Barriers to Equality in Disabilities

“The craving for equality can express itself either as a desire to pull everyone down to our own level (by belittling them, excluding them, tripping them up) or as a desire to raise ourselves up along with everyone else (by acknowledging them, helping them, and rejoicing in their success)” (Neitzsche, & Handwerk, 2000, p.198).
Equality at the most basic level has been defined as an idea that all human beings are of equal worth and importance, and should be equally worthy of concern and respect (Baker, Lynch, Cantillon &
Walsh, 2004).

Yet within contemporary society inequality, oppression and discrimination are still being experienced by distinct groups, one of which is individual’s with physical disabilities.

History shows the legacy of oppression suffered by those with disabilities. It is widely acknowledged that ancient Greek culture informed the foundations of Western Civilisation, they believed in asserting citizenship, rights and individual dignity but only extended these rights to Greek males; all other groups were regarded as inferior. Greek culture valued bodily perfection and infanticide in the form of exposure to the elements was practiced to ensure that only the strong survived (Tooley, 1983). The Greek physician Soranos wrote “How to recognise a child that is worth raising” and that a child “should be perfect in all its parts” as cited in (Garland, 1995, p.14). Nicholli, (1990) discusses disabled children and adults being used as displays at village fairs as objects of ridicule or curiosity (as cited in Nuir & Ruggiero, 1990) while St Augustine who was credited with bringing Christianity to Britain claimed that impairment was `a punishment for the fall of Adam and other sins ' (Ryan and Thomas, 1987, p.87). These examples show how civilised man has been enabled through history and culture to justify the oppression and exploration of individuals with disabilities. Also reflecting the deep rooted psychological fear of the abnormal or unknown

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