The research I want to do is on accessibility. There are many different ways this affects
people with disabilities. There is no one way to fix it for every disability. But there are simple
things that people can do to make many scenarios accessible that many don't even bother to do.
My why is because I encounter just about every day an issue with accessibility in one way or
another. When people realize I am Deaf, they often freeze, and something as simple as writing
down what they need to communicate to me escapes them. In one study of library graduate
students, it asked about their readiness for and comfort levels for assisting people with
disabilities. When asked how comfortable helping troubleshooting technology would be, 56%
said they would not be comfortable at all. When asking them how comfortable they would be
with reviewing policies to be more inclusive, 21.1% were only slightly comfortable, and 8.3%
were not comfortable at all (Pionke, 2020). When I read the stat on just reviewing policies, I
found it disturbing that anyone would not be comfortable doing that, especially students at a
graduate level. The problem is that people often forget to just as the person with the disability
what they need to make it accessible. They are the ones that provide the best answer.
Another area that is making accessibility inconsistent is that there is no consistent
accountability to ensure accountability is available. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
was revised in 1992 and simply says that no entity can discriminate against someone because of
their disability (Victor et al., 2017). There are also not many consequences if the accessibility
that should be in place is not. We are all familiar with the handicap parking sign that says there is
a fine that is typically in the $250 to $450 range. In many states, the fine has not changed in
years. Unless the disabled person took action when accessibility was not available where
according to ADA law, it should have been, it is never addressed. It can become like a second
job for disabled people to ensure they will have accessibility in their daily life when it should not
be their responsibility.
The goal of the research is to show that accessibility for those with disabilities is an issue
that most people are ignorant of or just outright ignore. One other goal is to show in many ways
how easy it is to make adjustments to make things more accessible to people with disabilities.
There could be so many good outcomes from research.
When you look to the Bible to reason why this is something that should be researched,
we see that what the Bible says we should be doing is not always being done. "'Cursed is anyone
who leads a blind person astray on the road.' And all the people will reply, 'Amen.' 'Cursed is
anyone who denies justice to foreigners, orphans, or widows.' And all the people will reply,
'Amen.'" (Deuteronomy 27:18-19, New Living Translation). We can see that God does not want
us to be mistreating people. He even went as far as to give an example of a person with a
disability. When we look at the Merida textbook, it shows that even when we are not guaranteed
a reward, we should still be doing what God's will is. At "Then he turned to his host. "When you
put on a luncheon or a banquet," he said, "don't invite your friends, brothers, relatives, and rich
neighbors. For they will invite you back, and that will be your only reward. 13 Instead, invite the
poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14 Then at the resurrection of the righteous, God will
reward you for inviting those who could not repay you" (Luke 14:12-14, New Living
Translation). When considering this, we need to ensure things are accessible for all without
expecting anything (Merida et al., 2015). Even if we have gone the extra steps to make
something accessible and the disabled person does not thank you, you cannot be bitter about it.
When looking at it from their perspective, they just had an experience where they did not have to
fight for accessibility, and you allowed them to feel like the average person.
References
Holy Bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Merida, T., Platt, D., & Akin, D. L. (2015).EExalting Jesus in 1 and 2 kings. B & H Publishing
Group.E
Pionke, J. J. (2020). Disability- and accessibility-related library graduate-school education
fromEthe student perspective.EJournal of Education for Library and Information
Science,E61(2), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.3138/jelis.2019-0036E
Victor, C. M., Thacker, L. R., Gary, K. W., Pawluk, D. T., & Copolillo, A. (2017). Workplace
Discrimination and Visual Impairment: A comparison of equal employment opportunity
commission charges and resolutions under the Americans with disabilities act and
Americans with disabilities amendments act.EJournal of Visual Impairment &
Blindness,E111(5), 475–482. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145482x1711100509E
Response 1
Thomas Ostruske
Thomas, I enjoyed reading your post and think the topic is significant to all and research to enact
change can only help. The last three years have seen many medical providers suffer from
burnout. That is something I would hope you will get a lot of information about in your research.
I know for myself that I had a few doctors leave the medical field after the stress of handling
COVID. Plus, just about everywhere, there is a staff shortage. That is adding to the workload of
the current staff and their stress. Also, if they take extra shifts to pitch in, they cannot recharge
and be their best at work and may start taking sick days and looking for new jobs (Sijbom et al.,
2018).
Some things that can be done to help with employee burnout are, first and foremost,
asking the employees what they need. They are going to be the best person to ask. They may not
entirely know what they need, but if they are given the safe space to voice concerns, you may be
able to suggest ways to change things that may appeal to them. If leaders see things they think
could help find ways to implement them. Also, be honest and forthright with the employees
about what is happening and do not try to hide problems. The employees may have solutions you
have not thought of as well.
When we look at the Bible and the story of Moses in Exodus 18:14-23, we can see that if
he did not look for counsel, he would have experienced burnout. We can also turn to "Share each
other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2, New Living Translation);
we also need to take on each other's burdens when we can. We also need to be doing the best job
we can as Christians (Merida et al., 2015). If we feel like we are getting burnt out in a job, we
need to be open about it and not just start hatting our job and quitting it.
References
Holy Bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Merida, T., Platt, D., & Akin, D. L. (2015).EExalting Jesus in 1 and 2 kings. B & H Publishing
Group.E
Otto, M. C., Van Ruysseveldt, J., Hoefsmit, N., & Dam, K. V. (2020). The development of a
Proactive Burnout Prevention Inventory: How Employees can contribute to reduce burnout
risks.EInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,E17(5), 1711.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051711E
Sijbom, R. B., Lang, J. W., & Anseel, F. (2018). Leaders’ achievement goals predict employee
burnout above and beyond employees’ own achievement goals.EJournal of
Personality,E87(3), 702–714. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12427E
Response 2
Ryan Matlock
Ryan, I enjoyed reading your post. I know for myself that the issues the church is having because
of the affected of Covid-19 were there before the pandemic. They may be heightened now and
easier to see. If that is the case, they will be addressed easier now. From a personal perspective,
the impact Covid-19 had on me regarding the church was significant. Because I went to a
hearing church that had an American Sign Language interpreted service, I had no access to the
online streaming services. I was completely cut off from my church. The effect of loneliness is
complicated and, over time, has a significant lasting impact. It was discovered that there were
groups of people that have it worse; those groups are people without a post-secondary education,
those with limited income and bad health (Patulny & Bower, 2022). We have all felt lonely at
one time or another. "Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you" (1 Peter
5:7, New Living Translation). When we look at it from a biblical perspective, it can make us feel
like we are lacking because even when we do cast our cares on God, we still can feel lonely.
When that happens, we can second guess that we have a good relationship with God because we
still feel lonely (Merida et al., 2015). Often it can be a struggle to even find a church where they
have a service that is being interpreted. Churches are not covered by the Americans with
Disabilities Act and are not required to provide access to their churches with sign language
(Friedner, 2018). That should not be the reason a church doesn't give access to the Deaf
community. As Christians, we should want to be welcoming to all. We want all to have a
relationship with God. When we have that relationship, that can help when we are lonely.
References
Holy Bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Friedner, M. I. (2018). Vessel of god/access to god: American sign language interpreting in
American Evangelical Churches.EAmerican Anthropologist,E120(4), 659–670.
https://doi.org/10.1111/aman.13117E
Merida, T., Platt, D., & Akin, D. L. (2015).EExalting Jesus in 1 and 2 kings. B & H Publishing
Group.E
Patulny, R., & Bower, M. (2022). Beware the “Loneliness gap”? examining emerging
inequalities and long‐term risks of loneliness and isolation emerging from covid ‐
19.EAustralian Journal of Social Issues,E57(3), 562–583. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajs4.223E
OLD Responses
Zac Campbell. MEDICAL
Zac, I enjoyed reading your post and think the topic is significant to all and research to
enact change can only help. The last three years have seen a lot of medical providers suffer from
burnout. I know for myself I had a few doctors leave the medical field after the stress of handling
COVID. Plus, just about everywhere, there is a staff shortage. That is adding to the workload of
the current staff and their stress. Also, if they are taking extra shifts to pitch in, they are not able
to recharge and be their best at work and may start taking sick days and looking for new jobs
(Sijbom et al., 2018).
Some things that can be done to help with employee burnout are, first and foremost,
asking the employees what they need. They are going to be the best person to ask. They may not
completely know what they need, but if they are given the safe space to voice concerns, you may
be able to suggest ways to change things that may appeal to them. If leaders see things they think
could help find ways to implement them. Also, be honest and forthright with the employees
about what is happening and don't try to hide problems. The employees may have solutions you
haven't thought of as well.
When we look at the Bible and the story of Moses in Exodus 18:14-23, we can see if he
did not look for counsel, he would have experienced burnout. We can also turn to "Share each
other's burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2, New Living Translation);
we also need to take on each other's burdens when we can.
References
Holy Bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Merida, T., Platt, D., & Akin, D. L. (2015).EExalting Jesus in 1 and 2 kings. B & H Publishing
Group.E
Otto, M. C., Van Ruysseveldt, J., Hoefsmit, N., & Dam, K. V. (2020). The development of a
Proactive Burnout Prevention Inventory: How Employees can contribute to reduce burnout
risks.EInternational Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health,E17(5), 1711.
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17051711E
Sijbom, R. B., Lang, J. W., & Anseel, F. (2018). Leaders’ achievement goals predict employee
burnout above and beyond employees’ own achievement goals.EJournal of
Personality,E87(3), 702–714. https://doi.org/10.1111/jopy.12427E
Response 2
Deseree Lancaster Finance
Deseree, I enjoyed reading your post. I think the goal of your research is essential. I know
for myself I look back at high school and wonder why I had to take some of the classes I took. I
think the schools are lacking in areas of teaching finances. Schools are not preparing their
students to understand credit cards, checking accounts and savings accounts. Things like how to
do basic taxes would be beneficial. However, right out of high school and going into college, do
they understand what student loans are about? This skill need needs to be taught in high school
and even in the first year of college (Matheson et al., 2020). Schools are assuming that these
things will be taught in the home but are all adults prepared to teach that? Schools can not
assume the home will teach these things, and parents can not assume the schools are going to
teach these things as well (Solomon & Sithole, 2018). You brought up the Home Economics
class in your post. For me, I did not learn anything when in that class that I already didn't know
by then. If I recall, the things we cooked were not staples to know. I do see the benefit of Home
Economics, but I think it is slacking in the economics part of the class.
When you look to the Bible, if the schools are not teaching these skills, we need to take it
up or find a way to provide them with the education. " Train up a child in the way he should go;
even when he is old he will not depart from it." (Proverbs 22:6, New Living Translation). As
things are changing in schools, we need to make sure our children are prepared to be adults.
References
Holy Bible NIV. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
Matheson, M. N., DeLuca, C., & Matheson, I. A. (2020). An assessment of Personal Financial
Literacy Teaching and learning in ontario high schools.ECitizenship, Social and Economics
Education,E19(2), 118–132. https://doi.org/10.1177/2047173420927665E
Solomon, G. E., Trust, N., & Sithole, B. M. (2018). The Case for the Need for Personal Financial
Literacy Education in Botswana Secondary Schools.1Sage
Open,18(1)https://doi.org/10.1177/2158244017753867
IGNORE BELOW
Holy Bible new living translation. (2021). DaySpring; Candace Cameron Bure
(Acts 17:30, New Living Translation)
Robson, C., & McCartan, K. (2016).EReal World Research, 4th Edition. John Wiley & Sons.E
(Robson & McCartan, 2016)
Merida, T., Platt, D., & Akin, D. L. (2015).EExalting Jesus in 1 and 2 kings. B & H Publishing
Group.E
(Merida et al., 2015)
(Proverbs 3:5-6, New Living Translation)
