Stereotypical Beliefs about people with disability

Stereotyping, according to Jaeger and Bowman (2005), is a human reaction that happens in a wide range of social groups. Individuals with disabilities, however, suffer extremely significant obstacles due to stereotyping, which is sometimes perpetrated by professionals who have no firsthand experience engaging with impaired persons. I chose the category of disabled persons since they are frequently isolated owing to their societal contacts. Analyzing this group appealed to me since their ability to retain or achieve status at work, in their area, and in their families is hampered. I also chose this group because the non-disabled majority has a tendency of upholding a certain social distance, whereby time and again they treat the disabled as outsiders. As such, they do not find it easy to mingle and accept the disabled as they do with other people. The non-disabled can restrict the opportunities for the incapacitated because they have greater power and prestige. For this reason, the disabled are time and again forced to either become socially isolated or associate with each other. They are often segregated socially, psychologically, and physically.

1.1. Positive and negative stereotypes held about the people with disability

Various active and negative stereotypes are commonly held about the group of people with disability. The negative stereotypes continue to be customary in the portrayal of individuals with a disability and their lives. Rather than placing emphasis on their lives as a whole, often it is put upon the impairment of the person, and they are portrayed as dependent people requiring the support and care of non-disabled people. The non-disabled people use the characteristics of the disabled to define them. This is evident in the attitude that is portrayed towards the people who are handicapped (Sherry, 2004). There are various ways through which the exclusionary or prejudicial attitudes concerning the people with disability are expressed. These include the assumptions that the ability of the disabled people to live a life full and their value of existence is reduced because of their condition (Guadalupe & Lum, 2005).

The non-disabled people also express mistrust, dislike, and fear to the people with disability and avoidance of such people because of their condition. Another assumption is attributing the general behaviors and characteristics to the individuals with a disability merely because they are disabled. Furthermore, the disabled people are treated, referred to, and labeled as people outside of mainstream society and different to ordinary citizens. Additionally, the people with disability are time and again negatively stereotyped as something less than human, as objects of pity, and socially stigmatized. Several explanations and factors promote the negative stereotypes towards individuals who are disabled. This includes people having an image of the community that integrates broadly held beliefs concerning the community of such a person and not accepting the unique differences that exist among the community members. The negative stereotype portrays an intersectional dimension whereby the group with a disability can suffer from various discriminations, including age and sex (Della, Cera, & Palmisano, 2017).

In regards to the positive stereotype, considerable progress has been made in the last few decades to overcome the significant barriers to enabling the disabled people to be respected and access their right to take part equally in the society. The disabled people are positively stereotyped as sources of inspiration as well as eternal innocents both in the community and representation of the community, such as art and literature. Having a positive perceptive about disability has beyond doubt moved from describing limitations and impairments to understanding the individual needs for support and the human functioning as a whole. Furthermore, disability is now perceived as part of a human condition whereby each will be impaired enduringly or for the short term at some point in their life. There has been a portrayal of concrete representations and images of people with a disability that shows non-disabled as well as disabled people interacting on equal terms. Positive stereotyping leads to equality. Here, there is respect, which is concerned with the emotional sphere and competent caring and with generating the opportunities for the disabled people to develop their full emotional potential. The practical approaches to disability will comprise not only the clinic and academic input but also the involvement of societal and community environment as conditions for success (Wehmeyer, 2013).

1.2. An experience that reinforced a positive stereotype about the disabled

The one experience that I believe reinforced the positive stereotype about the people with disability is the disability rights movement. This is because the disability rights movement has powerfully shaped both societal and individual reactions to disability. This change has helped in supporting well-informed social attitudes towards disability. This is essential to the achievement of equality for disabled people and to breaking the negative stereotyping cycle. An integral part of the disability rights movement involves proactively promoting positive attitudes, which reinforces positive stereotype in regards to people with disability (Nario‐Redmond, 2010).

1.3. An experience that reinforced a negative stereotype about the disabled

In the second place, an experience that I believe has strengthened negative attitude towards the incapacitated people is the parental attitude. In this context, the advent of a child with a disability into a family includes patterns of mutual dependence, depression, and shame, feelings of guilt, self-pity, and denial of the reality of the disabled and realistic coping with the child. The cultural stereotype is the powerful personal and social forces motivating a parent to refute the fact that their offspring is disabled. Negative stereotyping is not only experienced between groups but within communities and groups as well, which means that disabled people share the same stereotypes and beliefs as physically powerful individuals (Guadalupe & Lum, 2005).

Research about stereotype of disabled people

2.1. Theories concerning how stereotypes of the incapacitated developed

There are various theories regarding how stereotype concerning the debilitated people developed. For instance, in his theory, Livneh (2012) pointed out that pervasive cultural and social expectations, standards, and norms time and again lead to the creation of negative stereotyping toward the disabled population. Here, the contributing factors include first the degradation of status attached to disability. The inferred stigma and social deviance of being debilitated bears heavily on the attitudes of the society towards those affected by cultural values that the community holds are founded on the assumption of any category of imputed deviancy. The general socioeconomic level also contributed to the development of stereotyping the people with disability. The importance attached to the welfare security and economy, beliefs concerning the origin of poverty, the rate of unemployment, and the level of societal development are all contributing factors to stereotyping the disabled. Emphasis on personal achievement and productiveness also lead to the development of stereotyping the people with disability. This is because, in most communities, people are judged to be economically and socially competitive. Another that has to lead to the development of stereotyping the people with disability is the emphasis on concepts such as wholeness, personal appearance, athletic prowess, health, and youth. These standards are highly stressed in the community leading to their integration into cultural customs.

In their theory, O'Shea, Girón, Cabrera, Lescano, and Taren (2012) argued that disability results from the relations of environmental and biological factors. These are the factors that have lead to the development of stereotyping the people with disability, and they include social, economic, and physical barriers imposed to the disabled by the society. As such, in regards to the social model, it can be argued that disability is a condition that results in more from environmental barriers than the actual physical impairment. Ideally, the environmental barriers hinder the ability of the disabled to play a part in society. The participation of the debilitated socially depends on both the functionality of an individual as well as the influence of the public towards disability.

According to the theory by Breeding, Whitworth, Hood, and Whitworth (2013), unfortunately, stereotyping the people with disability persists even to the present day. Nonetheless, much of this is more indirect than in the earlier period. Presently, most individuals fail to realize that they are practicing stereotyping in very subtle but in harmful ways. This stereotyping is manifested in people’s actions, values, language, and attitude. These prejudicial reactions are from time to time demonstrated under the guise of charity or pity, whereby people think they are kind and helpful. In essence, misfortune can turn out to be very harmful for the reason that it can perpetuate a perspective and an attitude that tends to devalue individuals with a disability.

2.2. The ways the members of the disabled community are affected by stereotyping

The people with disability are affected both positively and negatively by these stereotypes. One of the adverse effects is a stigma. Discrimination and loss of status occur when stigma interferes with the ability of an individual to participate fully in the economic as well as social life of their community. The victims experience enacted stigma when they are discriminated against and lose status due to stereotyping (Egan, 2012). The stigma affects both those in possession of the stigmatizing characteristics as well as their close family members. Stereotyping is leading to the discouragement of honest disclosure of experience and feelings, being continuously judged leads to anger and even frustration by the disabled community. Stereotypes have prompted discrimination and prejudice from others. The threat of being identified with a stereotype that is negative can be an aspect that is ever-present since it puts a person in the spotlight and it generates anxiety and tension about performance. Furthermore, the treatment of the group with disability and the behavior of the society towards them had historically, segregated and limited the individuals with an enormous potential for their communities and culture (Breeding et al., 2013).

Conversely, presenting counter-stereotypical information about the people with disability has trimmed down the use of negative stereotypes in forming a judgment about and attitude toward the disabled. Most of the incapacitated people have learned to integrate their disability into a positive perception of self. They have achieved this by actively claiming that their disorder and impairment are integral parts of who they are by disclosing them immediately to others. Some disabled individuals’ use their condition has identifying marks. The information that assists in making a disabled individual feel more like a person and provides knowledge about the individual reduces the effects of stereotyping (Olkin, 2012). The people with disability have also developed remarkable patience with other people’s stereotyping reactions. As such, they have noticed that a liaison that begins in an awkward manner can improve with time. It is a common experience for non-disabled people to not get along with the disabled ones. However, they begin to respect them over time. Additionally, the disabled people may as well simply get used to the negative stereotype towards them. This is because although stereotyping may seem weird, it might turn out to be normal to them because they have dealt with such reactions for a whole lifetime. These include the assumptions that the ability of the disabled people to live a life full and their value to life is weakened because of their condition (Guadalupe & Lum, 2005).

2.3. Actions disabled people have taken to dispel stereotype against them

Stangor (2000) pointed out that, naturally, it will not be easy to change prejudice and stereotype. This is because such transformation will need to overcome cognitive processes such as memory and behavioral confirmation, interpretation, and biased information, and biased information searches all of which work to maintain stereotype intact. For this reason, in more and more countries, the disabled people have taken steps to persuade their government to pass civil rights laws. This is meant to dispel the stereotype against them because implementing such laws will help to improve the way people treat the disabled. Numerous reports show that the people with disability are exempted even from the most basic human rights. For this reason, the disabled community is taking various measures at organizing themselves and working to ensure greater inclusion for all individuals who are disabled (Light, 2000).

Additionally, the disabled community has as well taken various social steps to dispel the stereotype. On this note, they have managed to command public support and attention for their unique features. The social model implies that each with a disability has the right to be part of the society. In regards to the social model, it not the disabled people that need to change but rather the community. The objective for this advocacy is to empower the disabled people and to achieve social justice. The social actions taken by the incapacitated groups assist people to correct the conditions that are unjust to the debilitated people. The banding together of the group to achieve social justice presents them with the opportunity for responsible and active participation as well as empowerment in the public realm (Tipton, 2013).

Application

3.1. Plan to address stereotyping against the disabled

The people with disability rightly expect the society to treat them considerately and equitably and the law should support this anticipation. For this reason, the government needs to increase the awareness of practices, policies, and legislation that address the issues of stereotyping the people with disability. Furthermore, the government should identify the laws, which contribute to discrimination and stigma that also lead to stereotyping the disabled people. In this case, they should write policy papers that recommend the required changes in the policies, which, in turn, will eliminate or reduce stereotyping. Additionally, the government also needs to implement a disability policy, which will be officially recognized. This will be essential for the attainment of equality. Such laws will establish the fundamental structure from which justice mechanisms can be formed. Many individuals with a disability are economically as well as socially marginalized. For this reason, the government to implement reforms at the system level so as to ensure that the disabled communities have more equitable opportunities to partake in decisions, employment, as well as the decisions influencing them.

In regards to accessibility, the eradication of stereotyping against the disabled individuals calls for the elimination of various obstacles. For instance, there is the lack of access to communication and information and the inaccessibility of the physical environment. Having access to the built environment is critical to the likelihood of disabled people to enjoy the full equality and participation in society. While taking actions to decrease stereotypes, increase balance, and increase societal understanding of the group, the government need to involve the people with disability when carrying out such operations. This is because they are the ones who have the ability to present the decision-makers with the knowledge as well as the insight into the requirements, the needs, and the problems of the people with disability. Besides, the participation of individuals with a disability in the decision-making and policy formulation of the national plans of actions that will ensure the decrease in a stereotype is also vital. It is critical since it will ensure the adoption of the programs on the equalization of opportunities.

Furthermore, to decrease stereotypes, increase equality, and increase societal understanding of the group, the government also needs to give the people with a disability the same opportunities enjoyed by the non-disabled people. This includes contributing to participating in the full range of political, cultural, social, and economic activities. The disabled people should also get access to the facilities, services, and goods offered by businesses. Campbell and Oliver (2013) argued that the people with disability have the same rights as those who are disabled in their societies. The regime is responsible for promoting as well as protecting those rights. Clearly, the social and charity services are not enough to eliminate the stereotyping that the people with disability face in the society. It is also evident that although the existing human rights instruments present significant potential to further the rights of individuals with a disability, this endeavor is not being sufficiently adopted. For this reason, there is the need for the government to implement a document that is legally binding so as to explicitly out the obligation of the state to promote and to protect the rights of the disabled people.

The government needs to consider the recommendation of the Disability Convention, which is a human rights mechanism that primarily reaffirms that all individuals will all types of disabilities, must enjoy the freedoms as well as human rights. This should be provided on an equal basis to the ones who are non-disabled. Therefore, to decrease stereotypes, increase equality, and increase societal understanding of the group, the states also need to take the required steps to warrant the provision of “reasonable accommodation.” The reasonable accommodation involves the proper and essential adjustments and modification that does not impose undue or disproportional burden where required in a particular case. This will guarantee that the people with a disability enjoy life on an equal basis concerning with other society members (Devlieger, 2016).

These actions would work because they will ensure the creation of the social order, which is fairer to the people with disability. The steps would also work because they are compatible with the objective to decrease stereotypes, increase equality, and increase societal understanding of the group for the disabled community in an advantageous manner. As such, the disabled community, as well as the society as a whole, will benefit considerably.

What you have learned from the assignment

From this assignment, what I have learned about myself is that in some point I had unknowingly treated an individual less well due to reasons related to their disability. I have learned that although this stereotype was not intentional, it was still not right. What I have learned about the society in regards to this assignment is that their attitudes and ideas lead to the stereotyping of the disabled people. The attitudes of the society are very pervasive in affecting how they treat the disabled people and the expectations the society puts on them. Furthermore, what I have learned about the disability group is that the society has made them feel that they are dependent and pathetic. They are always presented as people who are very much deserving of one’s sympathy, and they are perceived to be very innocent. On this note, I have learned that there is a strong stereotype the disabled do not play a considerable role in the society for the reason that they do not have the capability to do it. The common perception about the disabled is that they are portrayed as people in constant need of care and at the same time poor. My understanding of how the stereotype exists and persists is attributed to the media, which continue to give the society the impression that when you are a disabled individual, you can provide for yourself and need handouts from the community. They are portrayed as illiterate, ill, or sick (Davis & Watson, 2002).

References

Breeding, M., Whitworth, J. E., Hood, D., & Whitworth, J. (2013). Let All the Little Children Come to Me. David C Cook.

Campbell, J., & Oliver, M. (2013). Disability politics: understanding our past, changing our future. Routledge.

Davis, J., & Watson, N. (2002). Countering stereotypes of disability: Disabled children and resistance. Disability/postmodernity: Embodying disability theory, 159-74.

Della Fina, V., Cera, R., & Palmisano, G. (Eds.). (2017). The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: A Commentary. Springer.

Devlieger, P. (2016). Rethinking disability. World perspectives in culture and society. 2nd, rev. ed. Leuven: Garant Uitgevers.

Egan, C. (2012). The visibility of disability: experiences of stigma among wheelchair users.

Guadalupe, K. L., & Lum, D. (2005). Multidimensional contextual practice: diversity and transcendence. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Jaeger, P. T., & Bowman, C. A. (2005). Understanding disability: inclusion, access, diversity, and civil rights. Westport, CT: Praeger.

Light, R. (2000). Civil Rights Law and Disabled People. Disability Awareness in Action.

Livneh, H. (2012). On the origins of negative attitudes toward people with disabilities. The Psychological and Social Impact of Physical Disability, supra note, 70.

Nario‐Redmond, M. R. (2010). Cultural stereotypes of disabled and non‐disabled men and women: Consensus for global category representations and diagnostic domains. British Journal of Social Psychology, 49(3), 471-488.

Olkin, R. (2012). What psychotherapists should know about disability. Guilford Press.

O'Shea, M. S., Girón, J. M., Cabrera, L., Lescano, A. G., & Taren, D. L. (2012). Public perceptions of intellectual disability in a shantytown community in Lima, Peru. International health, 4(4), 253-259.

Sherry, M. (2004). Overlaps and contradictions between queer theory and disability studies. Disability & Society, 19(7), 769-783.

Stangor, C. (2000). Stereotypes and prejudice: essential readings. Philadelphia: Psychology Press.

Tipton, H. (2013). Disability and Social Work Education, Practice and Policy Issues.

Wehmeyer, M. L. (2013). The Oxford handbook of positive psychology and disability. New York: Oxford University Press.