Song 1

Julia Song
Professor Smedley
English101 MWF 12pm
22 February 2016
Are We Doing Enough?: Treatment of People with Disabilities
Throughout high school, I remember constantly being involved in clubs, volunteer
service, and jobs. I was involved with elders, children, however, the experiences that impacted
me the most included working with disabled children. I remember being nervous and scared to
say something offensive or inappropriate, but after getting to know each child, I asked myself:
Why was I acting so different? I blamed myself, however after meeting the new intern at the
institute, I realized this feeling of fear and pity was not only my experience, she too acted
differently around the children. When she talked to me she was a social butterfly, but, put her in
front of a buddy (a term we used to referred to the kids at the institution) and she became stiff as
a rock. I convinced myself it was not a big deal, but then as time went on and more interns joined
the program, I began to notice the trend of treating disabled people differently. This is because
society tends to perceive disabled people as different and therefore treats them as lesser of a
person.
The trend at the institution revealed that every intern experienced an uncomfortable
period while at the institution due to their interaction with disabled children. Our jobs as interns
at the institute was to create a friendly environment amongst children with disabilities. However,
even if those who work with people with disabilities feel uncomfortable, who is left to create a
friendly environment amongst people with or without disabilities? In attempts to break the
barriers between children with and without disabilities in the classroom, many efforts have been

Song 2
taken by various organizations both public and private. For example, reporter Abdou Saho
conducted an experiment in attempts to show the similarities amongst everyone in a classroom.
Saho created an environment in which children with and without children disabilities could
socialize and play with each other. Saho argues that this will allow children with disabilities to
have a place to go and have children without disabilities realize that the disabled are just
children like themselves (Saho). Although this is simple on a small scale, to exhibit this change
all throughout society, it takes more than one experimenter and one classroom full of kids. It is
generally agreed upon today that person is a person whether they have a disability or not and
should be looked at no different than anyone else in mainstream society. Consequently, it is
surprising that society acts so different (some without even realizing) around people with
disabilities and no one ever questions why that is so. Inherently, this led me to question how
children with disabilities are looked upon in society, and why it seems normal to treat them any
different than conventional children.
Studies led among psychologists and professors point to existing social stigmas regarding
people with disabilities . Much of the research conducted has been simply observational and thus
studies that have been conducted have been overlooked or understated. All sources agree though
that there is a different perception concerning people with disabilities. Examinations show that
perceptions about disabilities have dramatically changed for the better since the early 1900s, but
the treatment of people with disabilities have not (Munyi). According to his article, Past and
Present Perceptions Towards Disability, Chomba Wa Munyi consults with sociologists to claim
that the disabled have fallen into a stigmatized category. Jaffe and Park state that as a result of
this stigma people with disabilities havelimited opportunities because of social rejection,
discriminatory employment practices, architectural barriers and inaccessibility to transport (qtd.

Song 3
in Munyi). While psychologists, sociologists, and professors have conducted observational
studies and research to establish the need for change, they have not take into account the
difficulty in creating this change. Although some suggest prejudice and discrimination is
increasing rapidly, it would appear that the attitudes of our community have not changed.
Munyi argues the school system is where discrimination is found the most because
children with and without disabilities are often separated. Munyi and his consultants examined
the harmfulness of discrimination in the school system through observational research and tried
to address why there was no change to how children with disabilities are treated. However, they
soon found that ensuring that all schools are as readily and fully accessible to persons with
disabilities as to the non-disabled is what has been the barrier to this change. The need for
handicap accessibility and qualified teachers somewhat explains why this change has been hard
to initiate (Munyi). However, sociologist Birch states that if we as a society demand exigency
pertaining to this issue, improvements can be made. Although laws regarding the treatment of
people with disabilities have been put in place all over the world, teachers and students are
finding loopholes around these laws to their benefit, such as placing rowdy students into special
education classrooms because they are difficult (Koch). Most of these enacted laws date
anywhere from 1990 to 2003, however the perceptions of people with disabilities have changed
but these laws have not changed with it. Furthermore, whether or not variables like taxes should
be used to improve laws and put concept into practice is a debate amongst society.
From a money standpoint, creating lawful changes means paying taxes. Since this issue
has been around for so long, it has lost attention. When brought up today, it is overlooked as it
seems almost impossible to create change because people believe if change were to happen, it
would have already happened. The Americans with Disabilities Act became a law in 1990 and

Song 4
was created to level the playing field as people with disabilities are becoming the largest
minority group in society (Griffin). The law focuses most on employment and public
accommodations for persons with disabilities, however, it is evident that after twenty years,
society changes which means laws should as well. But, by laws having to change, it means more
money out of peoples pockets. Although people want change, only 15% of our worlds
population is suffering from a disability. That leaves 85% of the world taking money out of their
pockets for a law that may not affect them directly which is where change is trumped. Researcher
Rodman Griffin explains that if we see a change as money, then we will not think about the real
issue at hand being the poor treatment of people with disabilities, but, rather worry about how
much money we will have to pay. The potential rises in taxes account for para transits on college
campuses, ramps constructed in schools, elevators more prevalent in buildings, which are only a
few of the barriers seen when one walks into any public place. It is evident that the future of
ADA holds many changes, however, money is not the only factor that is at play in creating an
environment where people with disabilities are seen by their abilities and not their disabilities.
A large issue that Munyi elaborates on is emphasizing the disabilities and not abilities in
the workplace. While many laws are currently in place to ensure equal opportunity for all in the
workplace, people with disabilities still suffer from unemployment. According to the Disabled
World, statistics show that 35% of persons with disabilities are working, compared to the 78% of
persons without disabilities. One potential factor which Aideen and McCarthy hint at, is the role
of media and how people with disabilities are portrayed by their limitations (16). Considering
how large of a role media plays in todays society, it could be a benefit to see people with
disabilities on television as more everyday people rather than good or bad. The media can
perpetuate myths that disabled people are followers, never leaders and seeing them as role

Song 5
models would make a positive impact on society. By seeing them as leaders, it could impact their
role in the workforce as in todays world, they are only looked at by their weaknesses. However,
the relationship between media and perceptions appears to be more complex than the deductions
made thus far. Overall, there is not enough investigation regarding the factors that brought about
this societal perceptions and mistreatment of disabled persons to concrete conclusion.
There is a push for more research concerning people with disabilities due to
maltreatment. Stereotypes are unchanging and the stigma along with the word disability is
harming 15% of our worlds population based on the U.S. Census report. This casual attitude
combined with hopelessness in regards to change seems to be prevalent. Although starts to
research have been put in place, there has been no end to what has been started. No research fully
explains how the world is so accepting of the way we treat and see people with disabilities. As
there is no definitive answer to this question, the possible role of social theories is one of many
that institutes a deeper look into where our society originated these discriminatory ideas.

Works Cited
Aiden, Hardeep, and Andrea McCarthy. "Current Attitudes Towards Disabled People." (2014):
3-18. http://www.scope.org.uk. England & Wales, May 2014. Web. 9 Feb. 2016.

CDC, and U.S. Census Bureau.. "Disability Statistics: Facts & Statistics on Disabilities &
Disability Issues." Disabled World. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Dec.
2015. Web. 28 Feb. 2016.

Song 6

Griffin, Rodman D. "The Disabilities Act." CQ Researcher 27 Dec. 1991: 993-1016. Web. 26
Feb. 2016.

Koch, Kathy. "Special Education." CQ Researcher 10 Nov. 2000: 905-28. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

Munyi, Chomba Wa. "Past and Present Perceptions Towards Disability: A Historical
Perspective." Disability Studies Quarterly. DSQ, 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2016.

Saho, Abdou Aziz. "Change Your Perception About Disability." Opposing Viewpoints in Context.
Africa News Service, 12 Dec. 2012. Web. 22 Feb. 2016.

References
Mizrahi, Jennifer Laszlo. "False Stereotypes of People With Disabilities Hold Employers Back."
The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 22 July 2014. Web. 09 Feb. 2016.

Peters, Susan J. "Disability Culture." Encyclopaedia Britannica. Britannica Academic, 21 Dec.

2015. Web. 14 Feb. 2016.