Ism In The Civil Rights Movement

“Only 50 years ago persons with intellectual disabilities were scorned, isolated and neglected. Today, they are able to attend school, become employed and assimilate into their local community” (Nelson Mandela). Prior to the later part of the 20th century people with intellectual disabilities were often ridiculed, treated unfairly, feared, and locked away in institutions. According to Rhonda Nauhaus and Cindy Smith in their article Disability Rights through the Mid-20th Century, The laws of any nation reflect its societal values. The real life issue of discrimination towards people with intellectual disabilities in the United States and Australia is demonstrated in the novel, Of Mice and Men by showing how this issue affects one of the main characters, Lennie Smalls.

Robert M. Hensel, a young man who was born with Spina Bifida once said, “There is no greater disability in society, than the inability to see a person as more.” This quote speaks great measures as it is the truth. Many persons of this society rarely look beyond a person’s disability; instead they tend to see the disability first, followed by placing barriers towards that person. As a society, we must begin to recognize that person for who they are instead and not what is on the outside. According to the 42 U.S. Code 12102 (1992), a disability is defined as, “a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of such individual; a record of such an impairment or; being regarded as having such an impairment.”

I read Choudouri et al. 2012 ‘s chapter on Disability and it has truly made me aware of the challenges individuals with disabilities may face that I was ignorant of. First and foremost, being unaware of my abilities is a privilege in and of itself so it was truly eye opening to begin to view the different side of the picture. I am now able to recognize different instances of my own privilege.

Entry 3: Currently, in the 21st Century, society has become very fixated on the body. How a person looks, their body shape, how they dress, communicates, and even how one walks. The media bombard us on a daily basis on how to attain the perfect body. Consequently, what does this mean for the person with a disability, but only more exclusion.

It is both somber and compelling to be living in a world that has made such significant strides to create fairness for everyone, but still have the term “minorities” exist. In a perfect world, everyone would be treated equally and given an equal shot at triumph. A minority group defined as “a subordinate group whose members have significantly less control or power over their own lives than the members of a dominant or majority group have over theirs.” TEXT BOOK To refer to some as subordinate and others as dominant shows the true inequality that still exists today.

There are thousands of people who face challenges that come with having physical disabilities everyday, and many do not understand this reality. Having a disability does not mean that one is weak and pitiful, but rather brave and admirable for having to adapt to the challenges that most do not have to face. Three authors who advocate for disability representation, Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson, are able to elaborate on their views of disability representation in the world today. Through Mairs’ essay, “Disability”, she is able to convey her thoughts on the media’s inclusion of people with disabilities. Similarly, Dubus wrote “Why the Able-Bodied Still Don’t Get It”, and in his essay, he explains how his thoughts on disability

Stella young is a disabled woman who gives a Ted talk on why she is not your inspiration. In this talk she mentions how disabled people as a whole are seen as making huge achievements and being an inspiration to others when they are just living their normal lives. Stella goes on to explain how when she was younger her community wanted to nominate her for an achievement award even though she had done nothing out of the ordinary, but just because she is in a wheelchair. It’s common to idolize images of men and women who are “beating the odds” and are doing things “despite” their disability, when in reality they are “using their body to the best of their ability” (Young, 2014) I agree with Stella’s argument here.

Change is constant, but a very broad concept. It’s altered and affected by cultural and geographical elements and most notably the realisation of self-values and beliefs. It’s complex, yet highly significant, but what is social change and how can it be achieved? There are countless definitions when it comes to social change and all include changes in social behaviour and interactions, human relationships, and attitudes. According to Jones (1962), "Social change is best described as variations in, or modifications of, any aspect of social processes, social patterns, social interaction or social organisation.

Even with everything that has happened to show that the disabled are still capable many people still believe that they aren’t able to be independent. Many stigmas are surrounding the disabled community because of this. Those that are a part of the disabled community should be treated with more respect and more acceptance based on the past mistreatments, the stigmas of visible vs invisible disabilities, and the daily struggles they have to go through from the public's ignorance. Throughout history the treatment of those whom are disabled has been terrible, dehumanizing, and inhumane. In the 1800’s, anyone with a disability would be treated as if they were not human.

The civil rights movement was a long and drawn out one. It was one of the issues at the forefront of American society for many years, and it went through many phases and was afffected by many things. Three things that played an especially big role in the evolution of the civil rights movement were the Plessy v. Ferguson ruling, the Brown v. Board of Education ruling, and the N.A.A.C.P. The Plessy v. Ferguson ruling ushered in a new era. It ushered in the era of "separate but equal".

“It’s not what you say it’s how you say it” that’s how the saying goes right? This is true when talking to people in general. Most people think that people with disabilities are word sensitive which is not always the case. People go way too far when labeling what is and what is not acceptable. In all honesty I believe we all have a form of disability some may be more prominent then others and are just well hidden; so how would you feel if someone was labeling you?

From Beached Whales to Gazelles Imagine being a Paralympian sprinter. You don't have both of your legs but who cares? You're a world class athlete! What you do inspires people. Despite what others think, the mechanics of running are not more challenging for you than they are for Usain Bolt.