Wikipedia has an overview of: Culture Diversity:
"The many separate societies that emerged around the globe differed markedly from each other, and many of these differences persist to this day. As well as the more obvious cultural differences that exist between people, such as language, dress and traditions, there are also significant variations in the way societies organize themselves, in their shared conception of morality, and in the ways they interact with their environment. Cultural diversity can be seen as analogous to biodiversity.[1]"
I can't shake the thought that perhaps, a person with a disability is more someone that has a cultural difference. The reason I ponder this from the way society treats disabled individuals as outsiders. Depending on the disability, they approach communication in a different way; they read in a different way; they socialize in a different way; they walk in a different way; and they process information in a different way. Do we need to view a disability as not an able person but yet their approach in life is different from the average person? Just like not everyone can be a brain surgeon or rocket scientist. Not becoming one doesn't make a person lesser in society. Talents lie on a spectrum and to be exceptionally talented in one area, they are probably dysfunctional in another. That's normal. This si true in a social world, a person that doesn't fit in a particular group doesn't mean they are socially dysfunctional. One group cuold be more right brain creative, while another group is seriously factual with correctness. Two different approaches of communication. Neither one is more correct than the other. They are just different. However, one side will look at the other as weird, stupid or crazy. So why do people put down or look down on those who function different?
A person with a disability may have a limitation in a particular function. Some people may not see the limitation and it can be hidden well. Out of sight, out of mind, then for some it just doesn't exist. They can socially and culturally fit in. Others cannot hide the disability. .
Socially, it is politically correct to accept a person with a disability, but there are still social protocols. I can't explain it, but most people know it. Kind of the who's in and who's not type of social complexities.
An inability can be over looked. It can depend how the person handles themselves. It is so difficult to pinpoint what is culturally or socially accepted and what is not. If someone battles with fatigue it can be misinterpreted as lazy or slow. Someone who is trying to "milk the system." We may not in reality know how much effort they are putting out. Like one person is swimming in something thinner than water, while another person it is like trying to swim in molasses. The latter person is putting out 3-4 times the energy the person swimming in thinner than water, while the person moving as if they are swimming in molasses is looked at as slow, not up to par. The former person is showing speed, quickness that gets everyone's attention. They think they are really something, while they snub the other person as lazy. Outside appearances are what people see.
In general, people do not like slow. They have to see reason and even if they actually see the reason why someone is slow, there is still a certain attitude of lack of ability. They have to be extremely exceptional in other areas to over come their limitation that is so visual. People sometimes mix helping someone with patronization in these situations.
Humans like to categorize. They also like to label. They meet a certain type of person from another country and subconsciously will think all people from that country act or do that way. It is almost instantaneous.It is the same for when someone meets a deaf person, they think they a re all the same and you accommodate them all the same. Just as if someone meets one blind person, they think they are all the same. Not all blind know Braille, not all blind are totally blind, some have a little sight with each person seeing a little bit different. You cannot assume all blind people are the same. They have a distinct culture among them, but they have individual needs related to their blindness. Putting labels on a person doesn't allow the person to tell their story and limits in you getting to know them.
Sometimes a word or a description puts a label on a person.For a few decades, the disabled community has been trying to come up with a word or term that gives a person with a disability empowerment. Originally the term was handicapped, but that term became poisoned because it meant something sickeningly pathetic to certain people. The term handicapped had such a negative connotation that society labeled all disabled in the same category and ostracized them from society. Let's segregate, shun and keep them away from us. So Handicapped was a bad term, let's change it to try and make a person with a limitation more human. The term that was put in its place disabled. Ironically, dis means away from, so disabled means away from being abled. Isn't that a worse term than handicapped? The interesting thing is culture and human society is what poisoned the word handicapped. Today the word disabled is becoming poisoned as well. A person that is less than. That negative connotation is surfacing, "oh yeah that law says we have to hire disabled." Bad association. Two jobs I was hired for, when the "office" found out a disabled person was hired. A wave of a negative "gossip" spread through the office before my first day. Imagine, people already making an assumptions, putting a negative label on me, before they ever met me. What were they really revolting? The term? The disability? They heard a description and term of me, and made assumptions. I wouldn't be an equal player.
As for terms, many people feel language is extremely important, but will attitudes and perceptions undo any word that is chosen to describe a disabled person? When can the human be looked at as a HUMAN regardless of any function they do and do not have? Isn't this how we raise a community to accept people and seek their strengths, rather than focus on a lack of ability in a certain area? Focus on what a person can do will create progress forward and gives empowerment to all.
Why is function so important in a civilized community today? It isn't like we all have to hunt for food and someone who cannot hunt big game or weave a basket is lessor. Look at Stephen Hawkins and what he contributes to society with his knowledge of astrophysics? He has a severe loss of function with his body, not his mind. Not every disabled person can be a genius in physics, but one shouldn't have to be extraordinarily exceptional to be accepted as capable or considered a human being in our society.
Are the disabled viewed as sick? What allows people to look down on a disabled person? That we must patronize and shun to feel ok and safe? Talcott Parson's concept of sick people talks about how doctors will treat sick people different. His article, "The Sick Role and the Role of the Physician Reconsidered." The caring role turns some people into being a bit patronizing.
Perception of people also is changed as they see the fund raisers for Muscular Dystrophy and in the old days, Jerry Lewis would help with the fund raising efforts. Oh these poor, poor children. This advertisement of patronizing this disabled group. Although money was raised, what perception was created? The more they could show how pathetic the situation these children had to live, the more they could get the money to roll in. The "poster" child of sadness to tug on people's hearts to donate money. How did this help the disabled community as a whole? I know many disabled people resented these high profile fund raisers. That is a whole new topic in itself, but for the sake of here, what perceptions towards disabled individuals was created? Most would say they did more harm than good.
This type of awareness can bring too much negative attention. Similarly when work places focus on sensitivity training for the disabled. People will become resentful, why do we have to make them so special? Understanding is what is wanted, but the perception is negative attention. Perhaps if we could do more a cultural difference type of sensitivity training to include all groups from all races, culture, types of people and put disabled humans in there without calling them disabled. Show they are culturally different and how they have to be creative in how they function in the world. Not to be put off by their differences. Perhaps this could bring it together, rather than focusing on "disability" and how pathetic it is.
Even some churches view people with a disability has being punished by God. Which is rather narrow thinking. Even some new age thinkers says that a person who is disabled wanted to be that way. That everything is all generated by our thoughts. I think our thoughts are powerful, but I do believe this is going a bit too far to say we chose our disability, we chose our parents etc. This segregates a disabled person more from society, that we wanted to be outcasts. In all nature, and human survival, we have a need to belong to a community for survival. We inherently want to be included, even psychology will point out that people have the need to be in a group, be it group, family, cult, gang etc. So, I do not follow the belief a disabled person chose to be disabled. Some people wish they were disabled as they think the disabled community gets a lot of perks, but if they did become disabled, they would soon find out quickly, it is not a big happy party.
A variety of perceptions out there and how to change them will be difficult. But my first movement to go in a positive direction is to say that a disability is more of a cultural difference.
Who should be included under the cultural difference umbrella? Only those who are 100% blind or 100% deaf? Cannot walk at all? What about those who are in-between? Not deaf, not blind, but hard-of-hearing or partially sighted? They have more function than someone who has a complete hearing loss or vision loss, but not quote equal to a fully sighted or fully hearing person. They have to modify, change and be creative in how they accomplish tasks with partial sight and partial hearing. Many times the in-between person's limitation is invisible. People do not see the struggle or the obstacles they must go through, but they notice something is different. They just can't put their finger on it. Creating a cultural difference. When a person talks about their disability, the non disabled community will think they are milking the system with their "mild" loss, not realizing they could have a severe loss. Mostly because they cannot see it. I'm not saying that there are not people out there milking the system. There exist and cause more trouble for the people who work hard to appear normal and function the best they can. Again, people making assumptions and labels. Get to know the person before making the label. Know their culture, their abilities and how they function before makign such an assumption.
But even if someone can't see the disability, why does society have a hard time grasping the in-between? They seem to think that you are either 100% disabled, or not. That being in-between doesn't have its challenges. Missing out 50% of what people say, isn't a disability. Getting only 50% of a conversations, you are missing a huge portion and probably misunderstanding the conversation. That is a huge disadvantage.Some of those with a hearing loss get the, "Oh you hear when you want to" comment from hearing people. Like hearing on an amplified phone is proves you can "hear" when trying to hear someone across the table from you in a noisy restaurant where your hearing aids pick up more background noise than the person talking, you are faking your hearing loss because you can't hear them. The communication shuts down. The person with the hearing loss can't hear and the other person assumes attitude or social personality flaw. Similarly to someone who is culturally different.
When we can set aside the label and get to know the person and their culture, a whole new world of understanding. When someone emerges themselves into deaf culture or into learning how to volunteer for the blind, they see the person, not the disability. Soon, terms like disability disintegrate and the individual and their uniqueness from others with disabilities is seen. This is similar to being able to see the variety species of flowers or little critters in the vast large forest, rather than just seeing the forest at a distance. Instead of saying that's the forest and keeping at a distance, walk up, keep eyes open, explore, interact and a whole new understanding forms. It is about getting to know a person. Building a relationship that can be professional, friendship, or intimate. Then the term disability is gone, forgotten, because the person opened up and got to know the person. No segregation, categorizing, assumptions and labeling. Just as people have narrow thoughts, these narrow thoughts and prejudices trap a person. They must over come enormous barriers and are limited to where they can intermingle, because most people keep those labels and prejudices in their minds and can't open their minds to learn about all kinds of people.
- Jody Ambrose Actually, not that I have tons of spare time, but I am kind of intrigued by your situation and would be kind if interested in writing something for publication. The bigger picture of your particular situation is that the rest of us, even the deaf or the blind, really can't imagine what it's like for you navigating day-to-day life. And my recent experience working with PTSD and TBI is similar, in that the "high functioning" cases are the ones that really struggle the most because the people around them consistently underestimate their difficulties and they feel so much pressure to maintain those expectations.
Christy Hill Oh man Heidi's Helpers Yes! why are we not evolved more? I felt that some years back it was easier. I wonder if the entitlement generation resents that "I'm special" and that they have to give me "special treatment" when all I'm asking is for accommodation.
Heidi's Helpers Jody, the unspolen pressure you mention is monumental and on a day to day basis takes a lot of 'recovery' and 'maintenance' time. Performance anxiety is so high to try to meet peole's mixed expecattions which are not clear. Higher-functioning or 'invisible' disabilities bring on complex self-esteem and self-determination consequences, that are in private and the mainstreamers do not see.- Christy Hill Jody Ambrose WOW! YES! Right on the money! You said it so well!!!!! I'm in grad school now in Negotiation, Conflict Resolution and Peace Building. my papers will focus on this topic. What can a disabled person do themselves to change their behaviors to be understood and have more inclusion.
- Christy Hill Heidi's Helpers what an awesome gem you just wrote. Head right on the nail! YES! SO well said!
- Heidi's Helpers sometimes onlookers are taken aback by a disabled person's "will to succeed, will to thrive." and judge them as not disabled, which is a set up for failure
Jody Ambrose Hell, I might be able to crib a pretty decent article just out of the comments in this thread.
- Christy Hill I need to get back in blog writing....but ugh have other things I need to do. Mickey's hide has "cooked" enough, so time to see if he finds his scent. We haven't done this in a few months.
No comments:
Post a Comment