Human Diversity and Human Rights Disability Studies
natalia.na
M_10_NEED_Responces_DSST.docxHuman Diversity and Human Rights
Disability Studies
NEED RESPONSES FOR TWO STUDENT’S POSTS
Response posts are expected to be at least 200 words each
Required Textbooks:
Garcia-Irate, E., McConkey, R., & Gilligan, R. (2016). Disability and human rights: global perspectives. New York: Palgrave.
Obrien, R. (2001). Crippled Justice. The History of Modern Disability Policy in the Workplace. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press.
DISCUSSION WEEK 11 POST QUESTIONS WAS: When introducing the class in the syllabus, I wrote that "Disability rights are human rights." Some of you even probably came to this course not expecting such a large focus on disability rights and policy. What, if anything, have you gained from examining the issue of human rights through a disability lens? What would you say if you were asked how studying disability policy, and disability experience in general, can teach us about human rights? What can studying human rights teach us about disability?
STUDENT’S POST #1
Jusstis Warren,
I have gained a lot of new insight regarding the topic of human rights for people with disabilities. One of the first things I learned in this class was how important accessibility is for people with disabilities. Abled bodied individuals like myself take small things for granted such as being able to easily access public facilities through routine stairwells and automatic sliding doors. For people with disabilities having equal access to public facilities is huge, making sure that there are sturdy rails, elevators, and designated parking lots is the difference between a society that is progressively moving in the direction of caring for people with disabilities and one that is not. I also was able to learn about nuance issues in terms of accessibility for people with disabilities such as having equal access to movies and shows since they have been extended in many countries as being an “essential public service”. I was able to become empathetic to these issues by thinking about how I would feel if I wasn’t able to watch my favorite tv show because they don’t provide subtitles.
Another major thing that I learned from a person with disabilities lens is some of the historical conflict that people with disabilities have had to face in terms of on paper legislation versus the reality of how things have played out. Essentially the ADA is one of the most comprehensive pieces of civil rights legislation that is supposed to prohibit discrimination and guarantee people with disabilities equal opportunities to participate in mainstream American life. It has definitely had its successes, but it’s also had many short comings for individuals with disabilities, often people with disabilities are not given the same respect in terms of employment, education and many other areas. In fact, I learned how prominent discrimination is in health care and how many people with disabilities are completely taken advantage of. My last major takeaway from this class is how important it is for people with disabilities to have a great support system. As discussed, many people with disabilities are susceptible to ageing a lot faster, thus making support that much more important. Unfortunately, many people with disabilities lack a good support system and often do not have communities readily available that allow them to have good education on nutrition as well as stay active with activities such as dancing.
Disability policies and disability experience can teach us many things about human rights. The one thing that comes to mind is how humans who aren’t directly impacted by certain things, tend to take for granted the people who are. For instance, when policies were first put in place they often didn’t include the importance of making sure that people with disabilities had equal access to public facilities. More often they considered things that were problematic to the majority population. It was not until the ADA was brought into legislation that accessibility became a priority for put public places. This teaches us that we all have blinders and often groups that are in the minority have to fight for their rights no matter how unfair it is.
STUDENT’S POST #2
Kayla Johnson,
When deciding to take this class, I definitely did not realize there would be a large focus on disability rights but I found that to be very valuable because I learned a lot this quarter. I mentioned in a previous discussion post that the disability rights movement doesn’t seem to be talked about as much as other social movements and after learning what I have, I am so glad I know more. Before taking this class, I didn’t realize the extent to which people with disabilities experience discrimination and injustice. When looking at human rights through a disability lens, you see the danger in the stigmas surrounding disability in society. Disabled people are seen as less than because they aren’t able-bodied and society sees that as an inconvenience because it's not “normal”.
What stood out to me most this quarter was learning how inaccessible society is and how the medical world treats people with disabilities. People aren’t able to access public spaces because it doesn't accommodate their disability, they aren’t able to get jobs because of discrimination, and they are treated like they can’t make their own medical decisions, among other things. There are so many ways people who experience a disability are treated differently than people who don't. Although there have been policies and acts of law, like the ADA and the CRPD, that legally establish the rights of persons with disabilities, there is still so much in society that violates those rights and so much work that needs to be done.
