The Disabled Sub-Cultural Group in America - Case Study Example

Running Head: THE DISABLED SUB CULTURAL GROUP IN AMERICA The disabled sub cultural group in America Insert Name Tutor Date The disabled sub cultural group in America Introduction A disability is either physical, mental, cognitive, emotional, developmental, and sensory or a combination of the above. Disability is a term that covers impairments, limitations to activity and restriction to participation. Disability as a phenomenon is very complex as it reflects the interaction between the features on the body of a person and the features of that society the person lives in. A person may be disabled if she or he has been impaired in the past or is perceived as disabled based on group or personal standard or norm. The purpose of this paper is to present a descriptive investigation of a sub cultural group in this case the disabled in America. The paper features their past and present life situations, their experience with cultural difference, discrimination and stereotyping. It also examines the government policies, demographics and various other issues that affect the subculture. In America the sub-culture of the disabled is made up of people with physical, developmental or cognitive, sensory, mental disorders and certain chronic diseases Johnstone (2001). The physically disabled are those with limited functions of the limbs, gross, or fine motor ability. Those with sensory disability have one sense impaired like hearing or vision or any other. Developmental disability causes problems in growth and development. Demographics The disabled in the U.S are 51.2 million representing 18% of the whole population. These are the people with any level of disability. Among these those with severe disability are 32.5 million representing 12% of the population. There are 4 million children representing 11% of all children between age six and fourteen with disability. 72% of people aged 80 or more have disabilities. This is the highest percentage in any group. The percentage of women with disabilities is 20% while the men are 17%. In children aged below 15 more boys than girls are disabled at 11% while girls are at 6%. It is estimated that 10.7 million people aged 6 years and over require assistance with their daily activities like taking a shower or using the phone. This represents 45 of the population. 2.7 million People aged 15 years and more use wheel chairs. Another 9.1 million used some aid like crutches, walker or cane. In the United States 1.8 million people aged 15 years and more cannot see. 1 million people in the same age bracket cannot hear. In the ages of 15 and over there are 2.6 million people with difficulties in getting people to understand their speech. Out of this 610,000 could not be understood completely. There also exist 14.3 million people who have emotional or mental illness or cognitive functioning limitations which interfere with daily activities. Among them are those with depression, Alzheimer’s disease and mental retardation. This group makes up 6% of the U.S population. Past and current life situation Bowe (1978) notes that disabled people in the United States have come along way since in the past before the law recognized their rights life was hard to them. Cases of discrimination were rampant all over even in government sectors. Employment was one hard area before many employers holding on to the various stereotypes about disability could not trust the disabled with their jobs. Many of the disabled people were shunned by society and forced not to approach public places. The ‘ugly laws’ of the 1800s as they were called by activists were made in California and adopted by the other states to frustrate the disabled. These laws required that a disabled person should not be allowed to come into the public. Disabled in this law was defined as any diseased, mutilated, maimed, or deformed in any way to be unsightly. If such a thing happened, the person would be punished severely. These laws were practiced by those who thought it right to oppress the disabled since disability was totally unacceptable in society. Rights movements for the disabled were not formed any where and so the laws could be used in full force. This meant a disabled person could not freely board a public vehicle, or use any public facility. Discrimination was so high that some disabled people in certain areas were reported to commit suicide since they thought they were unwanted. However, DePoy & Gilson (2004) observe that by the 1970s things had started changing because these laws were no longer in force because they had been repealed. In those areas where they still existed they were not being followed strictly. This does not mean that the disabled were free to do live like anybody else since certain elements in the American society discriminate them to date. Things changed in favor of the disabled people when activist groups started surfacing in the 1970s. These groups are the ones that popularized the used of the word ‘ugly’ law to refer to the oppressive laws mentioned above. Their activism made people to change their view of the disabled since the number of disabled people had grown with the coming of the World War II veterans. Activism brought many changes which culminated into the signing into law of the American Disability Act by President Bush. Today courtesy of this law, disabled people enjoy equal rights with other people. Cultural difference and Stereotyping According to Johnstone (2001) stereotyping is a belief that all or many of the members of a given group display certain characteristics which are negative. In the U.S there have been many incidences in which the disabled have been stereotyped. A good example is in the employment area where many employers would freely express their view that those disabled people in employment show inordinate absenteeism. However empirical data has thoroughly refuted this stereotype. People with disabilities are viewed as handicapped people instead of people who are handicapped. The fact that a person has a disability is still viewed as conveying critical information about the limitations and potential of a person beyond the specific disability in question. Carmelo, Donatella (2008) note that it is perceived or even imagined that that particular disability acts as the core life experience of the person involved and affects all her other social and mental abilities. When the entire being of a person is reduced to what we can perceive as a negative characteristic in this case a mental or physical disability or any other there tends to develop negative attitudes in other areas of that person’s life. This effect is known as the spread phenomenon. Just from the knowledge that a person is disabled in one area people develop negative attitudes over other characteristics that are not related in people with disabilities. For example it has been noted that people link epilepsy with physical unattractiveness although this is done by mistake. These people often shout at those who are blind like they were deaf and attempt lifting them just like they would do to those who are orthopedically disabled. They tend to think that those people who are physically disabled have mental impairment and those that have psychiatric conditions must be violent. People with disabilities are addressed in a way that children can be spoken to Carmelo and Donatella (2008). The disabled in the U.S have been stereotyped as being stupid, worthless and unable to do anything. This happens despite that many disabled people are employed; others in employment requiring high skills and a few are even famous. Disabled people are viewed as tragic but brave at the same time. They are tragic since they need charity from others and those of them that succeed are brave enough that they overcame their disabilities. It is ignored that disabilities can enhance ability when one focuses on only that which he can do well. DePoy & Gilson (2004) observe that the ‘brave’ aspect also has negative implications for people that cannot do certain things. For instance a disabled person on a wheelchair can run a marathon is seen to be brave. Those who cannot do this are then seen as cowards and they are looked down upon. Stereotypes exist in many forms just as disabilities do. So many people think that all disabilities mean inabilities. People with mental disabilities suffer the worst discrimination and abuse. Diabetic and epileptic people are believed to have a high likelihood of blacking out and causing accidents. People on wheelchairs and any disabled person is seen as drain because they need man made implements for transport. Government policies on the disabled On July 26 1990 the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law by the then U.S president George H. W. Bush. This became a very significant law among people with disabilities. This law gave guaranteed and equal opportunity for everyone with a disability in commercial facilities, public accommodations, employment, local and state government services, transportation, telecommunications and even the U.S congress. On January 1st 2009, this law was amended. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides civil rights protection to people with disabilities. It is similar to the protection given to other people based on color, race, national origin, sex, religion and age. For one to have ADA protection he should be disabled or be in association or relationship with a disabled person. If one is disabled that person gets protection from the ADA from discrimination at work. In the ADA a person has a disability if he has a mental or physical impairment which limits a significant life activity substantially. ADA Title 1 is about employment http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm. It protects the disabled person from being discriminated upon by a covered entity. Included here are the procedures for job application, advancement, hiring, employee discharge, job training, worker compensation, privileges, terms and conditions of employment. ADA Title II carters for public services with public transportation included. This Title consists of 2 sections. The first one covers the public agencies such as county, local, state, government plus their units. The section demands that agencies should comply with the regulations the same in Section 504 in the Rehabilitation Act. ADA Title III is about Public Accommodations and commercial facilities. No person should be discriminated against on grounds of disability in equal and full enjoyment of services, goods, facilities or accommodation in any public accommodation place by people who lease, lease to or operate places of public accommodation. Public accommodations is inclusive of places of lodging like hotels and inns, recreation, transportation, dining, education, care providers, stores, and public display places http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm. ADA Title IV is on Telecommunications. The section demands that the telecommunication companies in the United States should take the appropriate steps to develop functionality equivalent services for the sake of people with disabilities. Top on the list are the deaf, cannot hear well and those with problems in speech. Finally the ADA Title V has the miscellaneous provisions. It carries the current of the Act of the Americans with disabilities of 1990 as amended. It was enacted in the format of public law and rearranged later before being published by subject matter in the U.S code http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm. Conclusion In conclusion, the paper has investigated the disabled people as a sub culture in the United States. It has examined the life situation of these people for today and the past, government policies, demographics, cultural differences and stereotyping. In this paper it has been shown that the life of the disabled people in America was very bad in the 1800s up to the late 190s. they have been discriminated upon, stereotyped, and treated in many unfair ways. Their relief came in the wake of activism in the 1970s and the American Disability Act of 1990. At the moment they have been granted rights by this law and ill treatment is no longer the norm of their lives except in rare situations. References Bowe, F. (1978) Handicapping America: Barriers to disabled people, Harper & Row   DePoy, E., & Gilson, S.F. (2004), Rethinking disability: Principles for professional and social change, Pacific Grove, CA: Wadsworth Johnstone, D. (2001) An Introduction to Disability Studies, 2nd edition Carmelo M., Donatella R. P., (2008), From disablement to enablement: conceptual models of disability in the 20th century, Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 30(17), 1233-1244. A guide to disability Rights Laws; September 2005; U.S Department of Justice, Civil rights division, Disability Rights Section Available at http://www.ada.gov/cguide.htm Read More