Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Barriers to mobility for people with disabilities
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Barriers to mobility for people with disabilities
The access experience was physically exhausting, yet enlightening, while being extremely frustrating all at the same time. It was physically exhausting due to the lack of upper body strength that I had, enlightening because the majority of people offered to help me get where I needed to be, and frustrating because of the amount of ice on the ramps, as well as how many doorways were barely wide enough for the wheelchair. Along with the physical and emotional aspects of this project, I encountered numerous barriers, making the experience that much more challenging.
I was aware of my lack of upper body strength before, but this experience highlighted my weakness.The wheelchair should not fool anyone, to successfully maneuver oneself, it requires some serious upper body strength, especially with all of the ice. Within the first few hours my thumbs, arms, and armpits were starting to ache. With the pain I was feeling it was tempting to ask my peers for help, but I know that individuals who use wheelchairs do not always have someone to help them, so I decided to toughen it out. It may have taken me longer to proceed up the ramps or move along the various sidewalks,but at least I was getting the full experience.
Emotionally the experience was enlightening and frustrating. I came across several people who were willing to drop what they were doing in order to help me get to where I needed to be. More than half of the people who offered to help me were complete strangers, which was truly refreshing to see. Wherever I was whether it was the dining hall, sidewalks, the dorm, or class someone always offered their assistants. It was tempting at times to accept their help even if I did not need it, however I decided it was best to go throug...
... middle of paper ...
...he toilet and the shower had a seat that could easily be folded down. Every bathroom in Scott Hall has a lever handle, metal bars, the door swings in and a seat that can fold out, but the doorways weren’t as wide as the one I used. At first I thought it was a handicap bathroom, however when looking for the logo I could not see one. Whether it was supposed to have the handicap logo or not this bathroom was one of the few things I found to be greatly accessible.
Though the access experience challenged me both, physically and mentally I am happy that I had the opportunity to experience it. The experience taught me that UMF is not as accessible as it could be, but the majority of the students and faculty here are more than willing help their peers out. Although that may not make up for the inaccessibility of the campus, it does make the experience less stressful.
It is hard to live with disability, because everyday things become a challenge. U.S. Census Bureau report from 2008 states that 3.3 million non-institutionalized Americans over age 15 years use wheelchairs. The reason why there are so many people with disabilities is that U.S. spent decades at war. This is why mobility industry is rethinking the products it provides to support a growing demographic. Vantage Mobility International (VMI) and Braun Ability are two leading industry players that spent decades converting wheelchair vans from companies such as Chrysler , Toyota , and Honda into wheelchair-accessible modes of transportation.
After I had carried out my checks, I met David as he was just being dropped off at the front doors of the centre. Before David got out of the taxi, I asked to him to unfold his cane so I could examine its stability; which was sturdy and reliable. I then helped him get out of the car and offered him a choice of mobility assistance. I could either arm-guided him, or adopted a technique I use with other visually-impaired service users which involves me clapping and them walking with their cane towards the noise. Due to David’s previously documented ...
I have used a wheelchair my entire life, but it wasn’t until Friday Night Lights premiered on NBC in 2008 that I ever saw a character who looked like me on television. Jason Street, whose accident precipitates the plot of the show, was the first disabled main character I had ever seen on TV. He was paralyzed, and I am not, but for the first time there was a character who reflected the daily idiosyncrasies that come from being in a wheelchair.
I had always heard people talk about people they knew with disabilities as “the sweetest people you will ever meet,” but that phrase meant nothing to me until I met this group. I honestly could never have imagined the impact that they would have on my life. The next time that I went back after my first session, I had participants say things like, “You came back! Hi!” or “Look, it’s Megan! Megan everybody!” As an introvert, it is sometimes difficult for me to approach new people and immediately build relationships with them. This group of people has absolutely no issues waving at strangers to making friends effortlessly. They made me feel appreciated and loved having only been with them for one session, and this feeling grows each time I
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
“The earth is the mother of all people, and all people should have equal rights upon it” -Chris Joseph
This publication was printed with the generous support of the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research
This program exposed me to Asian cultures in a way I had never thought possible. Living in an Asian country, even for only a week, and being mixed with students from around the world brought me face to face with cultures I had never before truly experienced.
After spending about a year volunteering at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center and completing two field placements at local hospitals, I’ve found that my best work is done with the elderly population. These experiences have molded my personal goal to crusade for the civil rights of individuals with disabilities, especially those in the older generation. Additionally, I now have a better understanding of treatments and services that are provided to individuals with disabilities. Many patients at these hospitals were admitted due to an injury or life-threatening illness. There are millions of Americans with disabilities, yet feelings of helplessness, vulnerability, and depression are often evident, as if having a disability isn’t a common occurrence. In 2005, I was in a car accident, and it broke my pelvis, fractured my C1 vertebra and required emergency surgery to remove my spleen. I was unable to sit up or get out of bed for about 2 months and was re...
I came into this class not really knowing any more then people can get insurance and money for food from the human service department. My eyes were definitely opened those first couple weeks of class. I have realized that there is so much more that a human services worker can do. I also learned that most people who use the services are truly desperate and need help. I have learned a lot about seeing the big picture and not just what’s in front of me.
“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.
I realize that I didn't get the real in-depth experience that was envisioned for this assignment but I did find what I saw really interesting. I know that just four short years ago they didn't have the buddy program at that school. And they still have nothing at my old Catholic high school. After learning more about the benefits of inclusion during the semester, it was encouraging to see that those benefits were being experienced by students from my hometown, if not my alma-mater. I wonder how my knowledge and perceptions of the handicapped would be different if there had been programs like that when I was in high school. At least I can rest assure that future students at SHS will not go through school as ignorant about handicapped students as I did.
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.
I think this entire experience has been amazing and everyone should volunteer at least once in their life. It might even change their major! I had already planned on working with my community, specifically in the behavioral/mental health area, so this experience just opened my eyes to how much of a difference I can make by such simple gestures. This class was a way for me to get out of my comfort zone and now I will continue to volunteering even after this class ends. I will be moving to Lexington soon and will find even more volunteer opportunities there! I realize that each community has needs as should everyone else, volunteering can really open your eyes to
According to the World Health Organisation (2011), there are more than 1 billion people with disabilities in the world, with this number rising. Many of these people will be excluded from the regular situations we, ‘the ordinary’, experience in everyday life. One of these experiences is our right to education. Article 42 of the Irish Constitution states that the state shall provide for free primary education until the age of 18, but is this the right to the right education? Why should being born with a disability, something which is completely out of your control, automatically limit your chances of success and cut you off from the rest of society due to being deemed ‘weaker’ by people who have probably never met you? With approximately 15% of the world’s population having disabilities, how come society is unable to fully accept people with disabilities? In order to break this notion, we must begin with inclusion.