Social Democracy and Physical Disability: A Humanist View

We live largely in a capitalist society where individual achievement and success is celebrated and where the strong is heralded. The world is for the most part a world for able-bodied people. Look around, it is not that difficult to imagine how hard it would be to be physically disabled in any way in an able-bodied world. Many places and buildings are still not wheel chair accessible or have little accommodations for the physically disabled. We take for granted that we can go or do whatever it is we please whenever we want. Being physically able-bodied gives us rights and freedoms that we take for granted like being able to drive, go to university, get job or even do something as basic as taking a bath or brushing our teeth. However, the reality for others like those who have physical disabilities is that even the most basic tasks can be difficult or near impossible without someone’s help.

According to Participation and Activity Survey or PALS conducted by Statistics Canada in 2001, “disability related to mobility affects the greatest number of adults”. In the same report it states that almost 2.5 million or 10.5% of Canadians had difficulty walking, climbing stairs etc. and 2.3 million 9.7% of adults had difficulties with everyday activities such as getting dressed or undressed (Statistics Canada, 2001).

People with physical disabilities live a reality that is different and greatly disadvantaged from the able-bodied world. In his article, Empowering People with Disabilities, Malhotra writes that for those people with physical disabilities who do not go to an institution or nursing homes, it is usually family members or friends who take on the role of caring for them, which is unpaid. He also notes that the majority of people with disabilities live in extreme poverty (Malhotra, 2006). Allot of whom if they are unable to work due to their disability live on social assistance.

Who has shaped these policies? Although, our current government is a Conservative government, Canada has predominantly been governed by the Liberal Party since World War II (Mullaly, 2007) and thus, its policies and programs have been mostly  shaped by liberal ideology, wherein the role of the “the social welfare state” is to provide all people with at least “the social minimum” (Mullaly, 2007, p.108).

In my opinion, Canada with views such as I have stated, it is no wonder that our government policies and programs are inadequate and insufficient to take care of the disadvantaged like those who have physical disabilities through no fault of their own.

In light of those issues, we should consider looking at an alternative type of government and ideology such as that of social democracy who believe in “equality of condition” (Mullaly, 2007 p.115) and the belief that “from each according to his/her ability, to each according to his/her needs” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 116) for all citizens. Furthermore, if the government’s ideology is to reduce or do away with all “inequalities of income, opportunities, and living conditions” (Mullaly, 2007, p.125) imagine how that society would be shaped and the quality of life for all individuals including people with physical disabilities would be. This would include better financial support, health related assistance programs and more policies mandating for instance, that all buildings or places have wheelchair accessibility and other accommodations for physically disabled people. Therefore, my sentiment is to lean towards the social democratic ideology and believe that all people including people with physical disabilities deserve the dignity and right to a certain quality of life and opportunities in our society.

References

Malhotra, R. (2006). Empowering People with Disabilities. New Politics, 11 (1), 55. Retrieved from Masterfile database.

Mullaly, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3^rd ed.). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.

Statistics Canada, Participation and Activity Survey. (2001). Profile of Disability In Canada, 2001. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89-577-x/4065022-eng.htm

-Priscilla

Link to PTSD Video

Military reaches out to soldiers with PTSD:
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CanadaAM/20090627/military_stress_090627/

Avery F

Mental and Physical Disability: PTSD and Physical Impairments

Soldiers are trained to be tough and hard-skinned, but not trained much about the emotions and mental stress they are going to experience during training, combat, and returning home.  I have heard more and more about the increases in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) among soldiers and veterans that have served or are serving in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.  In my opinion, it is because there is a negative stigma attached to people with disabilities, both physical and mental, as well inadequate mental training, with a focus only on the physical.  People are embarrassed  to be diagnosed with physical or mental disabilities because it is seen as a sign of weakness, minority status, and dependence, when in reality physical and mental disabilities are very common.  As stated in  The Canadian Press (2008), PTSD has tripled since 2002 and is still expected to increase .  However, I am not sure if this increase is because it is now more acceptable to be diagnosed with PTSD, or if more cases of PTSD are now occurring.  Either way, soldiers and veterans still feel they are supposed to stay strong and not talk about their emotions even if they are having a very hard time.


PTSD needs to be taken more seriously among soldiers and veterans and we should not be waiting for them to realize they have PTSD by themselves; there needs to be training before combat, and screening and follow up afterwards no matter what.  Soldiers and veterans may not want to admit they are experiencing flashbacks, guilt, and other negative mental health issues, as well as physical impairments.  One study found that almost 87% of veterans who currently have PTSD also suffer from severe physical pain that was often more severe than neuropathic pain and cancer pain (Poundja, Fikretoglu, Guay, & Brunet, 2007). Not only will they think their mind is weak, they will have the feeling that they cannot cope with physical pain, which is what the military has taught them.  Admitting they have a "weak" mind and body is not something anyone wants to do, especially a soldier or veteran.

On the other side of the spectrum, not only does PTSD cause physical impairment, but 23% of soldiers with traumatic physical injuries in combat develop PTSD (Zatzick, Rivara, Nathens, Jurkovich, Wang, Fan, Russo, Salkever, & Mackenzie, 2007) because the injury serves as a constant reminder of the trauma they have experienced.

In the news segment at the beginning of this post, they offer support and encouragement for soldiers with PTSD to come forward and ask for help (2009).  It is an encouraging start for eliminating PTSD and all the negative issues that accompany the illness, but is it enough?  I feel the only way to possibly change the view of PTSD as a weakness is to start training soldiers about PTSD as soon as they start their physical training.  This way, they know how common it is, they know how damaging it is, and they know lots of other soldiers will go through it as well and will be there for support.  Many soldiers take their lives because of the stressful mental and physical pain they were not trained to deal with, or they never wanted to admit they had a mental and physical problem.  As stated in the CTV news segment, this is hopefully going to change and soldiers will have both the knowledge and resources available before and after combat (2009).

References:

CTV.ca News Staff. (2009, June 28). Military reaches out to soldiers with PTSD [Television

Broadcast]. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from

http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/CTVNewsAt11/20090627/military_stress_090627/

Poundja, J., Fikretoglu, D., Guay, S., & Brunet, A. (2007). Validation of the French version

of the brief pain inventory in Canadian veterans suffering from traumatic stress. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management 33(6), 720-726.

The Canadian Press. (2008, February 29). Reported PTSD cases triple among soldiers since '02. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20080229/ptsd_soldiers_080229/

Wikipedia. (2010). Neuropathic Pain. Retrieved November 14, 2010, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuropathic_pain

Wikipedia. (2010). Posttraumatic stress disorder. Retrieved November 14, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posttraumatic_stress_disorder

Zatzick, D. F., Rivara, F. P., Nathens, A. B., Jurkovich, G. J., Wang, J., Fan, M., Russo, J., Salkever, D. S., & Mackenzie, E. J. (2007). A nationwide US study of post-traumatic stress after

hospitalization for physical injury. Psychological Medicine 37, 1469-1480.

-Avery F

Ageism and Physical Disabilities

When I was a little kid I really believed my parents were indestructible.  Who else can cure scratched knees, fix the Barbie who’s head fell off, or help you solve those difficult multiplication tables?  But I’m not a little kid anymore.  I’m 22.  And as much as I would like to believe differently, my parents aren’t indestructible.  My Dad has increasing health problems, and my mom now needs glasses to read the things she used to. They aren’t the only ones.  The 2006 Canadian census revealed one in seven people are over the age of 65 ("2006 Census: Portrait of the Canadian Population in 2006, by Age and Sex: National portrait", 2006).  With increased age, comes an increased likelihood of physical disabilities, including vision loss, hearing loss, and amputations. According to an article by Beverly E. Holland and Donna R. Falvo (1990), “disability increase with age by about 3 ½ times” (p.32).

However, despite the fact disabilities increase with age, the services and rehabilitation offered to the aging has been shown to decrease.  Compared to young people with physical disabilities, the elderly are significantly overlooked (Holland & Falvo, 1990, p.32).  I believe this has a lot to do with the ageism underlying the formulation of social policies.  For example, in the United States, 85% of amputations occur in the elderly section of the population mainly due to “arteriosclerosis or diabetes” (Holland & Falvo, 1990, p.32).  However, rehabilitation services for this section of the population were largely rejected based on the false assumption that “older individuals would be unable to learn how to use the prosthesis properly, even though there was no evidence to substantiate this claim” (Holland & Falvo, 1990, p.32). 

Age, like disability can be recognized largely as a social construction.  In Old Age and Ageism, Impairment and Ableism: Exploring the Conceptual and Material Connections, Christine Overall argues that the way we see disability, like the way we see age, is only “an impairment due to the social environment in which we live” (Overall, 2006, p.131).  In Canada, and the United States, there remains an underlying assumption that worth decreases with age.  This causes paternalistic attitudes set in as we think we need to care for the elderly like we care for children- with totally disregard for their autonomy or rights.  This ageism, especially coupled with the physical disabilities of many elderly, leads to the creation of many social policies which force retirement or institutionalize of those elderly with physical disabilities instead of focusing on services and rehabilitation which would see them regain their potential (Holland & Falvo, 1990, p.32). 

This is a scary reality.  As my parents get older I would hate to think their chances of accessing services will be significantly lower than those who are younger.  The elderly population is a vulnerable section of this country, and I believe advocacy must be done to raise awareness at provincial and federal levels of government for the need of more services to those elderly who are physically disabled.  Increased age should not automatically be associated with increased dispensability . 

-Erin Roche

Bibliography:

Holland, B. E. & Falvo, D. R. (1990) Forgotten: Elderly Persons With Disability - A

Consequence of Policy.  Journal of Rehabilitation, 56, 32-35.

Overall, C. (2006). Old Age and Ageism, Impairment and Ableism: Exploring the

Conceptual and Material Connections.  NWSA Journal, 18, 126-137.

Statistics Canada. (2006).  2006 Census: Portrait of the Canadian

Population in 2006, by Age and Sex: National portrait. Retrieved from

http://www12.statcan.ca/census-recensement/2006/as-sa/97-551/p3-eng.cfm.

Feminism and Physical Disability: The discouraged option of motherhood

More and more women are focusing on career options and integrating themselves into the workforce (making up 47% of the paid workforce in 2006, up 10% from 1976; Statistics Canada, 2006) with the decision to start a family more often seen now as a side option.  In 2009, 88% of two-parent families in Canada consisted of the mother staying at home to take care of the children (Statistics Canada, 2010).  No matter how many mothers maintain a career and have a family, women are still seen as the primary caregiver of their children. For this reason, mothers are socialized to experience more guilt for having a career and not focusing solely on raising their children, while men feel guilt if they cannot provide adequate financial support for their children. This usually leaves women at home to raise the children, and men in the workplace. Obviously then, motherhood is a demanding and time-consuming position to undertake. For this reason, society not-so-subtly encourages women with disabilities to think twice, or not at all, about motherhood.

 

As Mullaly (2007) states, "Women have the greatest responsibility for the family, including child care" (p.161).  In a country with many conservative thoughts regarding people with disabilities, it is expected that if you cannot take care of yourself, then you are not capable of having children. With society thinking: If a woman with a physical disability has a hard time reaching a shelf at Safeway, how can she possibly take care of her children? Not only are mothers with disabilities facing challenges about their physical disability, they are also trying to prove themselves as mothers to the public (Malacrida, 2009).

There is very little, if any, accessibility for the people with physical disabilities at child playgrounds and play areas in the public (Malacrida, 2009). This may mean that mothers with physical disabilities are forced to let their children go to the park with their friends' mother because they are not accepted in that environment. This can easily be construed by others as the mother with a physical disability being incapable of performing a simple task of motherhood. When the problem should so easily be fixed by making all children facilities disability friendly, not only for the sake of children with disabilities, but for mothers with disabilities as well.

Women with physical disabilities also receive minimal, if any, information about sex and reproduction because they are assumed to not have sex or to become mothers (Collins, 1999). Not only do women with physical disabilities lack the choice of motherhood based on physical barriers, and feel additional pressure and scrutiny from the public, but are also so blatantly made unaware of reproduction so as to set in stone that they will not become mothers.  Every person deserves to make choices that effect and influence their life to such a great extent; people in our society now just need to realize how people with physical disabilities are just as much a person with free will as the rest of us.

References:

Collins, C. (1999). Reproductive Technologies for Women with Physical Disabilities. Sexuality and Disability, 17(4), 299-307.

Malacrida, C. (2009). Performing motherhood in a disablist world: dilemmas of motherhood,

femininity and disability. International Journal of Qualitative Studies in Education, 22(1), 99- 117.


Mullaly, B. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3rd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.


Statistics Canada. (1976-2006). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/89f0133x/89f0133x2006000-eng.htm

Statistics Canada. (2010). Retrieved November 24, 2010, from http://www42.statcan.ca/smr08/2010/smr08_143_2010-eng.htm

-Avery F

Feminist Perspective and the Physically Disabled

So many times we fail to ask ourselves why our system of government works the way it does, and we fail to recognize or challenge many of the oppressive features of these systems we live in.  Our beliefs have consequences.  That is why a feminist theory is a very important perspective.  It draws “attention to the subtle, unconscious, and daily exercise of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors which define and reinforce a despised status” (Robbins et al., 2006, p. 97). 

We read an article in class last week entitled Identifying Gendered Outcomes and Gender-Neutral Policies by Peggy Quinn.  This article really made me reconsider the subtle assumptions behind many of our current social policies, and how these assumptions continue to disenfranchise women. 

Individuals with severe physical impairments require a lot of care.  Tasks we take for granted like bathing or eating often take twice as much time and energy for those with extensive physical disabilities, and often require the help of someone else.  But who will step in to meet these needs?

I don’t believe institutionalizing those with severe physical impairments is the best solution.  These institutions are often over-crowded and under staffed, and the care given to those with disabilities is often far below what it should be.  For those with disabilities, living in sterile institutions, away from the comforts of a family and home can also have adverse effects on mental health.   As well, a stigmatization also comes from keeping those with physical impairments “locked away” and separated from their communities.  And so, as Peggy Quinn points out, social policies like the Community Mental Health Centers Act (CMHC) of 1963, and the Social Security Act Amendments of 1983 were made to return these patients to the “most natural setting possible, which according to the experts who proposed this policy, was the family” (Quinn, 1996, p.197-198).

I agree the ideal place for those who need care is with their families.  However, a feminist perspective encourages us to pay attention to how these social policies may be affecting women.  In our society, gender comes with specific rules and roles one is expected to follow.  One of these assumed gender roles for women is an expectation to selflessly take care of their families, while men are expected to support the family financially.  Peggy Quinn points out, that despite the feminist movements and emergence of women into the workforce, women’s main role is still to provide care to their families- without financial compensation, and often at the cost of their own careers and interests (Quinn, 1996, p. 201).  Will women ever truly become equal citizens if they’re expected to be the primary caregivers as well as maintain a career and family? 

Perhaps the best solution would be for governments to recognize the oppressiveness in these policies lies in the assumption that family care is still women’s work.  Therefore, a revised social policy may consist of governments providing support for these families with well trained and quality in home care in order to relieve the burden on women. That way, those with disabilities can remain in their own environment with people they love, while women will receive the help they need to choose the direction of their own lives, whether it be at home or in the workforce.

-Erin Roche

Bibliography

Quinn, P. (1996). Identifying gendered outcomes of gender-neutral policies. Affilia

11(2), 195-206.

Robbins, S. P., Chatterjee, P.  & Canda, E.  R. (2006). Contemporary Human Behavior Theory: A Critical Perspective for Social Work.  Boston: Allyn and Bacon.

Queer Perspectives in Canada

A girl I went to high school with was always made fun of and called a lesbian, though she has never announced this was true. But these students who continuously ridiculed her made her high school experience so much more difficult and depressing due to the fact that hardly anyone accepted her. She had done absolutely nothing to wrong those other students and was a very genuine, good-hearted girl, as well as a straight A student. So by putting her through all of this pain and suffering, people destroyed her self-esteem and self-confidence. This should have never been an issue, whether she is a lesbian or not. People should understand that her sexual orientation, no matter what it is, is as important as their own and they should learn to accept it.

Unfortunately, in our society, many people are homophobic and unaccepting of those who are not heterosexual just like those high school students. But those people who are not heterosexuals are just as important as any person that is! It is unfair that they are looked down upon at all due to this reason. It is simply the way they are, and they should be able to live freely the way they are most comfortable. People tend to look down on people with homosexual or even bisexual orientations so much even though there is nothing wrong with those sexual orientations at all. Heterosexual is considered to be “the norm” and therefore is the only sexual orientation accepted by many people across the world.

This occurs so much that many people view gays, lesbians, and bisexuals as people with disabilities and disorders (who are also wrongfully frowned upon by people, whether it is consciously or not) (Caldwell, 2010). First of all, homosexuality, as well as bisexuality is absolutely not a disorder or a disability at all. People with those sexual orientations are fully-functional people physically and mentally, for the most part. And secondly, it is unfair to frown upon people with disabilities as well. They are also people too and they deserve to be valued as much as anyone else. So to have the mindset that being gay, lesbian, or bisexual is like having a disability is very wrong and it is just as wrong to look at those people as being of less importance.

After having said all of this, I believe that the population is taking a turn for the better. I think that people are beginning to get less homophobic. Long ago, being homosexual or bisexual was extremely frowned upon but I believe that now, people are slowly starting to become more and more accepting. Since 2005, same sex marriages have become legal in all parts of Canada (CBC). I do have high hopes of soon having a society that accepts all sexual orientations.


References:

Caldwell, K. (2010). We Exist: Intersectional In/Visibility in Bisexuality & Disability. Disability Studies Quarterly, Vol. 30, No. 3/4, Page no unavailable.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/samesexrights/

-Marina. R.