability, why wouldn’t anyone want their child to have it? “840 babies are born with a permanent hearing loss every year.”(NDCS of UK). This is a horrible number to hear, that so many children will never be able to hear. If there was any technology able to restore a child’s hearing it would be a shame if the parents didn’t get it. “Deaf children face tremendous difficulties learning to read, write and communicate with the hearing world around them.”(NDCS of UK). Not only would you be giving your child the gift of hearing by using this technology, but you will also help child to be able learn on the normal level of other children.
The importance of becoming aware of your own bias/stereotypes while working in the health care field are imperative because you're dealing with a lot of different people, different beliefs and values on a daily basis. According to tolerance.org a stereotype is an exaggerated belief, image, or distorted truth about a person. If you're preparing for a career in the health care field and go into the profession with your own set of stereotypes it can negatively affect the people around you. You can’t truly help someone if you have a negative view of them. In order to really help a patient you have to be able to put your own stereotypes aside and treat the person, not some preconceived idea you may have of them. By becoming aware of your own set
The thought that having a mental disorder or disability keeps you from being able to live a happy life is widely believed. Sam Dawson proves that a person with a mental disability is capable of loving and being happy but not necessarily capable of taking care of a child. Mr. Dawson needs help for himself and is unable to care for a child in his mental state. His mental disability may not affect his ability to feel but it does affect his ability to provide for his daughter so she is safe and well cared for. Mr. Dawson is incapable of taking care of his daughter because he is mentally disabled, financially incapable, and socially incapable to care for her correctly. If Sam Dawson truly wants the best for his daughter Lucy, he will give her to
Per the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. For people who do not work with mental illness, I think that they think of people who should be locked up in a mental hospital in a padded room in a strait jacket. Not everyone knows what mental illness is because mental illness has been kept hush hush for so many years. Some families that have mentally ill children think that they need to keep everything that happens with that child secret. But that isn’t the case much anymore. Mental hospitals don’t look like they did many years ago. I work in a CBRF with mentally ill adults, and I have been to the mental health in – patient unit of the Mayo Clinic hospital down
According to the Center of Disease Control, “About 1 percent of the world population has autism spectrum disorder” (CDC 1). While this may not seem like a large number, one percent of the population equates to about seventy-three million people. Of these seventy-three million people, there are countless individuals who have made an appearance in the news, on television, or in major companies. The daily lives of these individuals include a plethora of challenges that many people would not give second thought about. One form of Autism that is frequent in the celebrity population is Asperger Syndrome. This disease inhibits an individual’s social skills and emotional control, two traits that are usually required when in the public eye. Asperger
Tomorrow’s future is in the hands of today’s students. As a society, we have blindly allowed computers into our educational system in hopes of making learning fun. When in reality, learning takes hard work, discipline, and responsibility; by incorporating these do-it-all machines into our school system, we are hindering our students and our future. Hence, the making of an intellectually handicapped society. Computers are negatively impacting our students in countless ways; the internet has conveniently made plagiarism a part of many students academic lives, they have opened numerous new windows for distractions from homework, and are diminishing students social skills.
During this term I have learnt that discrimination and harassment have extremely cruel effects on its victims. I have been exposed to the effects of discrimination which causes pain both emotional and physical to those who are suffering. Discrimination, diversity and difference issues are very prevalent in our society, and it is important to be learning about it as it allows us, as the next generation, to change and progress to the desired discrimination free world. Having diversity and difference should be celebrated rather than be discriminated against and being taught about these issues allows for us to change our behaviors and attitudes towards difference stereotypes and discrimination.