After our discussion Rick formed a meeting to begin organizing a lobby group. They created an agenda which included an invite of social service agencies to the meeting to discuss suggestions from them on how to develop a lobby group. They prepared a mission statement believing it will unite the group, as well as provide focus and draw attention to the lobby group. In this meeting the five set up an outline that involved organizing the group to address the needs of people with disabilities and how the inequality and stigma they face creates social barriers. They chose to focus on the challenges that Rick and the initial six members were experiencing which are lack funding by the government in the way of inadequate assistance for housing, personal finances and jobs. In this meeting they decided to recruit members through the local paper, the recreation center and door to door canvassing. One of the members suggested using social media and the United Way offered to help by placing a thread on their web page. The six members share their personal stories via a video on the website. The website would be filled with current information about the effects on society when there is lack of adequate resources in a city and have a discussion forum and sign up tab. They decided to take advantage of the fact an election was imminent in the next 12 months by preparing to lobby the elected representatives in their district.
Rick and I decided I would meet with the committee members to discuss their concerns and how they are impacted by the lack of resources available in their city. I would make up a report featuring all the social service agencies in our community that provide services to people with disabilities and make up a question sh...
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...d. Some of the parents of children with a disability have suggested talking with the local principal to develop an awareness of how the child with a disability is impacted by lack of adequate funding, housing and resources. I decided that we could find out if the people we intermingle with at business associates meetings know of any personal acquaintances that might have a disability. It would also be a good idea to know your government officials campaign strategies. The lobby group will research information about government officials to see what they are interested in. The group will advocate a leader to approach the local government officials to discuss how they could benefit their campaign by offering their support of the disabled. The lobby group is expressing optimism and are actively engaged in planning and organizing for positive change in their community.
For future practice in social work, I learned that it is important to empower your clients to set goals and help push them to reach those goals. Robert wanted to plays sports and kept trying until he found a sport that was the best fit for him. Snow (2013a) talked about “the ‘problem’ of disability is not within the person, but within the social attitudes, and our attitudes shape the world we live in” (p.119). I agree with Snow, if our attitudes in society don’t change about “disabilities” the person will never feel completely welcomed or “fit” for
Perhaps if everyone realized the wisdom in the famous proverb, “before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes”, people would have more empathy for those who may seem to be atypical. The video How Difficult Can This Be? The F.A.T. City Workshop presented by Richard D. Lavoie effectively gets participants to experience the feelings and stress of children with learning disabilities. Lavoie draws his participants into the classroom experience with well developed exercises that elicit the frustration, anxiety, and tension of children with
I decided to focus my plunge on adults with mental and physical disabilities, because I had no prior experience with this group. Coming from an able-bodied family where no one has significant handicaps, I was generally shielded from people with disabilities. Over the years, I grew to associate dangerous stigmas with these people, even though they have no control over their circumstance. The
Erkulwater, Jennifer L. Disability Rights and the American Social Safety Net. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 2006.
Another powerful video, Including Samuel, ignited my insight in this week’s class. As I heard in the video, “inclusion is an easy thing to do poorly.” The movie chronicles the life of a young boy, Samuel, and his family. With the shock of learning about their son’s disability, it caused his parents, Dan and Betsy, to experience the unexpected. Nevertheless, they did everything to include their son and help him live a normal life focused on his capabilities, rather than his incapabilities. I even admired how his friends knew so much about him, his likes and dislikes, his strengths and his weaknesses.
The goal of the program being evaluated is to give as many opportunities as possible for clients with disabilities to experience with full social and economic benefits from being .They want measures of effectiveness and qualitative indicators of the important outcomes. They formed two committees inside the agency for evaluation. This committee reviewed and approved goals and purposes of the project. A second committee was formed to provide operational oversight to the project. The program being evaluated wants to make sure that the clients are meeting their full potential they want them to be meeting their goals that they have set in their programs.
The focus of this year’s AUCD Conference aligns perfectly with my goals for the LEND training program. I have outlined multiple objectives for advocacy and communication in my Personal Leadership Plan for this year. These are both areas where I have much to learn. The mission pillars of the Spina Bifida Coalition of Cincinnati (SBCC) are Advocate, Connect, Educate and Support. In my years working with SBCC, I have concentrated on connecting people at social events, as well as linking them with local resources, creating opportunities for families to learn, and providing financial assistance and emotional support. I do not have much experience with advocacy, however. The chance to hear national leaders in developmental disability policy speak
‘“Now it’s my turn to make it better for generations that come after, which is why I’ve become, involved in disabilities issues”’ (Open University, 2016a).
"Disability the facts." New Internationalist Nov. 2013: 20+. Advanced Placement Government and Social Studies Collection. Web. 27 May 2014.
...hat students with disabilities have to overcome in the classroom? What observations can you make about the problem-solving skills, learning strategies and dedication to effort that a disabled student might need to succeed in your classroom? How can you reinforce or help your students to develop those skills and strategies?
A national policy that addresses the issue of disability is called The National Action plan introduced by The Council of Canadians with disabilities (CCD). This plan would work with provinces across the nation and make sure that disabled Canadians and their families have the income, personal supports, and environmental accommodations that make social, economic, cultural, and political citizenship accessible and inclusive for all (Dolan 2009). This policy claims that people with disabilities will have all the necessary support to enable them to function in and contribute to the society. Canadian disability policies are fragmented and are part of general welfare-state policies (Jongbloed 2003). Thus, this policy must transcend from the traditional fragmented approach to disability. It must involve comprehensive short term and long term plans and decisive action to create a national environment in which people with disabilities can achieve their full potential. Each provincial policies vary and have their own way of defining what it means to have a disability. This policy states that it will make efforts to develop a joint strategy with all the provincial and territorial governments to meet the needs of Canadians with
IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act, law protecting students with disabilities, ensuring that they receive a free, appropriate public education
Perhaps the strongest argument for greater inclusion, even full inclusion, comes from its philosophical/moral/ethical base. This country was founded upon the ideals of freedom and equality of opportunity. Though they have not been fully achieved, movement towards their fuller realization continues. Integration activists point to these ideals as valid for those with disabilities, too. Even opponents agree that the philosophical and moral/ethical underpinnings for full inclusion are powerful. (SEDL, 1995)
Living my life with a brother with disabilities has never been easy. It has been difficult throughout my life watching him grow up and encounter more and more struggles in life because of his disabilities. Our biggest question throughout the years, though, has been what our plan will be for him later in life. How will he live his life as an adult? Will he work? Where will he live? Will he have friends? How happy can he be? People with children with disabilities have to explain, “How do people with disabilities really fit into American society”? It’s not just families discussing this question; experts as well are debating this unknown by looking at the same questions I mentioned before. Looking at where disabled people are living, whether they are working, and the relationships they have with other people are ways to understand how disabled people fit into American society. This topic should not only matter to people close to disabled people, but to everyone. In some way, every one of us is affected by this topic; we want everyone in our family to lead “successful” lives (have a job/have somewhere to live). The same goes for families with people with disabilities.
Every day in America, a woman loses a job to a man, a homosexual high school student suffers from harassment, and someone with a physical or mental disability is looked down upon. People with disabilities make up the world’s largest and most disadvantaged minority, with about 56.7 million people living with disabilities in the United States today (Barlow). In every region of the country, people with disabilities often live on the margins of society, deprived from some of life’s fundamental experiences. They have little hope of inclusion within education, getting a job, or having their own home (Cox). Everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed in life, but discrimination is limiting opportunities and treating people badly because of their disability. Whether born from ignorance, fear, misunderstanding, or hate, society’s attitudes limit people from experiencing and appreciating the full potential a person with a disability can achieve. This treatment is unfair, unnecessary, and against the law (Purdie). Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in the country today. Essential changes are needed in society’s basic outlook in order for people with disabilities to have an equal opportunity to succeed in life.