My Life as a Quadriplegic College Student Essay

There are many places that do make things wheelchair friendly, and large businesses often have bathrooms a good size for many wheelchairs. At fast food places and such they often have the touch screen soda machines, which have the wheelchair button so that the shorter people can reach. Places like Children's Miracle Network, which helps with expenses. The Make-A-Wish Foundation that maybe doesn't help with ableism, but helps the kids have a happier life. There are ways to help stop ableism as well, such as being sure the disabled are able to get places, and if there's a way to help them out, even if it's something simple, to do those things helps them feel less segregated, and more like the human beings they are. Be careful not to speak to them in a childish voice and to not look at one and say “i can't believe you're out here doing this! If I was you I would be at home sulking.” They are stuck the way they are, not to be an inspiration or depressing, sometimes they just are. There needs to be people standing for those who cannot. To speak for the silent, and listen like the deaf to understand the misunderstood. Then, someday soon, we will not have to worry about

* Following a SCI, the first priority is often to help the patient develop as much possible strength in the

This was an eye-opener for us to advocate for public transportation especially the bus to be modified to accommodate persons with physical disability using a wheelchair. A lift or a ramp could be provided for easy boarding of the bus. Additional space

Many people these days take their health and body for granted. Imagine losing the ability to walk suddenly due to an accident or a disease. This is exactly what had happened to Nancy Mairs, author of the essay “On Being a Cripple.” She herself had lost her ability to walk normally when she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis or MS, a chronic disease that attacks the central nervous system. Her essay talks about her life and dealing with MS. The purpose of the essay is to show how being crippled affects your life and how to stay positive and deal with it.

Many places now have adapted well for those with disabilities and have for example opened up corridors and made slops for those using physical aids such as sticks, frames and wheelchairs enabling those with disabilities able to join in with social events with others.

The writer of “On Being a Cripple” by Nancy Mairs, describes her life as difficult, but not entirely worth the cure. The writer struggles with multiple sclerosis, a chronic degenerative disease of the central nervous system, in which had weakened the left side of her body into wearing a cane. She experiences society pressures, false interactions, and many hard situations of having a body that hardly works. However, she carefully names herself as a “cripple”, and remains proud with being just that. The author never had any control over receiving this disease, however she had enough control in order to keep living with it.

Carole Lauren is a 44 year old mother of two, a wife, and a school teacher by profession. Her story began 21 months ago when she had a cerebrovascular accident that left her hemiplegic. Almost two years passed since the event. Carole regained most of the lost function in her left leg, ankle, and foot. However, she still has limited function in her left arm and hand. She also has difficulty organizing her thoughts and read her message from a paper. Her story is about a journey through the health care system.

The researched proposal by Manasi Deshpande entitled “A Call to Improve Campus Accessibility for the Mobility Impaired,” is a reasonable argument, by this student, to improve campus accessibility at the University of Texas. I believe this student supports her argument very well by using interviews and campus observations. The proposal emphasizes the challenges students with mobility impairments encounter while attending classes on campus. Ms. Deshpande includes her personal experiences, as well as the experiences of fellow students as supporting evidence. Frankly, it was a bit shocking to learn this student changed her major due to accessibility issues. This fact alone should be a strong argument for change. The proposal details the benefits for improving campus accessibility not only for students, but also faculty. Moreover, Ms. Deshpande adds to her argument by including statistics regarding the

In today's world, one would assume that America is hitting all the marks, when in reality we are falling short in what may count the most. We are not meeting the basic needs of our largest minority group, mentally and physically disabled people. Lack of accessibility is a difficult hurdle for both physically and cognitively disabled people. Lawmakers have a duty to everyone in America, not just the able, and encouraging accessibility in the public is the first step in the right direction.

Unspeakable Conversations by Harriet McBryde Johnson is an article about her experience visiting Princeton University to exchange views and challenge Peter Singer, a professor who strongly believes that all disabled people, like herself, are “better off” not been born at all. The article provides an insight into Johnson’s life as a disabled person. She takes the readers on a journey that explores both sides of her own and Singer’s contrasting beliefs. She protests the prevalent stigma and prejudice of disabled people and gives voice to this marginalized community. Johnson challenges stereotypes of disability, uses her a personal experience to better understand the world and help others, and attempts to directly address oppression by arguing against Professor Singer’s theory and assemble a group of diverse and like-minded people for social change.

The former US President Bill Clinton said, “New information and communications technologies can improve the quality of life for people with disabilities, but only if such technologies are designed from the beginning, so that everyone can use them.” Discussing disabilities in general will take longer than one day. I am going to talk about physical disabilities .As the Longman dictionary defines physical disability is a limitation of a person 's physical functioning, mobility, dexterity and stamina. The issue of disability is not just a matter that concerns disabled people. It has been the problem for ages in the American history and if it is not controlled it can cause big fight. When someone is disabled, it does not mean that he or she cannot be educated. According to the Washington Post, education is the breath of life, without it man cannot survive. Education is free in America, which means everyone can obtain an equal education. One would ask if colleges have gone too far to accommodate students with disabilities. Colleges have not gone far enough to support the disabled.

Over the course of this semester, I have come to the realization that above all, students with disabilities need to be treated with the respect and dignity that one would give any other child. This is why it is important to talk to and about people that have disabilities with “people first” language (Evans, Civil Rights Final Day, 9.17.16). This stems from the idea that a perceived disability is just one of a person’s many attributes. Students with disabilities are people that have individual abilities, interests, and needs. By using “people first” language, one emphasizes the importance of the individual over their diagnosed disability. According to The Arc, an organization that advocates for people with disabilities, “the language in a society used to refer to persons with disabilities shapes its beliefs and ideas about them” (The Arc, 2016). Using “people first” language not only ensures the person in question knows that they are valued, but it also helps set a precedent for the perception of people with disabilities in one’s environment. It also gives the student the opportunity to define his/herself, instead of being identified solely with their disability (The Arc, 2016).

In the United States today, there are over fifty-one million disabled adults and children. Throughout our nation’s history, we have not allowed the best treatment and care for these numerous citizens. But, in the recent past, the government has passed laws, made exceptions, and thoroughly tried to provide accommodations to these people with special needs. While this is true, America, as a whole, still views this group as strange or different. Even though this is exceptionally normal, it is not correct. The United States needs to be opened up to the truth about their fellow American citizens. The people of America ought to understand that these disabilities affect not only those who are disabled, but that it affects the family and friends

Spinal cord injury is a serious problem that effects close to 250,000 people in the United States with 10,000 people being injured per year . There are many things that can lead to spinal cord injury, including athletic injuries, car accidents, and recreational activities like swimming and biking. It primarily effects those between the ages of 16 and 30 and drastically effects the rest of their lives. It is a very debilitating injury that requires extensive medical care, often leaves the patients in a great deal of pain for the rest of their lives(2), and the treatment of which costs $10 billion dollars a year in the US.(facts from site 1) With all of these factors spurring research on there is a strong drive to

Another obvious physical disability is an individual's confinement to a wheelchair. People who cannot walk under their own power are usually at a great disadvantage. Many times there are no special considerations made for these people. Even some typical expressions demonstrate this lack of compassion, such as "I have to run to the store", or "I'm going for a walk." People in wheelchairs are often considered weak and unable to care for themselves. However, some advances have been made in our society that encourages the independence of these people. Wheelchair ramps, handicap parking, and cuts in the curb of sidewalks are just some of the more obvious changes that have been made to better accommodate these people. But some problems may still occur for people in wheelchairs. Some hallways and doors may not be wide enough for the chair to fit through and when it is icy outside it is very easy to slide if the pavement is not sanded properly.