Welfare Policies in Relation to People with Disabilities - Essay Example

?Discuss the proposition that welfare policies in relation to people with disabilities tend to focus on what people with disabilities are unable to do rather than what they can do. 1. Introduction The policies of states for people with disabilities usually reflect the level at which the needs of these people are respected by the local society. The key characteristic of these policies is their strong dependency on the financial status of each particular country; from this point of view, developed countries are most likely to develop effective welfare policies for people with disabilities – compared to the developing countries. However, again problems and delays are identified in the development of these policies in practice. Most commonly, the welfare policies for people with disabilities focus on what these people are unable to do – rather on what they can actually do. This problem is reviewed and analyzed in this paper. Reference is made to the level at which welfare policies address the actual needs of people with disabilities; the barriers that these policies have to face are also presented aiming to show the reason why the policies referring to the needs and the rights of people with disabilities are based on these peoples’ inabilities rather and not on their potential/ capabilities. It is concluded that the specific strategy – using this criterion for developing the welfare policies for people with disabilities – can be explained using different approaches. These approaches are differentiated in each country; however, similarities exist on which the relevant explanations can be based. Another important finding of this study has been the fact that this trend – focusing on these people’s inabilities – seems to be expanded, probably because specific interests are served, as explained analytically below. It should be noted that the criteria used by the legislators when developing policies related to the needs/ interests of people with disabilities are not standardized; the political characteristics of each country – as these characteristics are changed through the decades – are of crucial importance for deciding on the terms under which disabled people will be supported (Chaudhary 2006, p.12). However, often the reasons for which welfare policies refer to the inabilities rather than the abilities/ skills of disabled persons are independent from the political and social ethics and trends – for instance, when these policies are applied across a particular organization, the criteria on which these policies are based cannot be controlled using the common ethical rules (Krieger, 2003); this issue is also explored in this study at the level that it helps to understand the trend of welfare policies to focus on the inabilities of disabled persons. 2. Welfare policies for people with disabilities – why these policies tend to focus on what people with disabilities are unable to do rather than what they can do The welfare policies developed within each society are usually related with the local social needs and culture; however, infrastructure available for the relevant policies is also considered to have a critical role in deciding the welfare policies that would be most appropriate for a specific country. On the other hand, the increase of the number of people with disabilities who do not work (Cousins, 2007, p.252) leads to the assumption that more funds are required for the financial support of these people; the identification of these funds can be a challenging task for a government – especially in periods of financial crisis and in countries that face severe financial turbulences – like Ireland; the deterioration of a country’s economy can be used as a justification for the limitation of the financial support provided by the state to people with disabilities. In countries where the support provided to disabled people has been traditionally related to the social ethics, the challenges that the local government has to face for retrieving the relevant funds are more; for instance in Britain, the 64% of households with one or more disabled persons do not have a source of living – the benefits provided by the state are the only source of their income (Moore, 2002, p.98). In order to understand the reasons for which these policies tend to focus on what people with disabilities are unable to do rather than what they can do it would be necessary to refer primarily to the common forms and scope of the particular policies. The reasons for their implementation in a particular society would be also reviewed aiming to understand the priorities of legislators in regard to the specific issue. In any case, the strengths/ weaknesses of current policies referring to people with disabilities should be mentioned helping to understand the reasons that these policies are being aligned with particular criteria – referring especially to the inability of these people to perform specific activities. 2.1 Welfare policies for people with disabilities – overview, forms, scope, barriers The development of financial crisis worldwide has negatively affected the quality of life of people with disabilities – as of people with no disabilities as well. In the case of people with disabilities the expansion of the recession has led to a severe problem: their access to the workplace has been made more difficult; as a result their potential to cover the costs of their medical treatment/ diet has been limited. In the study of Stapleton et al. (2003) it is made clear that the above problem is not recent; through a series of surveys developed during the 1990s it was proved that ‘the employment rate of people with disabilities has been decreased – in opposition with the employment rate of people with no disabilities which has been increased’ (Stapleton et al. 2003, p.9). The above fact indicates the following trend: people with disabilities have been gradually excluded from the workplace – a trend which is also related to the fact that the number of people with disabilities who are unable to work has been increased – as revealed through the findings of the surveys developed during 1990s in the particular field – reference is made to ‘the working – aged people with disabilities ‘(Stapleton et al. 2003, p.10). Moreover, the level of support provided to the people with disabilities has been decreased; this issue is highlighted in the study of Bochel et al. (2007, p.120) where reference is made to the support of British governments towards people with disabilities. It is noted that the specific sector had, traditionally, great importance for political parties in Britain – a trend which was extremely developed in the 1980s; however, currently, the support provided by British politicians to people with disabilities is decreased – probably because of the identification of many cases where the relevant benefit (Incapacity Benefit) was provided (Bochel et al. 2007, p.120). In other words, the limitation of the support provided to people with disabilities can be related to the political trends and characteristics of each particular society. The limitation of the support provided to people with disabilities can be identified in different elements of the relevant policies developed in each country; for instance, in the USA, the lack of adequate support to the people with disabilities is revealed by the following fact: in the above country, people with disabilities face difficulties in order to be hired mostly because their insurance is not considered as satisfactory – i.e. the health coverage provided to people with disabilities in USA is not full; employers are not willing to cover the extra cost (Moy, 2000, p.32). The above issues should be taken into consideration when evaluating the criteria used by legislators worldwide when developing the laws referring to people with disabilities. Moreover, the above problems could partially explain why the attention paid at the needs of people with disabilities is relatively low – even in developed countries; this phenomenon has gradually led to the following problem: the laws addressing the issues related to people with disabilities are not analytical; they rather tend to refer briefly to the needs and the rights of these people; the reference to the activities that these people cannot perform is always considered as easier compared to the analysis of these people’s abilities – a task which would need a significant amount of time in order to be fully performed. The above aspect of the trend of legislators to focus rather on what people with disabilities are unable to do than that they are able to do is analytically explained in the section 2.3 below – where other similar reasons that explain the above trend are presented and evaluated. 2.2 Common reasoning of welfare policies in relation to people with disabilities The introduction of policies which address the needs and the interests of people with disabilities has been related to many different reasons: a) from a common point of view, these policies are necessary in order to show the interest of the local government for the needs of these people; this interest is expected to benefit the government – or the political parties involved – increasing its popularity among the public; through this point of view, the motives of each government to develop welfare policies that address the needs and interests of people with disability are political; b) the rights and the interests of people with disabilities have been extremely promoted through relevant initiatives of international organizations; in other words, these needs and interests have to be secured by local governments in the context of the obligation of each government to follow the rules and principles of the international law – of course, under the terms that the national laws and ethics are not violated; using the above approach, it is concluded that governments worldwide tend to introduce welfare policies for people with disabilities because of their obligation to align their key strategies – with the exception mentioned above – with the rules and the orders of the international law; c) the result of the support provided by the international community to the people with disability is that the relevant initiatives and schemes, when are developed in the context of a particular state, are adequately funded by international organizations – or individuals who support such plans, for instance the trusts developed for the financial support of people with disabilities; in the above context, the incentives for the development of welfare policies that address the interests and the needs of people with disabilities can be financial, d) on the other hand, the social ethics regarding the protection of the rights of people are disabilities are extremely strong; in certain countries, like Britain, this phenomenon is clearer; in this context, the government of a country cannot avoid developing welfare policies for people with disabilities since such action would lead to severe social turbulences and conflicts – which would also negatively affect the support of the public to the particular government, e) people with disabilities are most likely to face poverty – compared to other parts of the population; this issue is analyzed in the study of Cousins (2007, p.252) where reference is made to the high level of unemployment of people with disabilities in Ireland; it is expected that people of this category need to be adequately supported by the state since they would not easily retrieve the funds necessary for both their diet – when special food is required – and their medical treatment; from this point of view, the welfare policies for people with disabilities are indispensable part of a country’s social policies. However, the ability of each country to respond to the financial needs of people with disabilities is not standardized; in fact, the relevant policies of each country are likely to be changed through the years – under the influence of global financial turbulences (Combat Poverty Agency 1994, p.114). The structure of public services – referring especially to the social services dealing with the needs of people with disabilities – and the accounting practices of each state are also expected to influence the specific state’s ability to respond to the needs of disabled persons (George et al. 1994, p.164). The reasons for the introduction of welfare policies for people with disabilities – as analyzed above – would be reviewed in order to understand the common characteristics of these policies – referring especially to the fact that these policies tend to focus on the inabilities of these people rather on their capabilities/ skills. 2.3 Reasons for which the welfare policies for people with disabilities focus on what people with disabilities are unable to do rather than what they can do Through the decades, the policies of states for people with disabilities have been differentiated – under the influence of the factors presented above. It has been proved that the conditions in the political and social environment are most likely to be used for deciding the form of these policies – an issue highlighted also in the study of Walsh et al. (2000) where reference is made to the important role of industrialization in the development of rights of disabled people – referring especially to their right to ask for the support of the state in regard to their various needs and activities (Walsh et al. 2000, p.222). Under these terms, the reasons for which governments follow different criteria when developing their welfare policies – including the policies for people with disabilities – may be related to the change in these countries’ political characteristics and their priorities in regard to their welfare policies. An indicative example is Australia, a country that was traditionally extremely supportive to people with disabilities – focusing on the fairness of its welfare system (Milbourne 2010, p.199). Through the years, the country’s political priorities were changed; strict criteria were set for the provision of support to people with disabilities; in accordance with Milbourne (2010) in the context of the above change in the Australian welfare system, people with disabilities are not treated mostly as ‘clients’ rather as citizens (Milbourne 2010, p.199). Under these terms, the potential focus of Australia’s welfare policies for people with disabilities on these peoples’ inabilities could be interpreted as an effort to ensure the correlation between the actual needs of people with disabilities and the support which should be provided for the particular needs; in other words, through the specific trend – focusing on the inabilities of these people, the following scope is revealed: emphasis is given by the state not so much on the social character of the welfare policies rather on the effectiveness of the control regarding the existence of the relevant criteria. In this context, particular measures are developed for ensuring that people who are given relevant support meet all the necessary requirements. The achievement of the above target is ensured by including in the rules that regulate the specific issue, a clear description of the inabilities for which the support of the state is provided; inabilities are easier to be checked compared to skills/ competences and, thus, they are most likely to ensure that the support provided by the state is adequately justified; the above reasoning can be used for justifying the general framework of a country’s welfare policies – i.e. not only the support provided to the people with disabilities. From a similar point of view, Clark (2004) notes that people with disabilities are likely to have different competencies for entering the job market – reference is made to their physical potentials to work. In this context, the level of support provided by the state to people with disabilities would be decided in accordance with their actual physical condition; this condition would be most effectively measured and evaluated by referring to the inabilities of these people – again using the argument that their inabilities are easier to be checked and evaluated compared to their competencies which may be differentiated in accordance with the conditions in the environment or the time period during which these competencies are checked. The view of Clark (2004) justifies the use of the inabilities rather than the competencies of people with disabilities for providing to them relevant support using the following two arguments – as analyzed above: a) inabilities are easier to be checked – verifying the need of the person involved to be supported by the state, b) inabilities are likely to have a standard form and are more offered for the evaluation of the physical condition of the disabled person. At the next level, the needs of people with disabilities can be differentiated; for this reason, the plans developed by the state for their support are differentiated – responding to the needs of each particular category. For instance, in the case of Belgium, three different types of allowances have been introduced for covering the needs of disabled persons (Council of Europe, 2003, p.66). In order for the appropriate type of allowance to be provided it is necessary to identify the category to which each disabled person belongs – the establishment of criteria related to the physical inabilities of these persons would help to locate the type of support available to them. Again, the reference to these people’s skills/ competencies would cause delays in the relevant procedure: the actual skills/ competencies of these people may be many and difficult to be checked; however, their inabilities are likely to be specific and easy to be evaluated. On the other hand, the reasons for which welfare policies for disabled people focus on their inabilities rather than on their skills/ capabilities can be related not to the local social, political or economic conditions but rather on the rules on which a specific social context is based – referring to the workplace, as an independent social and economic unit. This view is developed in the study of Krieger (2003); in the above study it is made clear that each workplace is likely to be regulated by a series of rules; these rules need to address the problems that are likely to appear in the specific environment. The terms under which a person is considered as eligible to perform specific tasks have also to be clearly stated; this is a practice related to the organization’s culture and infrastructure – not the social or political ethics. The inabilities of each employee – if existing – need to be reported by the employee in order to avoid any severe accident within the workplace (Krieger 2003, p.182); for instance the inability of a worker to move effectively one of his hands should be reported if the specific worker has applied for a job position related to the use of a machinery which requires careful handling. In this way, the firm/ employer will be aware of the potential risks – if the hiring of the particular employee is decided – in order to protect the health and the security of the specific employee – also of the other employees who are likely to work near by. The view of Krieger (2003) as presented above, is similar with that of Barnes et al. (2005); in accordance with the above researchers, the welfare policies referring to the working rights of disabled persons are not likely to focus on their skills but rather on their inabilities; this practice is followed, in accordance with Barnes because of the following reason: referring to these persons’ skills and abilities would require a thorough examination of their actual competencies and physical condition – a process which would require a lot of time. Instead, reference is made to their inabilities, which are limited, and easy to be identified – usually, they are reported directly by the employee. 3. Conclusion The protection of the rights of persons of disability is ensured primarily through the international laws established in the particular field – reference can be made to the ‘United Nations Universal Declaration on Human Rights of 1946’ (International Labour Office, 2004, p.7) but also to the following, recent, legislative text: ‘the Resolution 56/168 of the UN General Assembly of 2001’ (International Labour Office, 2004, p.7). The above texts – and also others in which reference is made to the rights of disabled persons – have ensured the respects of the rights and interests of people with disabilities. However, in practice, these rights are often violated; it seems that the criteria used by legislators worldwide in regard to the content and the priorities of the relevant rules are not appropriate. This problem has been also made clear in the following case: the rules referring to the interests/ rights of disabled persons are most likely to focus on their disabilities rather than on their skills. Despite the fact that a series of arguments has been developed for justifying the above trend, still the above phenomenon needs to be controlled. The above suggestion is based on the following fact: by using the inabilities of disabled person in order to evaluate their potentials to access specific benefits/ rights - for instance the right to financial benefit, the right to work and so on – the following problem results: emphasis is given on these persons’ inabilities – rather on their skills; in the context of their social life, this fact would lead to the isolation of these people and to the limitation of their willingness to be integrated in their social environment. Such a perspective, would lead to the change of the social character of the welfare policies and to their transformation to an administrative (or, worse, to an economic) activity, a trend that would harm, in the long term, the local culture and ethics. References Barnes, C., Mercer, G. (2005) Disability, work, and welfare. Challenging the social exclusion of disabled people. Work Employment & Society, vol. 19 no. 3 pp. 527-545 Bochel, H., Defty, A. (2007) Welfare policy under New Labour: views from inside Westminster. Bristol: The Policy Press Chaudhary, S. (2006) Welfare Policy and Social Development. Delhi: Global Vision Publishing Clark, L. (2004) The economics of an aging society. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell Combat Poverty Agency (1994) Disability, exclusion & poverty: papers from the national conference Disability, exclusion & poverty: a policy conference. 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