In 1985, Durgin, Lindsay and Hamilton, estimated that 13% of ail travelers had some form of disability and this figure was predicted to rise, particularly with the aging of the baby boomers, advances made in medical science that had become more adept at saving lives and with greater access to travel by a range of people. However, people with disabilities have a significantly different tourism experience than their fellow Australians (Darcy 1998). This paper explores these issues and presents directions for greater inclusion of people with disabilities with- in tourism experiences. The following three observations from a recent study highlight the range of experiences people with physical disabilities encounter when traveling. Recent research by Darcy (1998) has presented the first empirical quantitative research investigating the constraints and barriers that people with physical disabilities experience when traveling. The research shows the many constraints and barriers that exist, and general physical access is still the major constraint encountered by people with a physical disabi...
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.
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.
In the book, The Short Bus, Jonathan Mooney’s thesis is that there is more to people than their disabilities, it is not restricting nor is it shameful but infact it is beautiful in its own way. With a plan to travel the United States, Mooney decides to travel in a Short bus with intentions of collecting experiences from people who have overcome--or not overcome--being labeled disabled or abnormal. In this Mooney reinvents this concept that normal people suck; that a simple small message of “you’re not normal” could have a destructive and deteriorating effect. With an idea of what disabilities are, Mooney’s trip gives light to disabilities even he was not prepared to face, that he feared.
Examining The Discrimination of the Disabled Through An Analysis of David J. Birnbaum’s article “The Catbird Seat”
Disability is a ‘complex issue’ (Alperstein, M., Atkins, S., Bately, K., Coetzee, D., Duncan, M., Ferguson, G., Geiger, M. Hewett, G., et al.., 2009: 239) which affects a large percentage of the world’s population. Due to it being complex, one can say that disability depends on one’s perspective (Alperstein et al., 2009: 239). In this essay, I will draw on Dylan Alcott’s disability and use his story to further explain the four models of disability being The Traditional Model, The Medical Model, The Social Model and The Integrated Model of Disability. Through this, I will reflect on my thoughts and feelings in response to Dylan’s story as well as to draw on this task and my new found knowledge of disability in aiding me to become
During the colonial era, Europeans viewed disability in a surprisingly similar way to the indigenous people they encountered upon first arriving in North America. Physical abnormalities such as limps or missing limbs were considered quite common, frequently occurring as a result of the labor necessary for survival. Most physical disabilities were ignored. People were viewed as disabled only if they were unable to perform labor, similar to how Native Americans viewed one to be disabled when they were unable to contribute something meaningful to the community. Disabled people were prohibited from attempting the voyage across the Atlantic, as they would have been unlikely to survive the journey. As more Europeans arrived and settlements began to grow, however, their willingness to accept and accommodate those they considered disabled increased significantly. Those who were unable to take care of themselves were often cared for by their families, and eventually looked after by the community in which they were born. Laws were drafted that were designed to protect those with mental or cognitive disabilities from legal repercussions should they be unable to understand the law or understand their actions. Other laws were written to protect their assets
The two essays “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris are excellent pieces of work that share many similarities. This paper would reflect on these similarities particularly in terms of the author, message and the targeted audience. On an everyday basis, people view those with disabilities in a different light and make them conscious at every step. This may be done without a conscious realisation but then it is probably human nature to observe and notice things that deviate from the normal in a society. In a way people are conditioned to look negatively at those individuals who are different in the conventional
"Disability the facts." New Internationalist Nov. 2013: 20+. Advanced Placement Government and Social Studies Collection. Web. 27 May 2014.
Secondly, women with disability have their unique needs in their interaction with domestic, educational, economic and social places. However, there is a cost that must be incurred by families, institutions as well as local and federal governments when considering the comfort of these disabled women
In the essay “Disability,” Nancy Mairs discusses the lack of media attention for the disabled, writing: “To depict disabled people in the ordinary activities of life is to admit that there is something ordinary about disability itself, that it may enter anyone’s life.” An ordinary person has very little exposure to the disabled, and therefore can only draw conclusions from what is seen in the media. As soon as people can picture the disabled as regular people with a debilitating condition, they can begin to respect them and see to their needs without it seeming like an afterthought or a burden. As Mairs wrote: “The fact is that ours is the only minority you can join involuntarily, without warning, at any time.” Looking at the issue from this angle, it is easy to see that many disabled people were ordinary people prior to some sort of accident. Mairs develops this po...
There are numerous disabilities that exist in the world today that can affect people’s physical or mental ability which can be taken care of through rehabilitation or medication. Despite science and psychology’s progress at providing more help for people with disabilities, they are still at risk for discrimination and segregation in society. Even regardless of the societal barriers that exist against people with disabilities, environmental barriers such as stairs or lack of transportation can greatly limit a person with disabilities’ access to the world. These obstacles exist in Hong Kong and it can lead to isolation, depression and restricted opportunities. Although Hong Kong along with other countries has passed ordinances to help combat some of the discrimination that they face, it is still an ongoing process for people with disabilities to be included. They are often denied by opportunities because there is an assumption that they wouldn’t be as good anyways or that it wouldn’t matter because they are disabled. These notions deny the opportunity for disabled people to have the chance to have a good life and to build their capacity for their talents whatever it may be. Many organizations have popped up in the last decade or so in Hong Kong and also in other countries to provide a place where disabled people can have a chance to do arts such as Arts with the Disabled Association Hong Kong. These organizations have helped raise awareness of such a need to include disabled people rather than to render them invisible. This essay argues that art is powerful and it provides a space of creativity and innovation that can be critical at societal perceptions of disabilities and to allow people with disabilities to gain an important place...
...eglected social issues in recent history (Barlow). 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.
French, S. & Swain, J. 2008. Understanding Disability: A Guide for Health Professionals. Philadelphia: Churchilll Livingstone Elsevier: 4
Disability has more prevalent among elderly people, past literature suggests that there is already a GAP of in-depth understanding of elderly with physical, visual, and hearing disabilities motivations of selecting hotel accommodation. Currently, to our knowledge, so far no one has systematically investigated elderly tourist and elderly tourist with disabilities accommodation necessities that are presently in high demand. Few papers have started to provide insight into the different aspects of accommodation necessities through predominantly focusing on one dimension of disability or access mainly mobility, may be due to the complexity of employing methodology across different dimensions of an embodiment. However, no papers have explicitly reviewed the difficulties faced by elderly with physical, visual, and hearing disability tourist preferences of use hotels in New
Recreation and Leisure activities are in a high critical dimension of quality of life for everyone, including people with developmental disabilities. Sadly, many of those who are disabled are still limited to segregated recreation and leisure choices for any reason or another. Some people will confine themselves to opportunities which include trying a new variety of activities in different settings with different people; here some of the factors that can be affecting: Age, Gender, Sexual Orientation, Racial and Ethnic identity, and Socioeconomic status.