The Status of People Living with Disability - Essay Example

Attitudes towards People Living with Disability in Relation to their Socio-Economic Status: Literature Review Introduction There is a close relationship between attitudes towards people living with disability and their overall socio-economic status. This is reflected in the way the society views people living with disability and how these attitudes affect their social and economic lives. This review examines past and recent research on how attitudes towards people living with disability affect their socio-economic status in the society. Attitudes towards people living with disability in relation to their socio-economic status Several studies have been conducted to determine the origin and form of negative attitudes towards groups of individuals living with different forms of disability in the society. One common thing about these studies is that most of them identify the way the society understands and interprets disability as being the main reason for development of negative attitudes towards disability. Such negative attitudes eventually lead to discrimination, stereotyping and isolation. For instance, Staniland (2009, p. 13) states that the behaviour of individuals depicting negative attitudes towards disability is a result of the meanings that have been created, learned and shared by members of the society. Such meanings and attitudes later become integrated into the behavioural patterns of the entire society. Bradbury, Norris and Abello (2001, p. 8), observe that under the social constructions of disability, the society views individuals living with disability as not part of the integral ordinary population. The condition of disability is seen within the context of social and economic factors, a view that eventually creates barriers to participation and inclusion for people living with disability (Bradbury, Norris & Abello 2001, p. 11). This means that individuals with disability are subjected to a social and economic environment in which they are not able to function to their capacities. According to Melzer et al. (2000, p. 288), there are three basic interpretations of disability within a social and economic context. At the first level, disability can be interpreted as the objective concept of physical impairment on an individual (Staniland 2009, p. 16). This is a separate concept that is attached to the physical deformities in a person’s body making it not to function properly. At the second level, disability can be interpreted in the form of how the individual living with a physical impairment interprets his or her own experience of the condition (Stein 2000, p. 56). This is centred on the subjective feelings of an individual and how such feelings affect the life of the individual in the society. The third level of interpretation of disability takes into account the relationship between the physical impairment and the general society in which the individual with disability lives (Lang 2007, p. 21). This relationship arises from the observation that the way the society understands and reacts to disability affects the lives of the individuals with disability. It has already been stated that social construction of disability forms the basis for formation of negative attitudes towards people living with disability. It is important to note that these attitudes and barriers to inclusion and participation take different forms that affect the social and economic functioning of people living with disability in the society. For instance, Nguyen (2009, p. 13) states that usually, the general population has low expectations on people living with disability. This is manifested in all areas of life including education, employment and even within the family units. This scenario is reflected in the way people living with disability are viewed as individuals who are in need of constant care in the society (Lang 2007, p. 12). Consequently, individuals living with disability are considered not be autonomous and as individuals who cannot perform at par with the other members of the society. Separately, Hosain, Atkinson and Underwood (2002, p. 300) established in a survey that the leading reasons for prevalence of negative attitudes towards disability in the society were ignorance and fear. These behavioural attitudes determine how people living with disability are treated in their daily lives. Also, Hinshaw (2007, p. 38), examines the effect of stigmatisation of people living with disability in the society. On one level, stigmatisation affects the general, social and economic quality of life of individuals living with disability (Hosain, Atkinson & Underwood 2002, p. 289). Since individuals living with disability may internalise the stigmatisation, their performance and access to education and employment is negatively affected as a result of such attitudes. The result is that their overall socio- economic status in the society is greatly compromised. Employment According to Lent, Morrison and Ezeofor (2013, p. 154), employment plays a key role in determining the socio-economic status of individuals in the society. This is because it forms the basis upon which individuals are accorded a sense of inclusion and belonging to the society at large. Several studies have been conducted to examine the general attitudes towards people living with disability in relation to employment in the society (Barnes 2002, p. 6; Kaye 2003, p. 14; Riddel 2010, p. 23; Sayce 2011, p. 17). Although many of these studies have examined the subject from a socio-economic perspective, there have been variations in different factors. These differences have resulted in variations in terms of prevalence of attitudes with regard to different regions, mixed attitudes, the type of disability and different types of employment. In general, a significant number of employers in different regions of the world bear negative attitudes towards hiring people with disability. This is expressed in the need to play it safe by avoiding hiring people living with disability – who are regarded as bearing much risk to the organisations (Sayce 2011, p. 34). These attitudes vary from region to region. For instance, in North America, Barnes (2002, p. 18), found out that many employers expressed negative attitude towards hiring people with disability. This was so despite the fact that many employers in the region tend to indicate a generally favourable attitude towards disability. It was found out that employers express general positive attitudes towards disability but remain adamant to actually hire individuals living with disability. These findings are consistent with those of the United Nations (2007, p. 2) which, in a separate study, found out that approximately 30% of individuals living with disability in the region are in full or part time employment as compared to about 80% of individuals not living with disability. As a result of the prevalence of negative attitudes towards hiring people living with disability, research indicates that prejudice and other social barriers vary in terms of the kind of disability involved. For instance, Riddel (2010, p. 33), observes that there is a high rate of unemployment among individuals living with mental disability as compared to those living with physical disability. This means that the majority of employers show unwillingness to hire people who have suffered from mental illnesses as compared to those that have physical forms of disability. Apart from access to employment, negative attitudes towards people living with disability in relation to employment are manifested in terms of prejudice and general social attitudes at the place of work. Kaye (2003, p. 19) observes that stigma, prejudice and misconceptions about working with people living with disability affect their performance and productivity at work. Such attitudes result into job discrimination against people living with disability, which is manifested in several ways including refused promotion, lack of faith in their ability to perform and lack opportunities for workplace accommodation. These findings indicate that negative attitudes towards people living with disability result from both employers as well as other employees. Such negative attitudes result into difficulties in hiring people living with disabilities, despite a generally favourable attitude towards the issue among employers. Also, individuals living with disability face discrimination at the place of work in several ways. From lack of access to promotion to prejudice and general discrimination, individuals with disabilities face many obstacles which hamper their career advancement as well as general performance at the place of work (National Council on Disability 2007, p. 16). Education A lot of research about general attitudes towards people living with disability in relation to education has focused on the experiences of students in educational institutions. For instance, Frieden (2004, p. 21) found out in a study that students living with disability in schools face a general attitude of pity from their colleagues. This phenomenon results in many young students feeling distant and quite uneasy when in the company of fellow students who have disability. In a separate study, GAO (2009, p. 37) established that in general, students who have no disability tend to underestimate the ability of those living with disability. This attitude is manifested not only in academic activities but also in other forms of activities undertaken in schools. As a result, students are hesitant to fully interact with their counterparts who are living with disability. Although such kind of negative attitudes from fellow students prevail, research indicates that children tend to change their negative attitudes towards disability with increased companionship and awareness (Frieden 2004, p. 4). This is common in adolescents and young adult groups who show increasing positive attitudes towards their fellow students living with disability. Ne’eman and Gelser (2006, p. 6) observe that since youth generally show increasing inclusion and companionship towards individuals living with disability, this is an opportunity for changing the general societal attitudes towards disability in relation to educational institutions. Filmer (2008, p. 42) states that the attitude of teachers and parents towards students with disability plays a key role in shaping the experiences of such students within learning institutions. General social attitudes of being fit as may be propagated by teachers determine the experience and treatment that students living with disability encounter in schools (Filmer 2008, p. 51). Also, although in many countries there are legal provisions that prohibit discrimination against individuals living with disability in educational institutions, the attitude of teachers in such institutions determines the extent to which students living with disability will be engaged and fully assimilated in the school community (World Bank 2013, p. 4). It is important to note that although a lot of research has been conducted about the attitude of teachers towards influencing the experiences of students living with disability in learning institutions, there is still need to establish the relationship between the attitude of teachers and that of the other students towards disability. In general, parents favour inclusion in learning institutions. Young, Ne’eman and Gelser (2006, p. 23) established in a survey that over 75% of parents are of the opinion that children living with disability should be included in regular schools and learn along those not living with disability. Also, in a separate study, Lustig (2013, p. 63) observes that over 60% of parents and other adults are of the opinion that children with physical disabilities should attend regular classes together with their counterparts. In general, attitudes towards disability in educational institutions vary from positive to negative ones as expressed by both teachers and students. Negative attitudes are manifested through isolation, lack of participation, and misconceptions about the ability of students living with physical forms of disability to perform as well as their counterparts. On the other hand, positive attitudes may be manifested in the form of a general feeling of the need to include students living with disability in regular schools by parents, teachers and other adults. Different authors have examined how the society generally develops negative attitudes towards different forms of disability. For instance, Bastos-Turner (2006, p. 32), conducted a survey to determine how negative attitudes towards disability in the United States vary with the kind of disability involved. The results indicated that the majority of individuals that were interviewed view mental disability more negatively as compared to physical disability. This corresponds to the findings by Smith (2008, p. 31), which indicated that the society in general regards mental disability as being a more severe form of disability as compared to physical disability. These negative attitudes towards mental forms of disability are portrayed by professionals as well as the general public (Harris 2010, p. 65). This means that compared to physical disability, individuals having different forms of mental disability face increased forms of discrimination, isolation and prejudice in the society. Separately, Cahal (2007, p. 47), observes that individuals living with mental forms of disability receive unfavourable treatment as compared to those having physical forms of disability. This is because many people in the society indicate willingness to interact with individuals having physical disability than those having mental disabilities. The National Council on Disability (2000, p. 24) in another study, reports that over 30% of parents indicate unwillingness to have their children learn together with children having mental forms of disability. These results should be interpreted with the findings of the World Health Organisation (2001, p. 11), which showed that the majority of parents saw it necessary for students having physical forms of disability to learn in the same schools with other children. Conclusion From the discussion, several conclusions can be drawn. In the first place, it can be seen that the subject of attitudes towards people with disability in relation to their socio-economic status has received considerable academic attention. From the review of literature, it can be seen that the origin of negative attitudes towards people with disability is based on the social construction theory of disability. Although this theory provides valuable explanation on how the society develops, interprets and shares meanings about disability, there is need for examining other theories that attempt to construct the origin of such attitudes towards disability. Secondly, it can be seen that negative attitudes towards people living with disability in relation to their socio-economic status are expressed in two distinct areas: education and employment. In education, research indicates that the potential source of negative attitudes towards students with disabilities is from parents, teachers and fellow students. This is manifested in the form of pity, special treatment and belief that students with disabilities are less endowed. Also, general prejudice in the society creates barriers that deny people with disability opportunities to gain employment. Although there are overall improvements in terms of attitudes towards people with disability in relation to employment, wide variations still exist in terms of regions as well as countries. References Barnes, H 2002, ‘Disabled people and the labour market’ in, Barnes, H, Thornton, P & Campbell S M (Eds), Disabled People and Employment: A Review of Research and Development Work, John Wiley & Sons, London. pp. 3 – 12. Bastos-Turner, G 2006, ‘Cross cultural comparison of stigma towards mental illness and help seeking between Americans and Brazilians’, PhD Dissertation, Colorado School of Professional Psychology. 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