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The World Health Organization (2012) defines
'disability' as any restriction or lack
(resulting from an impairment) of ability to
perform an activity in the manner or within the
range considered normal for a human being. Some
common types of disabilities that fall under the
scope of this definition are physical (mobility)
disability, vision disability, hearing
disability and learning disability. However,
people with disabilities cannot be termed as
abnormal just because
they cannot perform activities which
an able-bodied person can do. Since these people
are in the minority, they are usually looked
down upon by society at large. Due to this fact,
people with disabilities face a lot of problems
such as social isolation and discrimination.
Social isolation-a major issue faced by people
with disabilities-is a state in which a person
lacks face-to-face contact with other people
living in the community. People who have
physical disabilities and those who are blind
are bound to face this problem. As a result of
their disabilities, they have limited freedom of
movement to allow them to go out and socialise
with others. A wheelchair-bound person, for
example, finds it difficult to get into a taxi
without the help of another person. A person who
is visually-impaired will not be able to drive
and needs assistance to move about. Thus, they
tend to isolate themselves and do not
participate in activities outside the safety of
their homes. They feel that they are burdening
other people with their disability. In addition,
they also lose their sense of belonging in
society. People in the community are partly to
blame for this due to their lack of sensitivity
in understanding the needs of disabled people.
They may
fail to see that disabled people also need to go
out and meet people, so that they too will have
a chance of nurturing healthy relationships.
People with disabilities who live in social
isolation become lonely and can easily give up
hope on life. According to Dr Stephen Sheppard
(as cited in Wassom, n.d.), a clinical
psychologist from University of Utah
Rehabilitation Center, social isolation affects
the emotional well-being of people with
disabilities and this makes them depressed,
anxious and insecure. Thus, social isolation is
a risk factor to people with disabilities,
resulting in loneliness and emotional
instability, and cannot be viewed lightly.
The second problem faced by people with
disabilities is discrimination. Discrimination
occurs when a person is treated unfairly or
negatively due to his or her race, age,
religion, gender or disability. As
discrimination casts a serious negative effect
on people with disabilities, a Disability
Discrimination Act 1992 was instituted. The Act
(Commonwealth of Australia, 2010) states that
`disability discrimination has taken place if,
as a result of a person's disability, someone
else treats them or proposes to treat them less
positively than the discriminator would treat a
person without a disability in the similar
situation.' People with disabilities usually
encounter various types of discrimination such
as employment discrimination, housing
discrimination, education discrimination and
discrimination when using public transport. For
example, during an interview, a potential
employee on a wheelchair would have to answer
questions on whether he or she could climb a
flight of stairs or whether he or she could
attend a meeting which is held outside the
vicinity of the workplace. Employment
discrimination experienced by people with
disabilities will affect
their livelihood and sometimes
causes them to live in a state of poverty. All
forms of discrimination against people with
disabilities make it difficult for them to live
a comfortable life.
In summary, people with disabilities face a
lot of problems and challenges that result in
frustration. They cannot run away from these
feelings because they are living in a society
that is not fully sensitive to their needs.
Whether they like it or not, they still have to
face problems such as isolation and being
subjected to unfair treatment by society. They
have to be emotionally strong to be able to
handle life's difficulties that stand in the way
of living a happy, fulfilling life. |
