Above and Beyond!

What people with a disability should know is that whatever they feel of themselves that is negative, it is not their fault. Their disability is not within them but it is socially structured upon them. Yes, they may be different but society is what makes them different by not adjusting the world around us to fit their lifestyle. Some progress is happening like automatic doors in buildings, elevators in school, and wheelchair ramps (Class Discussion Sept 8 - Oct 20, 2011). Although this is a good start, there are more we should be doing with our tax money to improve. This a chance where we can make a change. As allies, there are many things we can do to advocate. The least we can do is to become a teacher. We should "bring knowlege and engage learners" (Class Discussion Sept 8 - Oct 20, 2011). One at a time, we can go above and beyond!

A PICTURE SPEAKS A THOUSAND WORDS

"Maria Iliou is a Greek artist with autism spectrum disorder. She lives in Long Island, New York, and is an advocate for the rights of people with autism." (West, 2011)

When people say that people with disabilities are not capable of doing anything..HAH!
Look at the amazing artwork Marie Iliou made. Did I mention she has autism?

Mistreatment Towards a Teenager with Special Needs.

http://www.worldstarhiphop.com/videos/video.php?v=wshhDBka8IE1XhT4h5K9 (NBC News, 2011)
Above is a link to "Father Crying After He Listens To A Teacher Disrespecting His Special Needs Daughter!".
In this video, you will see some of the mistreatment that people with special needs face at school. Social inequality is aparent in this video so as stereotypes that society see's in a person with disabilities. These teachers also show social closure towards the young girl as they tell her that she is ignorant and indirectly saying that she is a failure. Doing so obviously would make the student feel inferior as a person and discourage her to do well in school. This video is an example of how any type of oppression can hurt the targeted person as well as the people around them. The educators of the young teenager also delivers interpersonal oppression as they verbally abuse her with insults. In my opinion, I find it disgraceful that theese two educators specialize in working with students who have special needs. Why you may ask? This is because they have totally abused their power by making an innocent student feel less of a person.

                                  

Here is a pie chart presenting statistics of different type of disabilities



The percentage shows the population of students who have a certain type of disability at The University of Veronica (University of Veronica, 2009). 



"They're all the same"

"They're dumb", "They're violent", "They're not capable", "They're all the same"...
These are only some of the common stereotypes that people come across when they talk about people with disabilities. Little do they know, they can do many things "regular" people can. During my interview at Creating Alternatives, I got to interact with many participants and I can say that they are none of the above. The participants were all lively and fun to be around. They are able to read, cook, and even keep a conversation with you. Essentialism connects greatly to social construct. This term defines a way of assuming a person's identity (Class Discussion Sept 8- Oct 20, 2011). For example, a form of essentialism is that people may think a woman's job is to take care of their children. By the way people stereotype others also create social closure (limiting privileges of others). A social closure that people with cognitive challenges face may be finding a job. This is because of the social construct that people believe in that restricts their chance in getting hired. Or they may be judged based on their image and not their ability to work.

There are many different types of disabilities. Asperger's Syndrome is one of them. Here is a video from Arthur that may help you understand it a little more. 

(Arthur, 2010)

"Oppression happens because it is the cowards tool" -Unknown

Oppression... I have been hearing a lot about it lately. Although it is mainly being brought up in class, I know that this oppression thing is happening all around the world. But right now I want to talk about oppression towards people with disabilities. Why does it happen? From my perspective, people insult and degrade others who they think are below them so that they can feel good about themselves. We've all once been bullied... just think of this on a larger scale. We've all been hurt mentally and physically by bullies and we always wonder when the teasing would end. So before you open your mouths to insult others, try to put yourself in their shoes. Everyone has feelings no matter who you are. First off, social construct plays a big role in oppressing others. Social construct generally defines stereotypes that cause people to believe towards other groups (Class Discussion Sept 8 - Oct 20, 2011). Although not all of the ideas of are true, some people still choose to consider them. I also believe that people consider what they hear is because they are not educated on the truth. Sometimes when these social constructions are strongly believed in by society, members of the targeted group (people with disabilities) begin to accept the messages of them as being true. This is called internal oppression. The targeted group also start to doubt their capabilities and even start to judge their own self-image (Class Discussion Sept 8 - Oct 20, 2011). 
As well, I see this issue as a cycle. I believe that if we stop judging others and take the time to get educated, this horrible cycle will end.

Here are some facts that I have researched and included in my Interview Assignment Report. I decided to include it in my blog because this information includes oppression not only towards people with disabilities but also gender, class, and age inequality.

Some additional facts that I have learnt is that eighty percent of people living with disabilities occur in undeveloped countries ("Enable international convention," 2006). This may be due to the lack of health care and knowledge considering this condition and the absent amount of money required for medical treatments. “Woman and girls with disabilities are particularly vulnerable to abuse”. Studies show that in Orissa, India, nearly all females are beaten and raped at home ("Enable international convention," 2006). Also, “ninety percent of disabled children in developing countries do not attend school” which is an example of social closure due to the fact the privilege for them to learn is taken away ("Enable international convention," 2006). These facts are shocking due to the lack of rights these people have. No one deserves to be punished on behalf of their health issues and this is where social equality should be evident. I am also knowledgeable that there many organizations that help reduce the violence in a disabled persons life such as UNICEF. People can also help by informing others of this situation and model good behaviour towards persons with special needs. (Hua, 2011)