HUMAN EXCEPTIONALITIES

How individuals with disabilities were stigmatized and mistreated in the 60's

How individuals with disabilities were stigmatized and mistreated in the 60's

Introduction

People with disabilities are entitled to exercise their civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights as all other people. The term disability "summarizes a great number of different functional limitations occurring in any population of any country in the world. People can because of a physical or intellectual disturbance or damage to sensory perception, as well as being disabled due to a medical condition or mental illness. Such damages, conditions or illnesses can be permanent.

According to the United Nations (UN), there are 500 million people around the world who are living with a disability. Due to factors such as war and destruction, substandard housing and living situations or lack of knowledge about disability, its causes, prevention and treatment of disabilities, this figure rises each year. In addition, a relationship between poverty and disability established. The risk of having a disability is significantly higher in families living in poverty than in affluent families. On the other hand, claims a disabled family member more attention to the family of any kind, even in the form of financing (Barr, Kristi, 2008). Disabled people are among determining groups that are regularly exposed to discrimination on two levels. These include women, children, senior citizens, torture victims, refugees and displaced persons, and migrant workers. 

Discussion

In the twenty-first century, the problem of disability is still caught between indifference and protectionism. Although the principle of normalization of people with disabilities conceived and bore fruit since the mid-twentieth century, yet usually try people with disabilities and to promote abnormal conditions of life, (though we do try to give them special "need").

Disability was approached from a medical perspective almost exclusively to the 60. A decade after that joined social-type approaches. Both models, which remain valid today, even with prolonged disability, intended to prevent or alleviate it, because they focus on a deficit paradigm. In this paradigm, disability is described and understood in terms of "missing" from the limitation, of whatever nature. The interventions of the social actors within this perspective intended to replace or compensate for this deficit (Hall, 2007). Health professionals, as social actors who are perpetuating with the best intentions protectionist attitude of people with disabilities and their families. It is so unrealistic that people with disabilities are unable by nature and that professionals know about the disabled only by virtue of being graduates.

Again and again we find that the obstacle is that families and professionals do not recognize the ability of people with disabilities face every day life relying on the support they need. The difference resulting from the limitation, whether intellectual, sensory or motor, is not essential. It should be recognized, but not absolute. Too often, for example, social work, pre paid and public hospitals refuse psychological treatment for people with disabilities. Sometimes it is an explicit denial, as with children and adults with mental disabilities. Sometimes denial is sneaky good attendance, putting first physical rehabilitation treatments, expensive drug treatment ...