Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
stereotypes about disabled people
stereotypes about disabled people
an essay on disability and christianity
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: stereotypes about disabled people
Literature Review
Disabled people should be able to access all service providers, whether this would be in a place of work, place of education and a place of worship. The implementation of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995 and then the 2005 Act, coming into effect from 2004 meant that churches are required by law to comply by making reasonable adjustments and not to treat disabled people unfairly (DDA 1995, 2005). This proved to be a challenge as reported by the BBC (2004) that many Church of England buildings are ancient and listed. The implications of complying with the law has had a financial impact on churches and places of worship as further reported by the BBC (2003) of a church closing down the community hall. The importance
…show more content…
This idea says that every person is made in God’s image as stated in the Bible in Genesis 1:26-27 and this is important because if we are different and diverse then we are to be treated as equals, and are all seen including disabled people as complete people (EDAN, 2003). Morris (2001) states all people are part of the Body of Christ and we each have a part in the society and community, as found in the biblical passage 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, where “one part of the body cannot say to another part, ‘I do not need you’” (Morris, 2001, p. 2). Also McCloughry (2010) says if someone abuses a disabled person because of their impairment then we are abusing God. However Rose (1997) challenges the Image of God idea by stating that ‘imperfections’ or impairments challenge the goodness found in God and also cites an example from Leviticus 21:17-24 about the qualifications of a high priest that they must not be disabled which highlights conflicting messages from the Bible that ‘imperfections’ are to be rejected (Rose, 1997). It is argued that the practices and viewpoints of the church does not relate to the social model of disability and more on the medical model (Eiesland, 1994). An interesting key point from …show more content…
London: BBC. [Accessed 27 October 2010]. Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cornwall/3250634.stm >.
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (2004) BBC News: Religion gears up for disability law [online]. London: BBC. [Accessed 27 October 2010]. Available at: <http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3662752.stm >.
British Educational Research Association (BERA) (2004) Revised Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research (2004) [online]. Macclesfield, Cheshire: BERA. [Accessed February 2011]. Available at: <http://www.bera.ac.uk/files/guidelines/ethica1.pdf >.
Church of England Archbishops’ Council (CofEAC) (2006) Disability Audit 2005 - Church of England clergy with disabilities audit 2005 [online]. London: Church House. [Accessed October 2010]. Available at: <http://www.cofe.anglican.org/lifeevents/ministry/workofmindiv/cmddp/ >. Church of England Archbishops’ Council (CofEAC) (2009) Opening the Doors. London: Church House.
Clapton, J. and Fitzgerald, J. (1999) The History of Disability: A History of ‘Otherness’ [online]. London: Renaissance Universal. [Accessed October 2010]. Available at: <http://www.ru.org/human-rights/the-history-of-disability-a-history-of-otherness.html
Shakespeare, T. (1993) Disabled people's self-organisation: a new social movement?, Disability, Handicap & Society, 8, pp. 249-264 .
In the book, The Short Bus, Jonathan Mooney’s thesis is that there is more to people than their disabilities, it is not restricting nor is it shameful but infact it is beautiful in its own way. With a plan to travel the United States, Mooney decides to travel in a Short bus with intentions of collecting experiences from people who have overcome--or not overcome--being labeled disabled or abnormal. In this Mooney reinvents this concept that normal people suck; that a simple small message of “you’re not normal” could have a destructive and deteriorating effect. With an idea of what disabilities are, Mooney’s trip gives light to disabilities even he was not prepared to face, that he feared.
The two essays “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs and “A Plague of Tics” by David Sedaris are excellent pieces of work that share many similarities. This paper would reflect on these similarities particularly in terms of the author, message and the targeted audience. On an everyday basis, people view those with disabilities in a different light and make them conscious at every step. This may be done without a conscious realisation but then it is probably human nature to observe and notice things that deviate from the normal in a society. In a way people are conditioned to look negatively at those individuals who are different in the conventional
Baynton, Douglas. "Disability and Justification of Inequality in American History." The New Disability History. New York: New York University Press, 2001. 285-294. Print.
The argument Carver touched on in the “Cathedral” is the religiously blind versus the physical blind. Carver brings this into order by showing how religious blindness of today’s world looks more at the physical side rather than looking more into the topic. “one night she got to feeling lonely and cut off from people she kept losing in that moving-around life. She got to feeling she the couldn'...
Throughout time, readers have learned many different lessons from their favourite books. In The Chrysalids, John Wyndam used his story to teach his readers valuable, lifelong lessons. He makes it evident to his readers that prejudging certain people is not right. Also, he relates how change is possible, but hard to achieve. More specifically, religion often influences one’s point of view. John Wyndam’s, The Chrysalids was written with a purpose that teaches his readers about discrimination, about how change is possible, and how religion often influences one’s point of view.
Men have thought themselves to be the superior species for a long time, but Peter Singer brings a new perspective on the topic in his essay entitled Speciesism and Moral Status. Singer’s new way of thinking of it states that determining morals status requires the comparison between the cognitive abilities of humans and nonhumans. The main points he focusses on in his essay are cognitive capacities between animals and humans with severe mental retardation, religion affecting human’s beliefs of superiority, and finally the ability to suffer and how similar humans and nonhumans are.
The husband in Raymond Carvers “Cathedral” wasn’t enthusiastic about his wife’s old friend, whom was a blind man coming over to spend the night with them. His wife had kept in touch with the blind man since she worked for him in Seattle years ago. He didn’t know the blind man; he only heard tapes and stories about him. The man being blind bothered him, “My idea of blindness came from the movies. In the movies, the blind moved slowly and never laughed. Sometimes they were led by seeing-eye dogs. A blind man in my house was not something I looked forward to. (Carver 137)” The husband doesn’t suspect his ideas of blind people to be anything else. The husband is already judging what the blind man will be like without even getting to actually know him. It seems he has judged too soon as his ideas of the blind man change and he gets a better understanding of not only the blind man, but his self as well.
In the short fictional story Cathedral, there is a controversy that Robert is disliked by the main character whom he names “Bub” because of his perception that blind people do not have a purposeful life anymore and they do not share experiences that non-disabled humans share. Raymond Carver uses Robert as evidence to show that society tends to prejudge blind people and treat them like they are not humans, while in fact we all have similarities in life.
In literature, blindness serves a general significant meaning of the absence of knowledge and insight. In life, physical blindness usually represents an inability or handicap, and those people afflicted with it are pitied. The act of being blind can set limitations on the human mind, thus causing their perception of reality to dramatically change in ways that can cause fear, personal insecurities, and eternal isolation. However, “Cathedral” utilizes blindness as an opportunity to expand outside those limits and exceed boundaries that can produce a compelling, internal change within an individual’s life. Those who have the ability of sight are able to examine and interpret their surroundings differently than those who are physically unable to see. Carver suggests an idea that sight and blindness offer two different perceptions of reality that can challenge and ultimately teach an individual to appreciate the powerful significance of truly seeing without seeing. Therefore, Raymond Carver passionately emphasizes a message that introduces blindness as not a setback, but a valuable gift that can offer a lesson of appreciation and acceptance toward viewing the world in a more open-minded perspective.
Disability is defined as a long term condition that restricts an individual’s daily activities (Government of Western Australia Department of Communities, n.d.). A disability can be identified in numerous types which are physical, sensory neurological and psychiatric. Due to the assistance with appropriate aids and services, the restrictions experienced by individuals with a disability may be overcome. However, the ways society perceives disability may have a significant impact on individuals living with it and also families around them. Therefore, the aim of this essay is to reflect on the social construction of disability through examining the social model of disability and how it may impact on the lives of people living with disability.
(Baker- Shenk & Kyle) Despite many social problems and unnecessary prejudices, deaf people dot consider themselves as having a disability. Having the lack of hearing is not about just being Deaf, but accepting that challenge and being all you can be with yourself, and going through life the strong individual you are. The real issue is if the Deaf want to stay Deaf or rise above and get the surgery for the hearing aid, or cochlear implant. Deafness does not have to mean you are disabled. The approaches on a Deaf person’s life are just as significant as a hearing persons (Vicars).
French, S. & Swain, J. 2008. Understanding Disability: A Guide for Health Professionals. Philadelphia: Churchilll Livingstone Elsevier: 4
The World Health Organisation, WHO, (1980) defines disability in the medical model as a physical or mental impairment that restricts participation in an activity that a ‘normal’ human being would partake, due to a lack of ability to perform the task . Michigan Disability Rights Coalition (n.d.) states that the medical model emphasizes that there is a problem regarding the abilities of the individual. They argue that the condition of the disabled persons is solely ‘medical’ and as a result the focus is to cure and provide treatment to disabled people (Michigan Disability Rights Coalition, 2014). In the medical model, issues of disability are dealt with according to defined government structures and policies and are seen as a separate issue from ordinary communal concerns (Emmet, 2005: 69). According to Enabling Teachers and Trainers to Improve the Accessibility of Adult Education (2008) people with disabilities largely disa...
...eglected social issues in recent history (Barlow). People with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in society. As a result of the stigma associated with disability, persons with disabilities are generally excluded from education, employment, and community life which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being (Stefan). It is such barriers and discrimination that actually set people apart from society, in many cases making them a burden to the community. The ideas and concepts of equality and full participation for persons with disabilities have been developed very far on paper, but not in reality (Wallace). The government can make numerous laws against discrimination, but this does not change the way that people with disabilities are judged in society.