Social Barriers Critical Thinkings Example

(Institution Name)

Social Barriers Affecting the Disabled

There are inherently social barriers present in this world against people with disabilities – both physical and mental. Even though we have come a long way since the days when people with disabilities were considered good for nothing, there is still a lot to do to actually help the disabled become a part of society. “Employers and owners are now readily accepting that people with disabilities are good at certain kinds of jobs and in some cases – better than able people. They are also accepting that sometimes, a person’s disability does not affect the job at hand.”(Schur, 2005). However, despite all the progress, many disabled people are still not able to get well-paid jobs.
According to my research, there are a number of attitudinal barriers affecting the success of the disabled. The attitudinal theory addresses both the disabled and the able.
Firstly, there is the feeling of inferiority with regards to the disabled. The feeling is inherent not just in society but also in the disabled themselves. Due to impairments in major functions needed to go through life in what we consider the “normal” way, the disabled are considered to be “second-class citizens”. Conversely, people also feel sorry for the disabled which leads not just them, but the disabled to believe they are not good enough to be social equals. Hero worship of the people who are able to overcome disabilities is another drawback. The disabled do not want to be worshipped to have overcome a disability but to be treated normally. Their disability is there, and they have learnt to adapt to it. Either that or they were born with the disability, and they do not know how else to live. By making them into heroes, it is being insinuated that they are not normal beings.
Also, people who have disabilities are told that they are not good enough to do a job without being given an opportunity to prove themselves. They are dismissed based on their disability even if the disability they have has nothing to do with the job at hand. People who are blind can tell the time and visit museums. People without legs can race. With the advent of technology, there are many ways through which disabilities can be partially if not completely, overcome. “Sometimes, when God gives people disabilities, He also gives them the unimaginable abilities that are way beyond the comprehension of ordinary human beings.” (Fawcett et al., 1994). Then, there is the Spread Effect. Employers tend to assume that a single disability in one area of a person’s body is likely to affect other parts of the body. Many people tend to believe that a person with broken arms may not be able to think as readily as a person who is whole. People assume that someone’s disability affects their personality, their way to think, senses and other basic abilities. Many people believe that someone in a wheelchair does not have the ability to speak for themselves.
The biggest hurdle that the disabled have to face when they try to live a normal life is overcoming stereotypes. This is the other side of the Spread Effects and covers all kinds of positive and negative aspects and generalizations people have about disabilities. “Many believe that people who are blind will invariably have a great sense of hearing or have the potential to become great musicians. Likewise, people believe that people with wheelchairs can only compete in Paralympics and have no other career.” (Kroll, 2006). Everyone somehow believes that all people with mental disabilities are sweet and docile in nature. Therefore, this attitude ends up setting too high or too low a standard for the disabled to achieve. Somehow, no one wants to believe that people with disabilities have varying natures just like the able.
Surprisingly, there are a lot of people out there who also believe that the disabled receive unfair advantages or the standards set for them are way simpler than what he able have to go through. What they do not realize that what we consider “normal” is too hard for the disabled. Therefore, we have to create a whole new “normal” for them. Employers often tend to fall prey to this backlash and end up setting the same standards for the disabled as for the able – which is completely unfair. The Americans with Disabilities Act does not require distinct liberties for the disabled. They only ask for the government and the corporate sector to provide them with equal opportunities.
Then, there is fear – people often are on their guard around the disabled since they believe that they may end up saying or doing the wrong think around a person with disabilities. They believe that they must be extra careful around the disabled. What they do not know is that the disabled do not mind people noticing their disability. they just do not want people to think it makes them second class in any way.

References

Kroll, T., Jones, G. C., Kehn, M., & Neri, M. T. (2006). Barriers and strategies are affecting the utilisation of primary preventive services for people with physical disabilities: a qualitative inquiry. Health & social care in the community, 14(4), 284-293.
Shakespeare, T. (2006). The social model of disability. The disability studies reader, 2, 197-204.
Schur, L., Kruse, D., & Blanck, P. (2005). Corporate culture and the employment of persons with disabilities. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 23(1), 3-20.
Fawcett, S. B., White, G. W., Balcazar, F. E., Suarez-Balcazar, Y., Mathews, R. M., Paine- Andrews, A., & Smith, J. F. (1994). A contextual behavioral model of empowerment: Case studies involving people with physical disabilities. American Journal of Community Psychology, 22(4), 471-496.