Preview

Disability Etiquette: a New Attitude

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
10508 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Disability Etiquette: a New Attitude
Disability Etiquette: A New Attitude

by
Phillip C. “Otiss” Brown

Instructor David Legere
Community College of Vermont
HUM-2010-VO01
03 May 2008
.
.
..
Phillip C. “Otiss” Brown
Instructor David Legere
Hum-2010-VO01
03 May 2008
Disability Etiquette: A New Attitude The United States of America is a land of opportunity, a land of freedom, and a land of equality, but the sad fact is that one out of every five Americans has a form of disability, which renders them unequal. Some are born with a disability, others acquire a disability in consequence of an accident or sickness, and others become disabled from the aging process. Disability is not discriminatory in any way and affects all ages, newborns through the elderly, and both sexes, male and female. Disability knows no difference in social or economic class, takes no rational thought to religion or skin color. People with disabilities, like other groups, are seeking full civil rights, and they “must be” accepted in their communities as equal. The United States Developmental Disabilities and Bill of Rights Act of 2000 clarifies that disability is a natural part of life. Vermont native and former United States Senator, James “Jim” Jeffords, introduced and fought through the decree that has changed many lives, known as S.1809 [106th]:
Disability is a natural part of the human experience that does not diminish the right of individuals with developmental disabilities to enjoy the opportunity to live independently, enjoy self-determination, make choices, contribute to society, and experience full integration and inclusion in the economic, political, social, cultural, and educational mainstream of American society (“S.1809”).
If one were to explain the Disability Bill of Rights for the nonprofessional, it would state that disability is simply a facet from the characteristics of being human. Each human being different from the next as some are born with lighter or darker skin tone, with different


Cited: “ADA.” United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. “The Americans with Disabilities Act, (1990-2002).” U.S.A.: Washington D.C. 15 Oct. 2002. 24 March 2008. . Bush, George H Bowe, Frank. Making Inclusion Work. Indiana: Lebanon, Prentice Hall Publishing. 2004. Covington, George A., and Bruce Hannah. Access By Design. NY: New York, John Wiley & Sons, 1997. 17. Covington, George A ---. E-mail interview. 14-21 Nov. 2007, 11 March 2008. --- “DE.” “Disability Etiquette: A Guide to Respectful Communication.” Vermont Secretary of State Office. Deborah L. Markowitz. VT: Montpelier. 2004. 2 March 2008. . Holmes, Martha Stoddard. Embodied Rhetorics: Disability in Language and Culture. First Edition. USA: Southern Illinois University Press, 2001. (200-229). Johnson, Wendell A. L. People in Quandaries: The Semantics of Personal Adjustments. NY: New York, HarperCollins Publishers, 1946. Oliver, Michael. The Politics of Disablement: A Sociological Approach, Critical texts in Social Work and the Welfare System. CD-Book on Tape: RFB&D, NJ, Princeton. 2002. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 15 March 1997. (113-116). Silverstein, Robert. “Emerging Disability Policy Framework to Support Community-Based Change Initiatives.” CSADP: Center for the Study and Advancement of Disability Policy. Feb. 2007. 21 April 2008. . General Policy 4. “S.1809.” GovTrack.us. S. 1809--106th Congress (1999): Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act of 2000, GovTrack.us. 25 March 2008. . (Section: Title 1, section 101, a, 1. 25). Switzer, Jacqueline Vaughn. Disabled Rights: American Disability Policy and the Fight for Equality. Washington DC: Georgetown University Press. March 2003. CD-ROM RFB&D, 2006. Twain, Mark
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Summary Of By Playing T-Ball She Sees A Life With No Limits
    • 159 Words
    • 1 Page

    Summary Of By Playing T-Ball She Sees A Life With No Limits

    In addition, the author states that everyone should get rights and people should be treated the way they want to be treated even though they have a disability. Moreover, the author emphasizes that children and adults can do…

    • 159 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Becoming Disabled By Rosemarie Garland-Thomas
    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Becoming Disabled By Rosemarie Garland-Thomas

    Throughout the essay, “Becoming Disabled” by Rosemarie Garland-Thomas, her main claim that she argues is that she wants the disabled community to be politicized in the eyes of society. First, Garland-Thomas talks about politicizing disabilities into a movement. She compares and contrasts movements for race and sexual orientations to the movements about disability (2). Disability movements have not gained as much attention as race or sexual orientation movements because so many Americans do not realize how prominent disability separation is in America. She wants people to start recognizing that disability is just as important as race and other movements. Next, Garland-Thomas speaks about different types of disabilities and how they aren’t always…

    • 285 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Radio Paper
    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Radio Paper

    Cited: Siebers, Tobin. "Disability in Theory: From Social Constructionism to the New Realism of the…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Disability and the Justification of Inequality in American History
    • 580 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Disability and the Justification of Inequality in American History

    Since the political revolutions of the eighteenth century, social and political thinkers have challenged ostensibly rational justifications for inequalities based on gender, race, and ethnicity. Disability has been largely absent from that effort, despite its prominence in debates over equality. Not only has disability justified the inequality of disabled people but of other groups as well. the argument that the disabled identity has been used throughout history to argue both for and against the equality of marginalized groups—disability is either assigned to the marginalized, or the marginalized reject the disabled label in order to justify gains on their part. Disability has functioned historically to justify inequality for disabled people themselves, but it has also done so for women and minority groups. That is, not only has it been considered justifiable to treat disabled people unequally, but the concept of…

    • 580 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Arguments Against Impairment Disability
    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Arguments Against Impairment Disability

    Society comprises individuals and communities of remarkable diversity. In addition to racial, ethnic, social, economic, and religious differences, people also have physical differences, which include a wide spectrum of abilities. Along this spectrum lie a range of impairments, or disabilities, and to fully understand the implications of impairment and disability, it is important to define the two terms. In an effort to accomplish this, and to illustrate two opposing views on impairment and disability, the ideas of artist-activist Liz Crow and film director-producer Josh Aronson will be examined. In doing so, the argument will be made that in order to move toward a society where prejudice and barriers no longer…

    • 1375 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Critical Thinking
    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Critical Thinking

    There are over 10 million disabled people in the UK, one in seven are working age adults (ODI, 2012). Under the EA 2010, “It’s against the law for employers to discriminate against you because of a disability.” (DWP, 2012). The term “disabled” will be used throughout this essay whilst it can be seen as a term that is not favourable, it is used throughout the office of national statistics (ONS) website.…

    • 1384 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Disability Rights Movement Analysis
    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page

    Disability Rights Movement Analysis

    Most assume that the origins of the disability rights movement began with the enactment of the ADA in 1990, but in reality the struggle for these rights began much earlier. Many of the strategies implemented by the early activists reflected those utilized by the civil rights movement, specifically using public protest in combination with legislative and legal challenges to bring the evident injustices to the public forum. Legally, the first fundamental result of these efforts came with the passage of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. This section paralleled previously enacted laws banning discrimination based on race or gender, but instead focused upon disability. Prior to this enactment, the societal shortfalls evidenced by those…

    • 203 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Americans with Disabilities Act
    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Americans with Disabilities Act

    Martina Navratilova (2013) said: “Disability is a matter of perception. If you can just do one thing well, you’re needed by someone.” With an estimated three hundred billion people in the United States, it would be impossible to find two people exactly alike. Differences are what set people apart from one another. This allows employers to select from a vast array of characters. As a company operating within the United States, as oppose to Belgium, it is imperative that Pomodoro’s policies and procedures align with certain U.S laws and regulations in employment. One such law is the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ,” (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 1990), which “prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in employment, State and local government, public accommodations, commercial facilities, transportation, and telecommunications,” (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, 1990). Although the Americans with Disabilities Act was somewhat controversial at the onset, it is the law that is crucial to level the playing field for disabled people, to the prohibition of prejudice against the disabled and to make employers understand the implications for non compliance with the laws within the act.…

    • 1774 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Investigating Special Education
    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Investigating Special Education

    The DSP is committed to making sure all students with disabilities have equal education. The DSP offers a variety of services for disabled children. They have a Disability Specialist that identifies the disabled student’s personal needs.…

    • 1134 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Disabilites Adults Finding Employement
    • 1729 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Disabilites Adults Finding Employement

    According to Franklin D. Roosevelt, "We know that equality of individual ability has never existed and never will, but we do insist that equality of opportunity still must be sought" ("Quotes by persons," 2010.) If Americans follow Roosevelt 's advice and provide equal opportunities, then people with disabilities can have more opportunities to be successful. Jobs are hard to come by in today 's society for people in the general population. What many do not realize is how much more difficult it is to find a job when one has a disability.…

    • 1729 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Disability And Society Journals DeRigo
    • 4199 Words
    • 11 Pages

    Disability And Society Journals DeRigo

    During High School, I had a desire to want to work with the students at school who needed assistance. I signed up for the Special Olympics club and was able to interact with them on a daily basis. I would continuously stop by their classroom in between my classes and just talk to several of them, developing relationships that they will remember forever. This is something that they made known to me that they really appreciated. Their disabilities separate them from the rest of the school, isolating them from regular school activities social interactions. After talking to some of the students, time and time again, they would tell me that they just want to be treated like everyone else. Sometimes the word “normal” was used, which is such an arbitrary term. “Normal” is today’s society is based on perspective and what our modern-day world has created it to be. It is so common for others to have this fear of possibly offending someone with a disability. All that these students want is for people to not be afraid to talk to them. They want for people to treat them as if they didn’t have any kind of impairment. Nobody likes to be defined by something that is associated with being “abnormal” or “strange.” Learning these things first-hand through these students has really helped me to think from a different perspective. My interactions with people who are disabled will always reflect my mindset of how I would want to be treated if I was them.…

    • 4199 Words
    • 11 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    APA Reflective Journal
    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages

    APA Reflective Journal

    "It's not the disability that defines you; it's how you deal with the challenges the disability presents you with. We have an obligation to the abilities we DO have, not the disability"(Jim Abbott, nd).…

    • 772 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Affirmative Action for Those with Disabilities
    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Affirmative Action for Those with Disabilities

    “It makes good business sense to hire people with disabilities. People with disabilities have above average records of job performance and dependability—which improves productivity and lowers the cost of hiring and training”. (Jim Gibbons) Every day more people are being diagnosed with a disability; nearly 1 in 6 Americans today. Employers are not only able to attract a more diverse group of customers, but they also get tax incentives for hiring those with a disability.…

    • 969 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Example of Business Letter
    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Example of Business Letter

    The theme of this conference is "Disabling the Disability - Looking It Straight In the Eye".It will be held at the Mountainview Conference Facility, in Montpelier, Vermont from December 3 to 5, 2013.…

    • 263 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Disabled
    • 1358 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Disabled

    Discrimination against people with disabilities is one of the greatest social injustices in our country today. Unfortunately it is also one of the least publicized and most neglected social issues in recent history. People with disabilities are generally looked at and talked about in a negative way, and are subsequently treated differently than people who are not seen as disabled. It is hard to pinpoint the very source of many stereotypes because the issue of disability rights transcends the borders of race, ethnicity, education level, economic standing, and class issues. In fact, disabled people are generally invisible to the public. Out of sight and out of mind is the way in which people tend to deal with the injustices endured by the disabled community. The only way to confront the issue of discrimination against people with disabilities is through social awareness, education, and tolerance of those who have a disability.…

    • 1358 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More

Related Topics