Community's Opinion on Disability - Research Paper Example

Quеstiоnnаirе аnd Саsе Study оn Disаbility TASK 1: SURVEY TO ELICIT THE VIEWS OF THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON DISABILITY Introduction The purpose of this survey was to get the views of the general public about disability. For the purposes of collecting the information, a questionnaire made up of ten different questions related to the theme of disability was administered to a group of fifty respondents. In order to ensure that the views expressed by the fifty respondents were representative of the general population, the respondents were from different backgrounds, of different ages and were chosen at random. Their answers to the questions provide a general view of how the public views disability and equality. These are presented in the section that follows. General questions 1. a) What do you understand by the term disability? Please give a brief explanation. From the responses collected, three classes of the definition of disability can be seen. A small percentage of the population (18%) were unsure of what the term disability means. This was in contrast with the many respondents (60%) who associated the word disability with some form of physical condition. It is only 14% of the respondents that provided a comprehensive definition of disability, taking into account the physical, psychological and social aspects of it. Table showing respondents’ understanding of the meaning of the term disability b) Do you think that the term disability is generally understood by people? Thirty-two of the respondents (64%) indicated that the general public generally understands what the term disability means. On the other hand, only 18 respondents indicated that the general public does not fully understand what the term disability means. 2. Have you ever be in contact with a disabled person? Please briefly describe that experience. Of the 50 persons interviewed, 14 of them indicated that they had never been in contact with a disabled person. This translates to 28% of the sample. Although the remaining 36 respondents indicated that they had interacted with disabled persons, there was variation in the places of interaction. These included places such as home (family members), school and place of work (colleagues). 3. John uses a wheelchair for moving and is highly qualified in computers. Among six other interviewees, John scored top in the interview assessment. The company John has applied for is a small office. The office, managed by Andrew, does not have facilities for mobility impaired people. In your opinion, do you think John will get the job? The results are summarised as follows. Table summarising views on how disabled persons can successfully compete for a job with non – disabled ones Definitely Unsure Definitely not 1 2 3 4 5 No. of respondents 5 5 21 14 5 Percentage 10% 10% 42% 28% 10% When asked about their reactions to the news of whether or not the person gets the job, the answers of the respondents varied. 66% of the respondents indicated that they would like to get information as to why the disabled person emerged as the top candidate for the job. Also, when asked about their expectations if the person with disability is given the job, 68% of the respondents agreed that there will be need for the employer to make special arrangements in order to accommodate the disabled person at the place of work. Attitudes towards disability and inequality 4. Do you believe that disabled persons enjoy equal opportunities in the society? Fourteen respondents indicated that they believed that disabled persons do enjoy equal opportunities in the society. This is equivalent to 28% of the respondents. On the other hand, 36 respondents (72%) indicated that they believe that disabled persons do not enjoy equal opportunities in the society. 5. Would you say that disabled people contribute to the society? This question sought to elicit public views about the extent to which disabled persons are regarded as making contributions to the society. The results are summarised as follows. Table indicating perceptions on how disabled persons contribute to the society Highly contribute Fairly contribute Do not contribute 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No. of respondents 18 5 5 5 12 0 5 0 0 Percentage 36% 10% 10% 10% 24% 0% 10% 0% 0% Chart indicating perceptions on how disabled persons contribute to the society 6. Do you consider that disabled people are fully understood by society? Many of the respondents (27) indicated that disabled people are not fully understood by the society. This is equivalent to 54% of the respondents. The remaining 46% indicated that disabled people are fully understood by the society. What this means is that there still persists stereotypes about the whole subject of disability in general and the specific cases of disability in particular. 7. Do you think that disabled people need more attention than they get in the society? For this question, 33 respondents indicated that disabled persons need more attention than they get in the society. This is equivalent to 66% of the population. The remaining 17 (34%) indicated that persons with disability do not require extra attention in the society. These results were consistent with the overall response obtained from the respondents on the question of whether disabled people are fully understood by the society. 8. Do you think that disabled people should receive more oriented services in the society? A small number of the respondents (34%) thought it necessary for the society to develop more services that are specifically oriented towards the needs of persons with disability. This is in contrast to the small number of respondents who think that disabled persons already have more than enough services in the society. The results are presented in the figure below. Chart indicating whether disabled persons should receive more oriented services in the society 9. Should there be more effort aimed at reducing discrimination against disabled persons? The responses to this questioned are summarised as follows. Table indicating whether there should be more effort aimed at reducing discrimination against disabled persons Definitely needed Enough effort exists Too much effort exists 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No. of respondents 32 5 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 Percentage 64% 10% 26% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Chart indicating whether there should be more effort aimed at reducing discrimination against disabled persons 10. Generally speaking, people want to befriend disabled people. The results to this question are summarised as follows. Table summarising responses on whether people want to befriend disabled persons Strongly agree I am not sure Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No. of respondents 0 5 0 0 22 9 9 5 0 Percentage 0% 10% 0% 0% 44% 18% 18% 10% 0% Chart summarising responses on whether people want to befriend disabled persons 11. Do you think that disabled people are able to find work as easy as non-disabled ones? Thirty of the respondents (60%) responded that disabled people are not able to find work as easy as non-disabled people. Twenty (40%) of the respondents indicated that disabled persons are able to find work as easy as those that are not disabled. 12. Disabled people should be more integrated into the mainstream education system. This question sought to establish the views of the public about whether or not disabled persons should be integrated into the mainstream education system as opposed to being isolated in special educational institutions. The findings are summarised as follows. Table summarising views on whether disabled persons should be integrated into mainstream education system Strongly agree Neutral Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No. of respondents 9 9 4 10 18 0 0 0 0 Percentage 18% 18% 8% 20% 36% 0% 0% 0% 0% Chart summarising views on whether disabled persons should be integrated into mainstream education system 13. Do you think that society endeavours to provide more accessible things to disabled persons? Thirty-two respondents (62%) indicated that the society endeavours to provide more accessible things to disabled persons. On the other hand, 18 respondents (36%) indicated that the society does not endeavour to provide more accessible things to disabled persons. Conclusion From the results presented, several issues can be concluded. First, disabled persons are still facing disadvantages in the society. These occur in the form of barriers towards access to education, better positions at the place of work and overall interpersonal relationships in the society. Second, although the general public understands the needs of persons with disability, there is still need for sensitization on the rights of persons with disability. Third, there is need for the society to provide special requirements for disabled persons. This applies to institutions such as schools and places of work. TASK 2: CASE STUDY OF A DISABLED PERSON Introduction This case study is based on an empirical examination of the views of a disabled person with regard to experiences in work, education, care, family and relationships. By examining the experiences of the person with regard to these issues, the case study identifies different factors that act as barriers to disabled people from participation, citizenship and rights. A brief review of academic literature about the topic of disability in general is presented. This is followed by a comprehensive description of the methodology that is used in the case study as well as analysis of the findings of the case study. Literature Review To begin with, there are several definitions of the term disability. This is so because of the complexity that is associated with the concept in terms of different dimensions that can be used to construct various definition of the concept (Marshall, Kendall, Banks & Gover 2009, p. 9; Stowell & McGeary 2006, p. 120). For instance, when seen from the view point of a physical infirmity of impairment, disability can be defined in terms of a condition that is fixed in the mind and body of an individual. On the other hand, using social aspects to develop a definition of disability tends to empathises on the effects of excluding disabled individuals from the social, economic and cultural advantages in the society (Burchardat 2003, p. 13; OECD 2008, p. 12). This happens at the onset of conditions such as accidents and illnesses that may be precursors to disability. The third factor that has made the definition of disability a complex issue is the effect of rapid changes in the way the whole concept is seen in the society. It is observed that the definition of disability has changed with the views of different stakeholders over the course of time (Barnartt, 2010, p. 2). These dimensions have taken into account historical changes, interests of different social groups and different types of disability (Ong-Dean 2009, p. 65). Generally, there are several models that have been used to develop a comprehensive understanding of disability. It is from these models that the perceptions and attitudes of the society towards disability are formed. Therefore, these models determine how the society treats persons with disability in terms of equality in education, leisure, employment and general life. For instance, the social model of disability, which emerged in the late seventies, is based on making a clear distinction between disability and impairment (Barnes & Mercer 2010, p. 29; Shakespeare & Watson 2002, p. 10; Tassoni 2003, p. 9). According to this model, impairment can be defined as lack of a limb or part of a body in general. Impairment may also include a defective mechanism: both physical and psychological. This is in contrast to disability which is defined as the restrictions that are caused by the society as a result of not taking into account the needs and requirements of impairments (Lang 2001, p. 19). What this means is that disability is a creation of the failure of the society as a whole and not the individuals with impairments. Through socially constructed barriers, individuals with impairment are disadvantaged in the society. These barriers may be exhibited in various aspects of life including education, family life, employment and general interpersonal relationships. Another model of disability which is related to the social model is the human rights model. The similarity between these models arise from the fact that both of them seek to define disability as being a construction of the society as a whole and not inherently arising from the individuals having impairments (Lang 2001, p. 17). However, the human rights model lays much emphasis on the need for human rights when addressing the needs of persons with impairments. Its premise is based on studies that have sought to establish the link between disability and social effects such as poverty, oppression and inequality (Charlton 2006, p. 217). Through the efforts of the United Nations, this model has led to the realisation that persons with or without disability do have rights as citizens and that those rights have to be respected by the society (Quinn, Degener & Bruce 2002, p. 11). Through appropriate legislation at the local level, this model provides a mechanism through which the issues of inequality in disability can be addressed by the society. Thirdly, the medical model or impairment perspective of disability is based on the premise that disability arises from the physical difficulties associated with the impairment (Moore & Scourfield 2002, p. 402). As such, individuals with disability are not viewed as victims of the actions of the society but rather as victims of their own conditions. Whereas the other models inclusive in their approach, the medical model of disability advances the view that the consequences of infirmity should be borne by the individuals themselves and that it is their responsibility to develop different ways of overcoming such difficulties (Moore & Scourfield 2002, p. 403). According to Carson (2009, p. 9), this model of disability increases discrimination against persons with disability because of the negative message that it presents to them as well as other members of the society. One important thing that is worth noting from the observations however, is that disability, as a concept is subject to multiple interpretations. All the three models provide different interpretations of disability in terms of causes, consequences and the actions required to address the issue. The second important issue is that perceptions towards disability have been changing over the course of time. This has been so because of different social, cultural and economic trends driven by different groups in different places in the world. This trend has resulted to rapid changes in the perceptions and attitudes towards disability as a whole. The issue of barriers to persons with disability has received considerable academic attention. A number of studies have been carried out to establish different types of barriers in the society that make disabled individuals be at a disadvantage when compared to other members of the society. What is important though is that many of these studies have been based on evaluating social barriers to disability in terms of different themes. For instance, established stereotypes about disability as well as the views to the public about disabled persons play a key role in forming barriers for such individuals (Olkin 2000, p. 55). This is so because stereotypes about disabled persons tend to discredit their ability to effectively compete with others in all areas of life. As a result, persons with disability face barriers in terms of education, employment opportunities and interpersonal relationships in general. On the other hand, Staniland (2009, p. 15), observes that public attitudes towards disability do affect the way disabled persons are viewed in the society in general. Negative attitudes result into a situation where the society pays attention to the disability as a condition rather than focusing on the skills and abilities of the individuals. As a result, such attitudes have led to segregation of persons with disability, lack of trust in their abilities to perform both at school and work as well as lack of flexibility and understanding to take into considerations the needs of disabled persons. Also, barriers for persons with disability have occurred in the form of physical and communication disadvantages (The Urban Institute 2005, p. 36). Barriers in the form of communication occur when persons with disability fail to access information at school or their places of work. This happens because of lack of specialised equipment and resources such as sign language that are required to address their needs. Oldreive and Waight (2008, p. 7), in a study, identify several ways in which organizations provide information that can be easily accessed by persons having learning disabilities. These include the following: talking mats, audio systems, access to computers and presenting materials in formats that can be easily read. On the other hand, since physically impaired persons may require specialised systems to ease their mobility, barriers may emerge when such facilities are lacking. As such, disabled persons find it difficult to move from one place to another in their daily lives. According to Gannon and Nolan (2005, p. 10), there are various other forms of barriers that persons with disability face in their daily activities. These barriers occur in the form of difficulties and disadvantage that they experience in their daily activities as a result of the social, economic and cultural set up of the society. These disadvantages are expressed in term of inequality when it comes to access to education, earning, wealth and general social participation (Michalko 2002, p. 147). In essence, it can be seen that studies indicate that persons with disability do encounter different types of barriers in their daily lives. These barriers are as a result of failure of the society to provide the right requirements needed by persons with disability for ease in their daily operations. Methodology A case study methodology was used in the study. This is so because using a case study methodology to evaluate social aspects of a phenomenon like disability in the society provided qualitative information about the experiences of people in such a category within the society (Gagnon 2010, p. 4). According to Wengraf (2001, p. 53), one appropriate method of collecting information to be used when studying an illustrative case study as the one in this study is by use of semi-structured interviews. This is so since the method offers the right tool to collect data in qualitative research by helping the researcher uncover the meanings of the responses of the interviewee and avoid imposing their own meanings to the responses. Also, whereas the interviewee is free to explore details about experiences, when semi-structured interviews are used; the interviewer retains the control throughout the interview and is flexible enough to allow important digressions (Mitchell & Jolley 2009, p. 277). Because of these benefits, a semi-structured interview was used to collect information used in this case study. Data Collection A place and time for meeting and conducting the interview was arranged. This is in accordance with the need to ensure that the place and time of the meetings during qualitative research are taken care of properly (Hanckock & Algozzine 2011, n.pag). The results of the interview were recorded in the form of notes which were taken during the interview. Essentially, the interview questions were divided into four categories: general, education, employment and leisure. The questions were structured in such a manner that the interviewee was prompted to recollect and freely share his past experiences, present issues and future prospects. Ethical Considerations There are several ethical issues that were taken into consideration in the course of carrying out the interview. Since the work was carried out as a qualitative research, several issues such as privacy, sensitivity and others were taken into consideration (Marshall & Rossman 2010, p. 122). However, one key issue was the need to maintain and protect the confidentiality of the interviewee in the case study. Theoretically, confidentiality in a research takes into account the need to protect both participants and data (Orb, Eisenhauer & Wynaden 2000, p. 93). This is so because of the nature of the data collected in the interview. Since this case study entailed getting sensitive information about the interviewee’s experiences at work, school, and home in personal relationships, the research was carried out in a manner to ensure that respect and confidentiality of the interviewee and other parties was protected. Analysis and Discussion Biographical note The subject of the interview was born with a physical form of disability that greatly limits his daily mobility. In spite of this, the subject can be said to have come from a successful and loving family. This has been exhibited in the support and care that he has received from his family through his life. Also, the subject was fortunate to attend ordinary school as opposed to special schools. His attitude seems to have been greatly influenced by the friendly atmosphere in the school created by both teachers and fellow students. Currently working as a volunteer, the subject has got high hopes that his disability will not act as a barrier when it comes to getting to employment. In essence, it can be said that the life story of the subject has been shaped by various people. These include the following: students, teachers, the family and friends. His interaction with these groups of individuals has had a profound effect on influencing accessibility to many resources and materials required by the subject in the course of his life. General This theme of the interview sought to gain insight on how the daily activities of the subject are affected by his disability. Essentially, his disability is as a result of a physical condition that makes it difficult for him to access all the places he would like to within the given time. When asked how his disability affects his daily life, the subject indicated that his accessibility is limited to places that have special facilities to help disabled individuals. Also, as much as the subject requires help with his personal needs, this requires the services of members of the family and caregivers. One important conclusion that can be drawn is that barriers to mobility are as a result of the society itself and not necessarily resulting from the physical infirmity of the subject. Education This theme sought to examine the kind of barriers that the subject encountered during his education. From the responses obtained from the subject, two issues can be highlighted as follows. One is that the subject would have expected to find a lot of barriers during his days in school. This would have been so since the subject did attend an ordinary school as opposed to a special school for the disabled. However, this was not the case. One explanation for this is that with teachers who were fully supportive and understanding, the subject’s stay in school was relatively easy. The other one regards the kind of disability that the subject has. Compared to visual, reading or hearing disability, the subject’s disability could easily allow him to participate in key activities in class. This may not have been the case if the subject’s disability was a form that directly affects his activities in class. The second issue regards the kind of interaction the subject had with fellow students. Although there were barriers in terms of interaction, these were limited to silent avoidance as opposed to rudeness. An explanation of this issue can be provided by the type of disability in question. Research has indicated that children with learning disabilities are more often than not predisposed to violent behaviour towards others in school (Baker & Allen 2001, p. 21). It can be inferred that such kind of behaviour is certainly to elicit a similar response from the other students without disability. Also, the observation that the subject had good experiences while at school corresponds to the suggestion of Cook, Swain and French (2001, p. 6), that disabled persons may have successful experiences in schooling as compared to their non-disabled counterparts. Employment With regard to employment, the subject expressed that he had faced little barriers while looking for a job as well as in the current place of work. However, it is important to point out the fact that the subject is not yet in a paid job but working with other disabled persons as volunteers for social work. Since this is the nature of his work, his acceptance and access to the position cannot be evaluated within the context of a competitive process with other persons without disability. However, when asked about his experiences at the place of work, the subject responded that limited mobility becomes a factor at times. Although this may not be a barrier for now, it reflects the need for employers to provide the right conditions to help disabled employees carry out their duties without hindrances. This corresponds to the finding of Coleman, Sykes and Groom (2013, p. 40) who, in a report, indicate that disabled employees may be easily exposed to unfair treatment and harassment at the place of work than their non-disabled counterparts. Relationships and Leisure From the responses of the subject, it can be concluded that although he does not face any kind of barriers when engaging in leisure activities, the choice of such activities is determined by his condition. What this means is that as long as disabled persons choose activities that they can easily engage in as leisure, they stand to face minimum barriers during their leisure. In the same vein, the issues of rights and privileges in social relations do not occur in the life of the subject because he has a loving and caring family who are ready to help him. It can be inferred that these factors are necessary as a way of protecting disabled persons form being exposed to violence and other forms of abuse which, according to Powers and Oschwald (2004, p. 4), may be physical, verbal, sexual or in the form of neglect. Conclusion In conclusion, several issues, points and themes can be pointed out from the case study on a person lining with disability. These are outlined as follows. One, there is a general consensus among researchers that barriers for disabled persons are as a result of the social, economic and cultural set up of the society which fails to take into consideration the needs of such persons. The second one regards the experiences of the subject with respect to accessibility to different resources in the society. It can be seen that the extent to which he is unable to access particular places is a result of the society failing to provide special facilities which can help him in mobility. When it comes to leisure activities and overall general relationships, it can be seen that although the subject has experienced minimum barriers, his choice of leisure activities is influenced by the disability. Lastly, as a result of having a lovely and caring family and friends, the subject has experienced minimum barriers in school and at home. References Baker, P & Allen, D 2001, ‘Physical abuse and physical interventions in learning disabilities: an element of risk?’ The Journal of Adult Protection, vol. 3, no. 2, pp. 25–31. Barnartt, S N 2010, ‘Disability as a fluid state: an introduction’, in S N Barnartt (ed), Disability as a fluid state, Emerald Group Publishing, Bingley, pp. 1–24. Barnes, C & Mercer, G 2010, Exploring disability, Polity Press, Cambridge. Burchardat, T 2003, ‘Being and becoming: social exclusion and the onset of disability’, Case Report 21, Joseph Rowntree Foundation Report, viewed 8 April 2014, Coleman, N, Sykes, W & Groom, C 2013, ‘Barriers to employment and unfair treatment at work: a quantitative analysis of disabled people’s experiences’, Equality and Human Rights Commission Research Report 88, viewed 10 April 2014, Carson, G 2009, ‘The social model of disability’, Scottish Accessible Information Forum, viewed 8 April 2014, Charlton, J I 2006, ‘The dimensions of disability oppression: an overview’, in L J Davies (ed), The disabilities study reader, Routledge, New York, pp. 217–230. Cook, T Swain, J & French, S 2001, ‘Voices from segregated schooling: towards an inclusive education system’, viewed 9 April 2014, Read More

Attitudes towards disability and inequality 4. Do you believe that disabled persons enjoy equal opportunities in the society? Fourteen respondents indicated that they believed that disabled persons do enjoy equal opportunities in the society. This is equivalent to 28% of the respondents. On the other hand, 36 respondents (72%) indicated that they believe that disabled persons do not enjoy equal opportunities in the society. 5. Would you say that disabled people contribute to the society? This question sought to elicit public views about the extent to which disabled persons are regarded as making contributions to the society.

The results are summarised as follows. Table indicating perceptions on how disabled persons contribute to the society Highly contribute Fairly contribute Do not contribute 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No. of respondents 18 5 5 5 12 0 5 0 0 Percentage 36% 10% 10% 10% 24% 0% 10% 0% 0% Chart indicating perceptions on how disabled persons contribute to the society 6. Do you consider that disabled people are fully understood by society? Many of the respondents (27) indicated that disabled people are not fully understood by the society.

This is equivalent to 54% of the respondents. The remaining 46% indicated that disabled people are fully understood by the society. What this means is that there still persists stereotypes about the whole subject of disability in general and the specific cases of disability in particular. 7. Do you think that disabled people need more attention than they get in the society? For this question, 33 respondents indicated that disabled persons need more attention than they get in the society. This is equivalent to 66% of the population.

The remaining 17 (34%) indicated that persons with disability do not require extra attention in the society. These results were consistent with the overall response obtained from the respondents on the question of whether disabled people are fully understood by the society. 8. Do you think that disabled people should receive more oriented services in the society? A small number of the respondents (34%) thought it necessary for the society to develop more services that are specifically oriented towards the needs of persons with disability.

This is in contrast to the small number of respondents who think that disabled persons already have more than enough services in the society. The results are presented in the figure below. Chart indicating whether disabled persons should receive more oriented services in the society 9. Should there be more effort aimed at reducing discrimination against disabled persons? The responses to this questioned are summarised as follows. Table indicating whether there should be more effort aimed at reducing discrimination against disabled persons Definitely needed Enough effort exists Too much effort exists 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No.

of respondents 32 5 13 0 0 0 0 0 0 Percentage 64% 10% 26% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% 0% Chart indicating whether there should be more effort aimed at reducing discrimination against disabled persons 10. Generally speaking, people want to befriend disabled people. The results to this question are summarised as follows. Table summarising responses on whether people want to befriend disabled persons Strongly agree I am not sure Strongly disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 No. of respondents 0 5 0 0 22 9 9 5 0 Percentage 0% 10% 0% 0% 44% 18% 18% 10% 0% Chart summarising responses on whether people want to befriend disabled persons 11.

Do you think that disabled people are able to find work as easy as non-disabled ones? Thirty of the respondents (60%) responded that disabled people are not able to find work as easy as non-disabled people. Twenty (40%) of the respondents indicated that disabled persons are able to find work as easy as those that are not disabled. 12. Disabled people should be more integrated into the mainstream education system. This question sought to establish the views of the public about whether or not disabled persons should be integrated into the mainstream education system as opposed to being isolated in special educational institutions.

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