“Once neglected and segregated, people with developmental disabilities are demanding full inclusion in all aspects of community life and a say over matters that affect them(” The researchers of this article emphasize the importance of sharing control over research, noting that such approaches may benefit both the population and the quality of the research. Many diverse branches of academic-community partnerships have emerged over the past few years including participatory action research, community-based participatory research, emancipatory research, inclusive research, and participatory research. All of the academic partnerships have shared core principles such as pursuing research that is an equal, reciprocal cooperation between community …show more content…
To better implement action research, we recommend a commitment to building our knowledge of effective strategies and tools for action research with adults with developmental disabilities and continuing to share these tools through publications, presentations, Web sites, workshops, and communities of practice. Interestingly, students' relative lack of power in their own settings may facilitate power sharing in action research, though their parallel lack of experience leading research may contribute to greater challenges in executing the research. With a few exceptions, our findings and other scholarship on the reported success of action research, including effects on research quality and the lives of people with developmental disabilities, are largely anecdotal and from the perspectives of professional researchers. We recommend action research projects pursue mixed and quantitative research to answer a broader array of research aims, push frontiers in including community members in diverse forms of inquiry, and better legitimize action research with adults with developmental disabilities among more diverse research traditions. The exciting news is that action research with adults with developmental disabilities holds promise for people with developmental disabilities, their allies within and outside the research community, and a more inclusive society. Many pioneers are devising ways to achieve equitable research partnerships and putting research into action to directly benefit people with
Including Samuel is a film about how inclusion can be difficult, but it is important for these children and their success. This is an issue that people with developmental disabilities deal with on a daily basis, but not everyone knows this until you have seen it first-hand or lived with it. In the film, photojournalist and father, Dan Habib follows his son Samuel around and others with disabilities to show their stories and to help inform the viewers about this little known topic. The film was effective in its efforts to display how inclusion has many complexities, but we need to work at it in order for these children to have a contributing and successful life.
Conclusions and Recommendations The results for this initiative illustrate the power to change societal practices through the collaboration of individuals and organizations that hold the same advocacies.
Child A is a 12 year old boy in Grade 7 with a diagnosis of Asperger’s Syndrome, which is an autistic spectrum disorder, according to the criteria given in DSM IV (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). These criteria include impairment in social interaction; repetitive and stereotyped patterns of behaviour; significant impairment in social, occupational or other areas of functioning; no clinically significant delay in language of cognitive development. It should be noted that DSM IV has now been superseded by DSM V which has removed Asperger’s as a specific diagnosis and incorporated it into autistic spectrum disorders (APA, 2013); however, many professionals disagree with this and continue to make use of DSM IV when diagnosing autistic spectrum disorders (Wing, Gould, & Gillberg, 2011).
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
Odom, S. L., Buysee, V., & Soukakou, E. (2011). Inclusion for young children with disability: A
There is the world that also must be changed. There are still places that are not as advanced as others. The old ways that the advanced places once used are still intact in other areas. We find those ways wrong, but there is acceptance of the old ways where the new ways are not taught. With multitudes of people coming and going from the United States it is hard to monitor or change the ways that are brought along with others. There is never harm in trying. Little by little we can help others realize that their ways of thinking are not appropriate. A way into society could be literature, movies, and social media. I’m finding that as I read literature from different countries the amount of literature on people with disabilities or is low, even for the United States. However, it seems that the greatest changes were written on paper and passed around. My only worry is that after erasing the outdated views from society, is what will come to replace it.
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.
“Including Samuel” is a documentary about the complexities of inclusion. Like so many other issues in our lives, the solutions are far from clear. This film explains a kid named Samuel and the family’s efforts to provide an education that involves inclusion for him and his disability. He was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at the age of 4. The film then describes other people like Nathaniel and Emily that struggle with inclusion and the difficulties they face on a day to day basis. An analysis of this film shows the filmmakers effective and accurate complexities of inclusion to a full extent.
“The 1% of US students with labels of severe disabilities including mental retardation have been historically excluded from ‘inclusive’ education” (Bentley, 2008, p. 543). Laws such as PL 94-142 and “No Child Left Behind” (as cited in Bentley), say that ‘public school students with all types of disabilities be educated in the least restrictive environment—‘to the maximum extent possible…with children who do not have disabilities’ the majority of these students with special education labels, such as, mental retardation and multiple disabilities are still isolated in special education classrooms (Bentley, 2008, p. 545). Wehmeyer (as cited in Bentley), points out that mere access does not promote authentic participation (Bentley, 2008, p. 546). Burkowski et al (as cited in Webster and Cater), “Friendship has been defined as a bond between two individuals that is stable across time and involves mutual affection, mutual preference and having fun together” (Webster and Carter, 2007, p. 201). It is up to parents, teachers and other paraprofessionals to seek ways to facilitate and encourage the types of positive interactions that will foster these types of friendships. If done successfully all students will benefit and there will be true inclusion.
Adults with Learning Disabilities The field has not quite reached consensus on definitions of LD, and there are professionals as well as members of the public who do not understand them or believe they exist. For example, in a Roper (1995) survey of 1,200 adults, 85% associated LD with mental retardation, 66% with deafness, and 60% with blindness. In Rocco's (1997) research, faculty "questioned the existence of certain conditions or if they existed, the appropriateness of classifying the condition as a disability" (p. 158). However, most definitions describe learning disabilities as a group of disorders that affect the ability to acquire and use listening, speaking, reading, writing, reasoning, or math skills (Gerber and Reiff 1994; National Adult Literacy and Learning Disabilities Center 1995a; National Center for Learning Disabilities 1997).
As a parent, learning that your child has developmental disabilities can be a life altering moment in time and can cause a devastating chain reaction of events. These events have the potential to change family priorities and structure, hurt relationships, deplete financial savings and stability, and emotionally drain everyone intimately involved with you and your child. How do you find human services programs, agencies, or advocates, whose primary job is to help you provide everything your child needs? It certainly can be an overwhelming barrier, but it's the first step in giving you, your child, and your family a plan of action, goals, success, good mental health and bringing everyone back together.
Radley, M. (2009). Understanding the social exclusion and stalled welfare of citizens with learning disabilities. Disability and Society, 23(4): 489-501.
Children with disabilities are more in the public eye than years ago, although they are still treated differently. Our society treats them differently from lack of education on special needs. The society labels them and make their lives more difficult than it has to be becau...
Liberal arts studies are supposed to represent society as a whole, but somehow the study of disabled people is not a course. If disability studies is incorporated into liberal arts, than “disability studies has the potential to organize and critique representations of disability, expose ways that disability has been constructed as label and category, and reveal the consequences of those actions for the lived experiences of people with disabilities” (Linton et al 5). Disable people have certain social standing in the world and should be discussed and taught through an academic class. This social standing has influence on history and political movements. One influence most of us aware of is the American Disability Act of 1990 which is a law that change many things from transportation to employment opportunities.
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. To begin with, full inclusion in the education system for people with disabilities should be the first of many steps that are needed to correct the social injustices that people with disabilities currently face.