Disability Experience - Research Paper Example

This in itself poses a great challenge, since accessing certain areas is a difficult task, merely because certain places are not suitably designed to accommodate people with physical disabilities. However, there are various models such as the medical and social models which are implemented to ensure that people with disabilities are able to perform their activities independently. The social model entails a series of changes or modifications in the social surroundings so as to ensure that the disabled or people with impairments are able to overcome their physical barriers successfully and co-exist in the "regular" world.

This paper on Disability Experience discusses the various experiences encountered as a part of an academic exercise. Personal Experience: As a part of an academic assignment, I undertook the task of commuting in and around the school campus using a wheelchair. I was assisted and accompanied by a friend who followed me everywhere I went, for support. Initially the task seemed quite easy and I was comfortable executing the assigned task. However, soon I realized that gaining access to certain public and private areas of the school building was difficult than what I expected.

There were simply too many barriers which I found difficult to overcome with a wheelchair. First of all, I could not find a proper place for parking for the physically disabled. With great difficulty I overcame that setback but was soon faced with yet another challenge. The doorways were quite narrow and there was hardly any circulation space to maneuver my chair comfortably, and I had to struggle for a while, to let myself in. However, since I was accompanied by my friend, he helped me to get in.

I observed that there were greater costs involved while using a wheelchair. Students are mostly reliant on the public transport systems or private vehicles for commuting. However, accessing of public transport systems was difficult for people with disabilities. Moreover, I realized that maneuvering alone with a wheelchair was simply impossible, as I needed to be assisted quite often, and was graciously assisted by my friend. Furthermore, commuting through public places is a huge risk as there are large crowds and people attempting to reach their destinations in a hurry.

Thus, using hand controls on the wheelchair is of extreme significance to ensure personal safety as well as for the safety of those around us. During my activity, I made it a point to access the bathroom to check the accessibility. I was disappointed with the layout of the same, as the handle on the door was at a height which was not comfortable enough for a wheelchair bound individual and I had to seek the help of my friend, again, to assist me in opening the door. Furthermore, the location of the bathroom was also a setback, as it was located at the far end of the entrance area, and it took a lot of strength to reach there.

Besides, there was very little space for a wheelchair bound person to access it. Inside the bathroom I noticed that there was not enough room to place a wheelchair, under the faucet area. This made it difficult to access the faucets to wash one's face. Also, the mirrors were oddly placed, with little or no regard for a person with physical disability. They were placed at waist length and hence it offered only a