Culture of Disability

1. Articulate the ways systems of power impact the construction of individual and group identity and how these identities, in turn, shape perception of the development of systematic power within social, economic, political, and/or historical contexts;

2. Analyze how individuals, organizations, and institutions create perpetuate, adapt to, or challenge inequality; and

3. Demonstrate how shifts in your personal understanding contribute to using diverse perspectives in thinking and problem-solving within a broad range of contexts.

The ways the systems of power have impacted the construction of individual and group identity have mainly been as a result of governments and societal norms. Due to a standard belief held by society, people who are disabled were often left with the feeling of being an outcast by being stared at, ignored, banished from walking outside, bullied, teased, and made fun of by people who do not have disabilities. With discrimination being so abundantly present, this underlying factor has caused marginalized people to group together with the same commonalities and traits and shape their own identity based on factors they want to be labeled by or treated by. Therefore, these new identifiers that people with disabilities want to be characterized by, have shaped the perception and development of systematic power within the social, economic, and historical context because they are defying the oppression that they have faced for centuries and reemerging today demanding equality in every aspect. Specifically, the artifact that I have chosen called “Disability Around the World” looks at the political, historical, medical, and economic factors in several countries comparing and contrasting how people with disabilities are treated worldwide. Additionally, people with disabilities have redefined the original development of systematic power, by allowing for more groups and themselves to hold a greater amount of power socially, economically, politically, and historically in order to bring more change and fight for more equality.

In my Diversity course called Culture of Disability, the class and I were tasked with analyzing how individuals, organizations, and institutions challenge inequality in a number of different ways. Individuals who are born disabled, or become disabled later in life, have always been discriminated against, seen as the outcast from society, and constantly excluded from enjoying past hobbies, or attending events, or even walking outside. An example in which individuals have challenged inequality is getting the Ugly Laws repealed across the country. This law prohibited anyone who was disabled (defined as“deformed, diseased, maimed, mutilated so as to be unsightly or disgusting”) from entering into society. They were not allowed to be seen in public unless for demonstration purposes such as medical facilities or at carnivals where they could be ridiculed, stared at, and used for profit. However, individuals brought about change because people who were disabled, and allies of the disabled started raising more awareness in how disabled people should be given equality. Once this movement came into effect (in the 1960s), different organizations, institutions, and companies started analyzing how they can be more inclusive to individuals with disabilities. It began with organizations determining how to make achieving daily tasks more accessible to people who are disabled, making a set of codes for new buildings to follow so that people who are handicapped can access the same facilities. Once this movement started gaining momentum, it led to the last of the ugly laws being eradicated in 1974. Eventually, the United States Government started putting laws into place to help people who are disabled and passed the American Disabilities Act in 1990. The artifact that I have chosen that demonstrates how individuals have challenged inequality is the Midterm Review sheet that I filled out to study from. This document shows all the laws that were passed in the United States for people with disabilities and allowing them to have the same rights as “able-bodied” people.

My personal understanding of disability has shifted and caused me to use diverse perspectives in thinking and problem-solving because this course has allowed me to understand that while I am “able-bodied”, and have a certain way of completing tasks, people who are disabled may have another way to complete the same tasks I would but that doesn’t mean that the work is less important, less accurate or less efficient. The artifact that I have used to demonstrate how my shifts in personal understanding have contributed to using diverse perspectives in my thinking is the Access Review Summary document, as well as the ADA Checklist. These two documents allowed me to understand the alternative guidelines that a restaurant has to follow in addition to standard procedure laws that they have to comply with. Not only did these documents help with gaining a different perspective on standard procedures that newly built restaurants have to follow, but it also gave me the foundation with which to problem solve and think of ways I may be able to personally help a disabled person using my major or just in everyday life.