RESPOND TO THE FOUR COLLEAGUES

DISCUSSION 1

Heath Richards

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People with disabilities have been marginalized for many years. People with disabilities and deaf people report that they are routinely harassed verbally, physically, and sexually in public places (Adams, Blumenfeld, Castaneda, Hackman, Peters, Zuniga, 2013). People with disabilities especially ones that are noticeable are usually treated differently than other people because their actions may be different or they may sound or look different than everyone else. Some people may have issues accepting things that are not what they define as normal so to them people with noticeable disabilities may fall into that category of not being normal. People make fun of these individuals or just pick on them instead of taking the time to talk to them and get to know them. Another thing that marginalizes these individuals is the fact that most of them are unemployed. Even the people with disabilities that do work don't make enough money to really care for their selves. Among working-age adults with disabilities, the poverty rate is three times that of those without impairments (Adams, Blumenfeld, Castaneda, Hackman, Peters, Zuniga, 2013). This is a very sad thing because some people with disabilities can work and they want to.

Being a social worker working with a person with a disability we should not treat them any different than we would any of our other clients. It is important to treat them with dignity and respect so they can feel normal. We have to listen to them and understand them so we can help meet their needs just as we do everyone else we work with. The only difference is that they may have some different needs than other people, they may need medical supplies. We could help them figure out where they can get any supplies that they may need at an affordable price. We can also share with them the different programs that are available for people with disabilities. For instance, in the case of Valerie she was not born disabled, but was left with her disability due to an accident she was in. Her insurance company helped her get the things she needed, like her wheelchair and a prosthetic leg. Unfortunately, her accident and disability left her depressed. The worker that was working with her used cognitive behavior therapy with her and sat goals with her to help increase her independence. The only thing that I would do differently is to try to find a program for Valerie that would help her physically and mentally with her prosthetic leg, and teach her how to use it correctly and get used to it since she prefers her power scooter. I think that her getting used to the prosthetic leg and being able to get around well using it would make her feel so much better and more iindependent. It would take some time but with support I think that Valerie could use the prosthetic to her advantage and be very independent.

Reference:

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Casteneda, C., Hackman, H.W., Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. (3rd ed). New York, NY: Routledge Press

Thomas Snipes

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The physically and mentally disabled are marginalized because they are different (Schur et al, 2013). It is sad to say, but true. People who are known to be “normal”, have a tendency to place judgment on the outside appearance of others. In addition, Blanck talks about how individuals without a disability will assume that someone is not capable because of a disability and because of the response they may get back from the individual if they ask about the disability, they do not ask about the disability and the individuals capabilities (2000). As a result they may marginalize and discriminate against them. Disability is complex and multidimensional and how the individual experiences disability depends not just on the functional limitations relating to their impairment, but also on the environment (Schur et al, 2013).

Second, disability is complex and multidimensional and how the individual experiences disability depends not just on the functional limitations relating to their impairment, but also on the environment. The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities believes the marginalization is caused from the interaction between people with disabilities have environmental barriers that hinder their full participation in society (Perlin, 2008). For instance, the attitude that people have are mostly related to capabilities and dependency that can lead to overprotection and disempowerment. The environment barriers can be improper access to buildings, bathrooms, traveling, etc.

As a result of discrimination and social exclusion, together with the invisibility of persons with disabilities at all levels of society and the lack of positive role-models, persons with disabilities themselves often suffer from low self-esteem, confidence and aspirations, all of which impact on their ability to participate equally in all areas of social, economic and cultural life (Schur et al, 2013).

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides support for treatment programs oriented to this population by mandating that facilities be physically accessible to people with disabilities and that treatment professionals have an understanding of disability issues (Perlin, 2008).

In the case of Valerie, the social worker not only recognized that she was being abused by her husband but she also recognized that her ability to really leave the abusive relationship was not happening because of her limitations and confidence due to her disability. For example, Valerie mentioned no one else wanting her because of her disability so she continues to go to the only relationship she feels she is capable of having. The social worker worked with her and gave her back her self-confidence and self-worth by applying CBT skills to help her understand that all the negative things she has been told and the negative way that John treated her did not have to define her.

Blanck, P. D. (2000). Employment, disability, and the Americans with Disabilities Act: Issues in law, public policy, and research. Northwestern University Press.

Perlin, M. L. (2008). A Change is Gonna Come: The Implications of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities for the Domestic Practice of Constitutional Mental Disability Law. N. Ill. UL Rev., 29, 483.

Schur, L., Kruse, D., & Blanck, P. (2013). People with disabilities: Sidelined or mainstreamed?. Cambridge University Press.

DISCUSSION 2

James Johanson

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People with disabilities are labeled as “disabled” in order to fit into what our society has accepted as their norms. They are not socially acceptable as healthy individuals so society has coined a specialized term for them as disabled, this has negative, and positive implications. The negative implications are that since people with disabilities are seen as different they have limited access to what non-disabled people have. For example when I needed ankle surgery I was on a knee scooter, and in order to check the mail everyday at work the only ramp accessible was in a poor placement. I had to go down the ramp, and scoot behind 10 parking spaces, with cars coming and going, in order to get to the mailbox. It was then I first noticed the limitations of people with physical disabilities. Other negative implications include being stigmatized as not as capable of performing social norms everyday. For instance Stephanie’s boss may not have considered her a good candidate for the cashier position as she has a diagnosed mental illness. (Plummer, 2014) The stigma around people with mental disabilities are that they are not as constant, or reliable as non-mentally disabled people. The positive side of the social construct of being labeled as disabled comes from policies that deem it illegal to discriminate against those with disabilities, and to allow for extra help for those who need it.

While being labeled as disabled could be taken as a negative blow to a person who identifies as disabled it’s important to help reshape the social contract into a more positive connotation in a person’s life. Being disabled can marginalize people by limiting their physical activity, financial stability, and even who determines how they make decisions. In Stephanie’s life her mother being removed and mandated to go into assisted living would have had negative impacts on her finial stability while she was living with her mother. Her own self identify as disabled may have contributed to her not going after a more solid position at the store she worked at, as she may not have had the belief in herself that she could be a reliable cashier. This negative self image is common in people labeled as mentally disabled. The result of her not going after a higher positions had finically marginalized her, and created a dependence on her mother that she was living with despite all of the issues they were having. (Plummer, 2014) While she and her mother were working with the social worker, it seems like Stephanie was able to gain a little more control over her own life, and become more self determinate in her situation and this was a contributing factor in her ability to move out, and obtain a more stable potion in her company. (Plummer, 2014)

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Foundation year. Retrieved from http://www.vitalsource.com

Debra Bravo

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The social construction of disability is one of keeping disabled people in poverty and hidden from society. For example, the help they get from the government is not enough to pay rent and utilities or have a car. This leads to them having to live in low income housing and use public transportation. This makes it very hard for them to afford to get themselves to a college to obtain the education necessary to improve their economic status. (Adams et al,. 2013)

Disability can be defined as a social construct when things like war, rape, disease, high-risk work, poverty, inadequate medical care, stress and shootings can cause a disability. Adams et al., (1023) states that “Not only the architecture, but the entire physical and social organization of life tends to assume that we are either strong and healthy and able to do what the average young, non-disabled man can do or that we are completely unable to participate in public life” pg. 483. The places we work expect an 8-hour day and don’t consider that some may need a break every hour or just to be able to sit down and do our job. Society has started to make more accommodations for those who aren’t able bodied but there is a long way left to go still. (Adams et al,.2013). This relates to the perception of disability when we take for granted that people with disabilities get a government check and therefore shouldn’t ask for more help.

Am example from the Parker case would be when the daughter Stephanie tried to commit suicide numerous times because living with her mom was so stressful when combined with her bi-polar diagnosis. She didn’t get help afterwards to find resources to be able to move out and find help for her mom. She felt guilty putting her mom in a home and that only added to her stress. Her mom started to hoard and that was a sign of PTSD type event and she was not helped with this either. Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen (Eds.). (2014).

The intersection of Stephanie's mental illness with other characteristics of her identity are that, she has a diagnosis of bi-polar and is living on disability income with her mom. Her family ignore the fact that she has tried to commit suicide so there is no support from them. She would like to live on her own but worries about her mom being put in an institution, she wants to spend good times with her mom but they argue all the time so she is living with stress all the time and this is not making her illness any better. Stephanie identifies with also being a caretaker of her mom and a young person who would like to have a life of her own and friends to hang out with. those intersections could serve to further marginalize Stephanie's place and experiences in society when the social worker helps her to get a good place for mom to live in and a place of her own this will raise her self-esteem. The worker could also get her into some sort of group so she can find new friends maybe a bowling team and then help her to get training if possible for her to work part time. Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen (Eds.). (2014).

This marginalization impacts her ability to make choices, use self-determination, and be an active agent with equitable status in her interactions with other professionals when it limits the time she can spend doing normal activities. When her mom has so much stuff that she cannot invite friends over she feels shamed and this lowers her self-esteem. When she doesn’t have a job, and lives in poverty this lowers her self-esteem and when she is afraid to leave mom alone for any length of time this limits her ability to support herself. When her mental illness is in a downward spiral she ends up losing her job or her friends and this worsens her depression. According to Adams et al ., (2013), “disability is socially constructed through the failure or unwillingness to create ability among people who do not fit the physical and mental profile of “paradigm” citizens.” (pg. 485). Plummer, Makris, & Brocksen (Eds.). (2014).

References

Adams, M., Blumenfeld, W. J., Castaneda, C., Hackman, H. W., Peters, M. L., & Zuniga, X. (Eds.). (2013). Readings for diversity and social justice. (3rd Ed.). New York, NY: Routledge Press.

Plummer, S. B., Makris, S., & Brocksen S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Sessions: Case histories. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing. [Vital Source e-reader].

"The Parker Family

Laureate Education (Producer). (2013). Parker Family (Episode 30) [Video file]. In Sessions. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

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