are people with disabilities really included in society?

Question

i have to write an essay on personal experiences of this topic, just wondering if any people have been involved in or witnessed this

Answer 1

A disability always excludes the disabled person to some extent. The amount the person is excluded depends on the type and extend of the disability, and on the individual. Three things work to create this exclusion. First, the world is designed for "normal" people. Things like curbs with edges that go straight up present an impenetrable barrier to someone in a wheelchair. Street signs are useless to the blind. Normal telephones, fire alarms, and sirens might as well not exist if you are deaf.

People also tend to exclude anyone who is different from themselves. Disabled people make them uncomfortable. They don't know how to deal with us, and they don't like or know how to deal with their discomfort. Even when there is a way to include a disabled person in society, many people will not use it. For example, I am hearing impaired. I use a relay phone. People can phone me by calling a relay operator, who types what they say. I can read this on the display on my phone, and people can hear what I say into the phone, but the slight delays while the operator types and the idea of a third party listening in make some people, including the receptionist at my neurosurgeon's office, so uncomfortable they refuse to use the phone. This problem is compounded by the stereotypes that persist about disabled people. I trained my own hearing dog. While he was in training, I frequently took him to a mall to teach him how to behave in crowds, in stores, and in restaurants. He had a bright orange vest with "service dog in training" embroidered on it. On two separate occasions, people told me how wonderful I was training a dogs for "those people" because "they need all the help they can get, and they can't do things like that for themselves." These people didn't realize I was lip reading. It bothered me so much that, rather than explaining that I was one of "those people", I left the mall.

The third barrier to full integration is the disabled person himself. We know we are different. We know we are different. We know we can't do some of the things that others can do, and that the world was designed to accommodate others, not us. This makes us uncomfortable. It is easier to avoid situations in which we are put on display or force to put forth extra effort to do the things we need to do to fit in, or even to get somewhere.

Answer 2

I have worked in Special Education and with the disabled community for quite some time and technically, it is against the law to not include them in any aspect of society. However, when all of that is said and done, no, I don't think they are completely included into a society that does not understand how they are and why they look, talk, behave in the manner that they do. Many people feel sorry for them and treat them with kid gloves or pity them. Some people are down and out just awful. For the most part, I have witnessed many people treat those I work with as human beings, but I think they ultimately feel sorry for them.

*Just remember, there are few things that can change over night like going to bed and changing your race, religion or values - but it is surely possible to wake up, get in your car to go to work and get hit by a drunk driver and become disabled...

Answer 3

For my part as of being Deaf, so most of us can be near home, I'm grateful for this that they're doing this today. I was sent away to an institution for the Deaf after grueling problems I faced growing up in public schools. Teachers were not very good to me -they would not help me learn (my dear mother should've been awarded one the best teachers of the year) and almost everyone I encountered were bullies. I missed my family dearly -being far away from home living at Deaf schools was a stressssss. Now my kids (not hearing impaired) school taught kids that it's wrong to bully anyone! That's a lot better! While being away at the institution, most Deaf kids prefer being there instead at home -guess you can assume that they're not happy at home because no one in their family is talking to them because they do not sign. We although like being together -same peers. Anyhow, todays kids - mainstreaming can be good and not. Most of them are isolated without their own peers. Some families still don't sign but there's more of them communicating in sign language these days. I know for fact; WHY more kids are mainstreaming -our dear government is trying to save money, close institutions to save money and transportation's to the campuses weekly (everyone's county buses does the transportation's)! However, in mainstreaming, the government's still spending money for interpreters. Like they think it's better! Teachers these days are better teachers who can work with special kids/people. Universities have been teaching people how to help and understand disabled! For the society, it depends. So far our neighbors and community's pretty good compared from my past. Why do I think students or people should go to normal schools/society? It's because there's nothing wrong with disability people! It's the people who's never encountered with us or understand disability people. They have learned how to adapt and they do not see there's a problem! Surely those who do, are the problem! So, meanwhile... we'll know how it goes in a few years.

Answer 4

Depends on the severity of the disability. The mild disabled, yes. The moderate disabled, it depends on the country, state and locality this person is living in. The severely and profound disabled, no! If the government had their way, these group of people would be shoved in some institution and forgotten about hoping these group of people will die. I have witnessed this very same thing before and yes it pissed me off something fierce. I feel bad for these people simply because for most part they don't know any better and society takes advantage of this fact.

Answer 5

By law yes but most of us who are disabled stay for the most part in our own little world. We get into a routine like everybody else, a routine that fits our needs, if part of our routine has difficulties, most of the time we do the adjusting instead of trying to make the world adjust to us. I don't want to have to be treated any different then anybody else, sometimes maybe we hurt our selves and others by not making the world adjust to our needs, like needing more ramps at stores or restaurants, help using elevators or just plain trying to use the bathroom on a trip somewhere, alot of the times you had better know ahead of time where to stop at. A lot of it just comes down to the people working at where ever you are at. There are some who are glad to help, and some who arenot. Life is alot about People and Choices!!!

Answer 6

I think in many cases it is a person choice to be included or not. Yes, there are barriers - both attitudinal an physical - the physical ones are slowly being removed and the attitudinal ones can be confronted.

I feel fully included. My son who is also disabled feels the same. I count among my friends dozens of people with disabilities - all but a very few feel fully included and those few that don't have very pronounced behaviors that make them difficult to be included in many situations.

Answer 7

Yes, but some people make it difficult to feel accepted. It's only been a year for me, so perhaps I notice things more than people who have been disabled for a long time.

I sometimes get dirty looks from people when I park in a handicapped space. I have the permit. I have a leg brace & cane, but I still feel as though people resent me being able to park in that space.

I felt the same way at the airport. They had a shorter line for the disabled.

Any friends you had (real friends) will still treat you the same even though you can't do the things you used to do with them. Hiking, camping, skiing.

I was really depressed for a year, but I'm getting over it. I hope this answers your question. If you want to ask me anything else, feel free to e-mail me.

Answer 8

In my personal experience as a mother of a child with disabilities, no people with disabilities are not really included in society. I believe society has come a long way in the inclusion of people with disabilities but we still have a long way to go.

Answer 9

I happen to have what some people would see as a 'hidden disability'. But I still totally get rejected by everyone I know,not just because of what I have,because I happen to have a really poor personality anyways. People see me a stupid innocent nice guy and don't want to have anything to do with me(unless they try to take advantage of me)Besides that,there's also a few normal people who still get excluded from society because they happen to have poor social skills,very unattractive looks-wise,have really poor or lesser temperaments and personalities.Or maybe there just happen to be plain old stupid!Everyone happens to be better than somebody U know. That's at least one reason I happen to have no friends. I'm just no good for people!

Answer 10

No we are not, people just put up with us.
We often get rejected till someone wants to sell us something or use us as cheap labour.
I am physically disabled and have been for a long time and know what I am talking about.