Handicapped People

Disability is the consequence of an impairment that may be physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional, developmental, or some combination of these. A disability may be present from birth, or occur during a person’s lifetime.

Disabilities is an umbrella term, covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. An impairment is a problem in body function or structure; an activity limitation is a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing a task or action; while a participation restriction is a problem experienced by an individual in involvement in life situations. Thus, disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he or she lives. Disabled people should be treated fairly without discrimination because it wasn’t their fault to be born physically challenge or by accident loss part of their body. They are still human, capable of experiencing pain and hurt. Every person is born with inherent human rights to dignity and freedom and I believe given proper support and the chance to work in their own pace and time, they can create something beneficial for themselves, their family and the society as well.

Society’s View of the Disabled

Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in our country today. Unfortunately it is also one of the least publicized and most neglected social issues till today. Disabled People are generally looked at and talked about in a negative way, and are subsequently treated differently than people who are not seen as disabled. It is hard to pinpoint the very source of many stereotypes because the issue of disability rights transcends the borders of race, ethnicity, education level, economic standing, and class issues. In fact, disabled people are generally invisible to the public. Out of sight and out of mind is the way in which people tend to deal with the injustices endured by the disabled community. The only way to confront the issue of discrimination against people with disabilities is through social awareness, education, and tolerance of those who have a disability.

Education

One of the most elementary rights that are granted to most in our country is a public education. People who face disabilities tend to learn and grow in a way that is different than what our society typically considers “normal”. Some people take longer to learn than others, this is a fact. Just because someone learns in a way which differs from your own, does that make them any less or more of a person?

Independent Living

One of the least recognized social injustices faced by the disabled community is the right to live independently. In other words, allowing people to have a choice between being institutionalized and living on their own. In general, our society cannot even grasp the idea of being forced to live in a manner that is against their personal will. The idea of being “forced” to live in a way that is physically and mentally degrading does not pass through the heads of many who are blessed with a choice. People with disabilities are often portrayed by the medical community as sick, diseased, bad, defective, and in some cases not capable of making even basic personal choices. There is a great need for more organizations such as these in the ongoing fight for disability rights.

Employment

Being able to be employed and hold a job is a large part of most people’s lives. Having the opportunity to make a living and provide for a family is certainly an important part of a normal life. But for a person with a disability it can be very difficult to find work. Even now in our society many employers refuse to offer them jobs because of their disability. More community involvement and political attention is needed now to bring this issue to light among the public. With more people involved we can make real strides towards ending this social injustice.

Children with Disabilities

Although education rights for children with disabilities have expanded greatly in recent years, problems such as bullying, name-calling, stereotypes, and ignorance are still huge obstacles that must be overcome. Kids who have disabilities are bullied fifty percent more than that of any other group. Sometimes the psychological and even physical damage can scar an individual for life. The fact that negative stereotypes are so commonly experienced early on in a child’s life shows that there is fundamental change needed in our society’s basic outlook. This change in perspective has to be reinforced early on so that the cycle of ignorance is broken. Only when we as a society can learn to teach our children tolerance and the importance of diversity can we begin to see a change in the outlook of our society as a whole. Education plays a crucial role in establishing our individual perceptions as well as the general tendencies of our society as a whole. It is the key to moving towards a society that does not place judgment on people based on differences that are beyond their control.

What is being done?

Many of the protections which handicapped people have been fighting for have been addressed by the federal government. But what we are trying to do is to change the social injustices which plague the disabled community on a day-to-day basis. Sure, government can make public buildings accessible and provide help with education and employment opportunities, but this does not change the way that people with disabilities are judged in society. The only way to change the public’s perception of disabled people and put an end to the prejudices they face is to welcome them on a community level. This cannot be accomplished simply by those who are directly affected by disability. It will take the work of those who are not immediately affected by disability to bring the message of equality to light in the media and in the general public.

How we can help?

The only way to end the pattern of social injustice is to strongly encourage acceptance and tolerance at the community level. We as a society must learn how to look at each other as equals. This cannot be accomplished solely by government mandated programs and national organizations. Instead it must be the individuals in the community willing to reach out and make a change in their own personal lives. People with disabilities must be looked at as what they are, human, just like all of us. When we as a society can begin to accept disability as “normal”, the negative stigma that is attached to the people who have disabilities will fade away. This is the immediate change in ideology that is needed to end the social injustices inflicted on people with disabilities in our society today. At this stage our institution is extending their hands with love & care towards them, to support them in every aspects of life. To make adequate arrangements & to start the rehabilitation centres for physically challenged people like blinds, deaf, dumb, mentally retarded & for other needy people. To take up lawful steps for the solution of the problems relating to the physically & mentally handicapped & other disabled through the various kinds of training programes & also providing them required facilities to make them independent. To found or to establish, schools, colleges, lecture halls & other institutions for development & advancement of their education & of knowledge in any stream or department or on any other useful subjects for these physically challenged peoples.