Prejudice and Discrimination - Essay Example

Prejudice and discrimination According to a webpage sponsored by cliff s.com, Prejudice and discrimination have been rampant in human history. Prejudice is the irrational and unchanged attitudes and people’s opinions held by individuals of one group towards another, while discrimination is the behaviors shown towards another group (“sociology”).Experiencing prejudice entails dealing with beliefs about a given group of people and cultural practices. Whether positive negative, prejudice in these forms are always preconceived. Discrimination is negative forms of prejudice, which is practiced by those who want to deny to people opportunities that they believe need not be given the same treatment as other people. Judging by historical records, America has embraced people with two kind of disability; children with disability who invoke pity, and heroic figures who have beaten all odds to overcome the plight of disability to interact with into their inaccessible environment. An example of a person with disability who has experienced prejudice and discrimination is Sylvia Flexer Bassoff. She uses crutches and wears leg brace. In 1935 when Frank Roosevelt championed for the works progress Administration, many jobs required applicants to have a physical examination, even though the job required no physical activity, so as to wipe-out people with disability. She continues as tears fill her eyes, “in my naivety I figured I would graduate from Drake Business School and they’re all going to grab me. Some people who graduated got jobs that were not, they did not begin to be as good as I was. And finally I got a job at the Brooklyn Bureau of Charities, who only hired handicapped people. It was a great injustice. And I did not what to do.” Apart from poor employment opportunities, Sylvia has experienced frequent discrimination in public services. During this year courts, courts had upheld that public transit authorities refuse carrying people with disabilities. In addition to this, immigration laws banned immigrants with disabilities. Longmore and Goldberge report that some states even sought to sterilize, prevent marriage between and incarcerate people with disabilities in order to prevent the reproduction of the “unfit.” Private health insurance, is not always affordable to people with disabilities, and it is available it does not cover costs such as assistive technology and occupational therapy. Medicaid and Medicare are important in providing health insurance to Americans with disabilities. Although individual with disabilities education Act has made tremendous success for many young individuals with disabilities, the number of university and college graduates and admissions to these institutions for people with disabilities are far below national averages. Many private and public employers still discriminate against people with disabilities. In addition to that the medic aids provided by the federal government do not offer enough incentives for individuals with disabilities who want to work. Meanwhile, limited state and private funding for housing for people with disabilities have threatened the dream of realizing affordable housing for this minority group. Most of them are unemployed and are not in a position to pay for the soaring housing rent in the recent years. The disability experience Sylvia narrates that America’s public health systems are largely focused on prevention of disability rather than preventive health services for people with disabilities. There has been limited accessible and health services that are affordable to people with disabilities. In addition to this, there bureaucratic and inefficient government programs, environmental factors which render people with disabilities in poor health. As a result, studies have shown that people with disabilities are two and a half times likely to be diagnosed with diabetes and other chronic diseases. Sydney Case who is a well-known disability activist, fears going to her gynecologist “part of the problem is the lack of proper equipment, such as lower examination tables” Case continues “but by far the worst cause of dread is the lack of sensitivity.” (Qtd. In New mobility 13).most nurses who attend to them are insensitive to the plight of people with disability. Today in as much as people with disabilities have opportunities to live independent lives and be productive in their communities, they still face enormous challenges that could lead to the emergence of state supported institutions. They experience poor educational opportunities, high poverty levels, and high unemployment and over dependence on public benefits have been a hindrance for people with disabilities from achieving independence and living productive lives. In addition to this, property values and average rent prices have gone up in recent times, aggravating the problem of affordable and accessible housing in United States for people with disabilities. Studies show that more than one million children with disabilities by late 1968 were still barred from public schools. Sylvia says that “more than half of all the children with disability attending public schools were barred from accessing services and settings provided with children without disabilities.” These children would sit idly and then opt to dropping out of school. Improvements Massive progress have been made since the mid-1960’s as statistics show, more than six million students who have disabilities have received special educational services. Most of them are educated in neighborhood schools and in regular classrooms with non-disabled students. Graduation rates as well as employment rates for youth under individuals with disability education act (IDEA) have doubled than those of adults with similar disabilities. Sylvia recalls of the amendment of public law in 1997 that specified that every student with disability should receive an individual education program tailored to their specific needs. The law challenged parents to challenge school districts to provide adequate education programs, and also giving them the right to appeal decisions by school systems through mediation and court hearings. States and federal governments are turning away towards financing community based services and are supports that are giving a chance to people with severe disabilities to live in regular communities. These are less costly than larger institutions. Housing amendments act of 1968 brought a relief to people with disabilities since now they could access housing. Consistent with section 504, the law prohibited discrimination and denial by landlords or property owners to make reasonable accommodations, which included changes in policies, rules, services or practices that were necessary for a person with disability to use and enjoy a living. Sylvia is happy that the Cranston-Gonzalez national affordable housing Act of 1990 created section 811 that is supportive housing for persons with disabilities. The new program recognized the right of people with disabilities to live in the less restrictive environments possible and the role of mission-driven non-governmental organizations in developing, owning and operating supportive housing. The disability rights The American disability act of 1990 was the apex of championing for people with disabilities. This prohibited against discrimination of people with disability, and also meditates access to all public and private accommodations. Sylvia recalls a vocal Mr. Justin Dart Jr, who championed for this act and rights for people with disability as a whole. She is enthusiastic about section 504 of the rehabilitation act that was signed into law in 1973.this section specifies that any person with disability should not be discriminated on the basis of his disability, be excluded from participation or denied benefits under the basis of discrimination on any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. With this law the rights of disabled people was upheld, and they were given self-respect as equal members of the society. At the time of signing this section into law, Americans with disability were experiencing discrimination in education institutions, housing, employment, and transportation, access to equal medical care and access to public buildings. In other countries such as United Kingdom, after many years of activism by disabled people, the disability discrimination act of 1995 was passed. With this, it was unlawful to discriminate people with disabilities in employment, education and transport. Sylvia is a member of American coalition of citizens with disabilities. This movement advocates for rights of people with disabilities to gain acceptance in the workforce and everyday activities of life that were excluding people with disabilities in the past. Sylvia recalls that their movement in 1977 staged a nationwide protest in which they demanded the signing of the regulations for section 504 of the rehabilitation act. Conclusion The economic and social ability and power of millions of Americans with disability remains untapped. This has been worsened by stereotyping and stringent policies that have prevented people with disabilities from accessing employment, health care, education and housing. There is need to empower people with disabilities to be independent and be productive members of their communities. For disability rights movement to be effective, they need to marshal and build broad-based grassroots movements, which can unify individuals to a common purpose. This will be important in changing perception about people with disabilities and to reinforce support within the disability community itself. Work cited Prejudice and Discrimination retrieved from CliffsNotes.com. . On 14 Apr 2013 Read More