Barriers to Social Inclusion - Essay Example

Barriers to Social Inclusion Introduction Social inclusion refers to the provision of some certain rights to all people and groups in a given society such as adequate housing, employment, education, health care and training. With regard to human behavior and relationships, social inclusion may imply accepting an individual into social and interpersonal interaction networks. Therefore, social inclusion is not just only having access to mainstream services but it is also about participation of individuals in the community or society as students, employees, parents, advisers, active citizens, volunteers, teachers, etc. A barrier refers to something immaterial which obstructs or impedes or something which holds apart or separates. A barrier to social inclusion therefore implies the obstructions that make it difficult for the realization of social inclusion or that which prevents or impedes people from getting the required services in a society. Sociological theory, on the other hand, means a set of interrelated ideas that allow for systematisation of knowledge concerning the social world. The knowledge which is systematised is then used in the explanation of the social world and in making of predictions concerning the future of the social world (Colley 2007, p. 96). In essence, social inclusion refers to the process in which the relationships, institutions and relations vital for the establishment of a dynamic and equitable society are build and through which all people regardless of their language, race, sex, or religion are capable of exercising their responsibilities and rights fully on an equal level and be able to contribute to society positively. Barriers to Social Inclusion Several barriers to social inclusion have over a long period of time been in existence, and therefore the society has all along been striving to overcome these barriers with a view to fully achieving social inclusion in societies. Reduction of these barriers to social inclusion has therefore called for integrated efforts across non-governmental and governmental organisations at all levels, vertically and horizontally in the practice and influencing of policy by direct links to individual people’s experience (Avramov et al. 2002, p. 271). The social exclusion condition persists and exists in societies simply because of the barriers to social inclusion which have subjected people to numerous difficulties or obstacles that have impeded them from gaining access to crucial elements vital to the realisation or achievement of social inclusion. These barriers have generally been characterised into various categories like for instance, social, economic, financial, amenity, information and embedded barriers. It has been ascertained that barriers for socially excluded individuals are at most times intrinsically linked and thus portraying a condition of complex and multiple needs. The social inclusion theory has been greatly attributed to the social policy in a different perspective by acknowledging that a person’s participation in a community or society and the outcomes of life can be mired with numerous barriers, which can either be social, informational, financial or embedded and that such barriers can be interrelated. The social inclusion strategies, therefore places special emphasis on collaborative effort in order serve the varied or multiple individual needs of an individual. Social inequalities which arise as a result of barriers to social inequalities should be justly addressed by all the stakeholders in any given community to ensure that any form of inequalities in society are abolished, and mechanisms will be put in place to ensure that social inclusion is practiced. A just society is one which treats everyone on an equal and fair basis and as such, any form of discrimination and unfairness should be treated by members of the community with contempt (Taket 2009, p. 26). The barriers to social inclusion in society especially for people who are mentally challenged can better be addressed through implementation of the strategies aimed at addressing issues which have greatly impacted socially excluded people. For instance, agencies can be mobilised around homelessness, cohorts for offenders who are young, refugees, and drugs instead of putting lots of concentration or attention on housing, health and education. The social inclusion theory recognises the fact that in any given society, the cycles of disadvantage are abnormally embedded in it and that these cycles are both intergenerational and locational. It is with this fact in mind that social inclusion strategies are normally designed in a manner aimed at breaking the cycles of disadvantage through targeting of policy intervention based on critical points and place in the lifecycle. Counteracting the barriers to social inclusion should therefore form the basis of first priority for any society that wants to fight social exclusion (Boardman et al. 2010, p. 36). Mental illness as deviance implies so many meanings, however, social deviance means the deviation of someone’s behavior from the social norms. Mental illness has been regarded as the deviation from the normal behavior exhibited by human beings. In order to better understand abnormal behavior, it is vital to analyse mental illness as a social deviance by seeking explanation as to why there exist so many instances of mental disorders across the cultural divide. As a result, there is an increase in the rate of psychiatric diagnosis for mental illness and its treatment as well. Mental illness disorders are a major barrier to social inclusion in any given society because few people would like to be associated with people who are mentally challenged. It is because of this reason that many patients in the mental health sector in various societies across the world are socially secluded from the rest of the community. The diagnosis of mental disorders in people by the psychiatrist is just similar to the diagnosis of any other medical condition or disorder, like a broken leg or cancer. It is strongly emphasised that mental disorder conditions are naturally occurring and biologically-based conditions which are ever occurring in various cultures all over the world. However, members of various societies have taken a different approach towards people who are affected by mental illnesses by secluding them from various activities in the society. Some cultures have even wrong assumptions that mental illnesses are caused as a result of curses cast upon the affected individuals. The society should change its attitude towards people who are affected by mental illnesses to ensure they are appreciated as members of the society, too. This will ensure that people are appreciated as they are, and that cases of discrimination based on health status are minimised. Social Inclusion In intergenerational disadvantage, the need for breaking the cycle of social exclusion of the disadvantaged group calls for the use of prior intervention and early prevention means at critical levels in the lifecycle, especially during the early stages or years. This would help the cohorts that have been held within the disadvantage cycle during the early years and who are at high risk of being socially excluded during the later stages of life. Cases of mental illness should therefore be handled during their early stages and accepted the way they are so that in the future, such mentally challenged people cannot be socially excluded but instead appreciated and accepted by society. Methods of early intervention and prevention in the mental health sector have been known to be more cost effective than dealing with the repercussions arising from lack of intervention during the last acute periods of service delivery. Early evidence portrays that the promotion and use of early intervention and prevention channels is not new in society. The use of social inclusion theory, however, brings an explicit link between the capability of methods of early intervention and prevention as against the patterns of disadvantage which are strongly manifested in society. The social inclusion theory aims to break those patterns of disadvantage (Barry 2005, p. 3). Social inclusion or integration is not a vague concept but instead, it is a desirable and achievable concept which every individual should struggle to implement daily. Functionalism is known to address society as a whole on the basis of its elements like the customs, norms, traditions and institutions which are presented as organs working as one entity. Social inclusion agenda greatly accept the fact that socially excluded individuals have different needs which need a multi-policy response in which a person is at the middle of a holistic action. In such situations, it is not only prudent or vital to personalise and coordinate services which fit around the needs of the individual but also ensure that strategies are put in place to ensure their comfortable existence. Furthermore, agendas calling for social inclusion have called for innovative means for the levels of government, government agencies and various stakeholders to work together to ensure that individuals who are socially excluded like the mentally ill are brought on board as members of a society. Social Inclusion Models Despite of laws being implemented to remove gender discrimination, the status of being a female individual has still remained a barrier to social inclusion and integration especially in the mental health sector. Both the male and female gender suffering from mental illnesses have been denied access to education. It is the lack of educational opportunities for the mentally ill that has impeded or prevented social integration or inclusion. The participation of the people who are mentally challenged in society’s activities is a major barrier in the realisation of social inclusion because these people are left or secluded out of the society that makes them to feel lonely and unwanted. However, the female sex or gender has been greatly affected in social inclusion because the state of being a female becomes a barrier to social integration. Social integration in the mental health sector has been well portrayed through abusive cultural practices, gender inequalities, male domination, gender stereotyping and patriarchal attitudes which have been cited as barriers towards social integration. The most common feeling and which is culturally misunderstood is that women are inferior to men (Woods 2011, p. 260). The access to justice by women has further been compounded by customary and statutory laws which are prevalent in many nations where such laws are known to be gender insensitive and biased against women; and therefore make the female patients suffering from mental health conditions to find it hard to access medical care and other essential justice services. Social inclusion has also been hindered as a result of oppressive cultures which not only discriminate women and men on the basis of their gender but also based on their class, religion and race (Zahid 2009, p.106). The discrimination of individuals based on their race or skin colour has posed to be a major barrier to social inclusion. It has been ascertained that the root cause of racial inequity and discrimination in various societies all over the world arose from public policies. Racial injustice or discrimination and inequity do not comprise individual attitudes alone, but it is a collective decision of all people in shaping where to build opportunities, develop relationships, and invest the resources. People suffering from mental illnesses have been left out of development strategies just because of their skin colour, which greatly contribute as a barrier to social inclusion in society. The mental health sector has been left out in stakeholders meetings aimed at addressing barriers to social inclusion. This has not only let to the development of weak strategies to address the barriers but also led to the demoralisation of stakeholders in the mental health sector. The involvement of stakeholder from the mental health sectors in addressing barriers to social inclusion will ensure that the mentally challenged people have a place in society where they are appreciated as individuals with a role to play (Hall 2008, p. 213). The society’s constituent elements, like traditions, institutions, customs and norms have been known to contribute greatly towards barriers to social inclusion. Society is responsible for the barriers to social inclusion by upholding policies that discriminate people based on their religion and social classes. For social inclusion to be achieved by any given society, then these elements of society must work together in order to create a fully functioning society. For instance, gender inequality has shaped the society’s social life by discriminating people based on gender. Among the most socially excluded people in any given society are the individuals with mental health problems because they are prone to the mutually compounding and interlocking problems of discrimination, unemployment, impairment, lack of social networks and diminished social roles. Health inequalities in any given society have arose as a result of relative rather than absolute low standards of living leading to poverty which in turn contributed to factors like social stress and powerlessness. In order to encourage greater social inclusion, more user involvement through empowerment can be enriching. Despite the significant encouragement in politics and general benefits, social inclusion in mental health has up to date remained a patchy issue which still needs to be addressed by all stakeholders. As a result of different but more often interlinked barriers, social inclusion has continued to be elusive because stakeholders have concentrated their efforts on consultation instead of control, partnership and influence (Woolcock et al. 2008, p. 103). The role of medical model in society toward the barriers to social inclusion has been met with professional resistance, especially in the mental health sector. It has been ascertained that some professional health care professionals responsible for caring mentally challenged people have found it difficult to view their clients as service users, and therefore resisted any attempts aimed at achieving social inclusion of mentally challenged individuals. However, despite the wide gap that exists between practice reality and policy rhetoric and the barriers to social inclusion, there are incriminating pieces of evidence which point to positive practice in many fields of social inclusion in social care and mental health. The exploitation of critical transition points has been made capable through strategies of social inclusion. Critical transition points refer to the stage in one’s life that depicts a fork in the path which can have a significant effect on the future life of individuals. Such transitions can for example, refer to transition from school to further studies or working. Several surveys conducted have indicated that majority of individuals suffering from mental illnesses have either been left without suitable shelter or housing or have been totally left homeless due to being hospitalised. For such people who have been affected by mental health conditions, the critical transition point is the time that they leave the hospital. Leaving from school, exiting from prison and being evicted from public housing are other vital examples of critical transition points. Apart from making attempts to mitigate the influences which may arise as a result of locational disadvantage, strategies are also known for breaking the cycles arising from intergenerational disadvantage. As a result of this fact, social inclusion has from time immemorial attempted to lean towards place based target groups, and thus easily making it possible for specific locality interventions to be applied in supplementing a wider social policy. For every location that was identified, like the mental health sector, a set of programs should be designed to suit a geographical location which addresses barriers to social inclusion and reflects actions of social inclusion prevalent among people living in that geographical location. Because cultural diversity is closely linked to social inclusion, a community or society can only be identified due to its shared knowledge, traditions and culture which are passed on from one generation to another. The seclusion of the mentally challenged people in this process therefore becomes a barrier to social inclusion. Cultural diversity, on the other hand, includes matters such as literature, performing arts, language, crafts, the cinema and architecture which make one culture different from another one. Provision of resources and services to a culturally diverse community enhances social inclusion, but lack of these essential things promotes social exclusion and therefore become a barrier to social inclusion in itself. Because there exist various barriers in different areas of cultural diversity, such barriers are known to impede the capacity of the arts sector in participating with diverse art forms, artists and the arts practices which may prevent members in the mental health sector or other minority or cultural communities in being socially included in such activities. Diversity is known to be essentially important to the mission, strategic directions and vision of the mental health system through the representation of various people at all levels of the mental health sector (Hothersall et al. 2010, p. 272). Conclusion The interaction of the different barriers may hinder people who are socially secluded from accessing power and authority in any given society. Such social barriers are depicted in the structures and cultural institutions which make it difficult for the female, mentally challenged people and other minority groups from accessing power or authority in a specific society. The people in authority who are also known to wield a lot of powers have been known to discriminate people from the minority groups, and especially those who are mentally retarded or challenged. Women have also found it difficult to ascend to higher positions of power and authority because of the imminent barriers to social inclusion which are based on assumptions that the female sex is weaker as compared with the male gender; thus cannot be trusted with high positions of power and authority in the community or society. The task of working to remove barriers to social inclusion in any community should not be the left to governments alone but rather, it should be a collective responsibility of all citizens in any given country. Social inclusion can only be achieved if all people in society join hands in addressing the challenges or barriers facing the realisation of social inclusion in their societies. By so doing, each and every individual in society will be accepted the way he or she is regardless of gender, race, religion, class and culture. This will ensure that the generation to come will see a society that is morally and culturally sound, and which respects the diversities of different people. Fighting barriers towards social inclusion should therefore be something that is continuous to ensure that any cases of social exclusion do not arise in society. The medical personnel, on the other hand, should join hands with other stakeholders in society to ensure that the needs of the minority groups in the community, especially the individuals who are mentally challenged, are well addressed and cared for (Hothersall et al. 2010, p. 272). References Avramov D, et al. 2002. People, Demography and Social Exclusion. New York: Council of Europe. Barry M 2005. Youth Policy and Social Inclusion: Critical Debates with Young People. New York: Routledge. Boardman C et al. 2010. Social Inclusion and Mental Health. New York: RCPsych Publications. Colley H 2007. Social Inclusion for Young People: Breaking Down the Barriers. New York: Council of Europe. Hall R 2008. Racism in the 21st Century: An Empirical Analysis of Skin Color. New York: Springer. Hothersall S et al. 2010. Social Policy for Social Work, Social Care … London: Ashgate Publishing. Taket A 2009. Theorising Social Exclusion. New York: Routledge. Woods R 2011. Social Issues in Sport. London: Human Kinetics. Woolcock M et al. 2008. Social Exclusion and Mobility in Brazil. London: World Bank Publications. Zahid Z 2009. Strengthening Governance through Access to Justice. London: PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd. Read More