The Stigma of Mental Disabilities

Individuals with disability have had a long history of maltreatment in America. From being thought of as possessed individuals in need of exorcism, targeted for heinous experiments, unknowingly sterilized, being labeled imbecile, feeble minded, and retarded, to being shipped off to state schools or mental asylums, those with disabilities were given no consideration as a valuable and able to contribute member of society. In a speech to congress, Frank Bowe, a highly educated deaf-man highlighted this claim by stating, “we are not even second-class citizens, we are third-class citizens” (Bowe, F. 1977--need citation), and Jim Cherry (2001) furthered the ideal in his words, that prior to “1970 we [disabled citizens] had no right to education, to employment, to transportation, to housing, or to voting. There were no civil rights laws for us, no federal advocacy grants. Few people looked beyond our medical needs” (Cherry, J.L, 2001 http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/0701/0701cov.htm). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 attempted to fundamentally change how disabled people were reguarded.

The topic in regards to the disabled worker is of interest to the author. The commentary is titled “Accommodation for Disabled Workers: Knowledge of Rights a Good Start” at the Rand Corporation blog by author Kathleen Mullen. The article describes how employees quitting their jobs because of healthcare decline and applying for social security benefits. As a number of social security benefits increase it puts US funding at risk. The author knows several disabled workers that are faced with working with a health-related disability. Additionally, they are challenged to take care of their families in spite of their disability. The disabled subgroup often expresses that they feel misunderstood by the world. The disabled person is betwixt and in between.; society expects the

In terms of young children and adolescents, the correlation with mental illness can lead to feelings of decreased self-esteem and a lack of ability to make friends- thus leading to further issues proceeding into adulthood. Another reason why this is such a detrimental problem is due to the perception that individuals with intellectual disability are simply “objects of pity” (Reynolds, & Dombeck, 2016), incapable of becoming contributing members of society. Thus, the expectation for their development and growth are pessimistic, which reinforces these negative stigmas and stereotypes (2016). There have been many societal changes that have been enforced to help fight against these negative stigmas. The 1960s was a decade of great social change. These changes included an emerging tolerance for, and acceptance of, all persons with disabilities (2016). More recently, in 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed, which lead to heightened social awareness and subsequently improved the quality of life for people with disabilities

Invisible disabilities are exactly what they seem to be: hidden from view. Invisible disabilities come in almost endless varieties, including mental illnesses, HIV, AIDS, diabetes, learning disabilities, epilepsy, and more. While there may be visible components to these disabilities, all of them can be virtually invisible and “hidden” from view. People often make assumptions based on what is visibly seen, so when someone is suffering from something invisible, it is assumed that the person is fine, because they appear to be fine. This assumption causes the reinforcement of stereotypes and prejudice that form misconceptions regarding invisible disabilities. Despite these physical and psychological

The challenges we face with access of care can extremely discriminate and damaging to individuals, families, and communities. Barriers of accommodation, availability, accessibility and acceptability are obstructions that need to be demolished. 28% of insured people with disabilities reported needing particular therapies, equipment or medications that were not covered by their health plans, compared to 7 percent of those without disabilities (N.O.D, 2000). Enforcement efforts recently have failed to bring a need change to the healthcare access for disable people. Regardless of their disability, they should have access to affordable, comprehensive, and adaptive

In today’s world, over a billion people – about one-fifth of the world’s population, experience disability. Every day, people with disabilities are suffered and challenged, not only because of their disabilities but because of people who discriminate against them. Throughout history, disability discrimination had long been deeply implanted in every aspect of life. As a result, disabled people frequently live on the margins of society and dispossess of numerous lives’ fundamental experiences. Obviously, the tremendous negative effects of discrimination against special needs on people as well as on wider society are shooting the wake-up call for both governments and individuals who should have a responsibility for seeking solutions to overcome these social problems.

The majority of people that have a severe mental illness are object to challenges in double measure. From one point of view, they wrestle with the symptoms and disablement that result from the illness. From another point, they are tested by the stereotypes and preconceived ideas that stem from the misunderstandings about mental illness. As a culmination of both, people with a mental illness are stripped of the chances that define a quality life such as a good job, safe housing, adequate health care, and a connection with a varied group of people. Although research has gone a long way to understand the affect of the disease, it only recently has begun to explain the stigma of mental illness (Corrigan). The lives of people who are living with a mental illness are many times drastically adjusted by the symptoms of the illness and everyone’s response to them. While symptoms can normally be diminished by a number of actions, the intrinsic stigma and prejudice that comes with mental illness may continue on for a lifetime and can manifest themselves in a number of understated and non-understated ways. Normally, when one thinks of a stigma, they think of disgrace that is associated with a particular event, circumstance, or occasion. People with a mental illness are most often branded as an effect of their behavior, appearance, therapy, their economic status, and also the negative depictions in the media of the mental illnesses. People with a mental illness often have a “stereotype

Americans with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the United States. Approximately fifty million people in the United States live with physical or mental handicaps. This minority group is unique in that it is made up of people from all socioeconomic classes, genders and races. Mental and physical impairments do not discriminate. As with other minorities, Americans with disabilities face unique challenges and discriminatory behaviors. For centuries, disabled people had to battle irrational fears and stereotypes due to the lack of medical understanding. The first demand for equal treatment for disabled people came in the 1960s. The struggle for disability rights has followed a similar pattern to many other civil rights movements – first negative stereotypes must be challenged, followed rallying for political and institutional change and lobbying for the self-determination of a minority community. As a result the examples of the African American civil rights and women’s rights movements encouraged the disability rights movement, and after decades of campaigning and lobbying, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was passed in 1990.

One of the sections of this chapter that really stuck out for me was the Etiology of learning disabilities which explains the variety of reason behind disabilities such as: Acquired Trauma, medical factors, Genetic/Hereditary influences, and environmental factors. I am sure many people can agree that the stigma surrounding learning disabilities is usually pointed toward the child being born with the disease and not everyone considers the many other factors which cause these defects.

People suffering from mental illness and other problems are often the most discriminated, socially excluded, stigmatized, and vulnerable members of the society. They have to constantly struggle and face a double problem. Firstly, they have to struggle with the symptoms of the mental illness itself. They may face with problems such as illusions, delusions, hallucinations and other symptoms, which depend on a particular mental disorder. These symptoms do not allow the person to live a satisfactory life. They do not allow the person to work and independently achieve something in their life. And secondly, they are challenged by several stereotypes and prejudices, which gradually result in many misconceptions about mental illness known as “stigma”. Therefore, mental illness results not only in the difficulties arising from the symptoms of the disorder but also in the negative attitudes and beliefs that motivates the people to fear, reject, avoid and exclusion of people with mental illness. Some people with mental illness could lose self confidence, accept the prejudices and may also turn them against themselves. This is referred to as ‘self-stigma’, loosening the confidence of the person suffering with mental illness.

Not all children with disabilities are the same, some are able to learn in a normal classroom setting while others may need a more accommodating setting. The mandate ensures that if able a child with learning disabilities can and will learn in a normal classroom setting. In my opinion this can only help the child, it will push them harder and show them that they are able to succeed in a “normal” classroom setting. Another factor is that students will see that a child with disabilities is no different from you or I and could very well help change the way teens and adults stigmatize people with disabilities.

When composing this essay, it was my intention to address and argue an issue within America that hinders the lives of many individuals whose voices are often times pushed to the side. My argument is in direct correlation to one particular issue within America that creates a divide between many individuals. The main claim is going to help me to generate my argument in which I will support with various subclaims, that will help me to support my claim through my paper. To allow me to do this I will search databases and plan to accumulate various pieces of evidence that I plan to use to promote each of my subclaims, that will, in turn, prove my central claim. One of the obvious flaws within the United States is healthcare, but more specifically health care failure to be as accessible to people with disabilities. There is overwhelming evidence that individuals with physical or mental disabilities are usually left without proper treatment because of the high costs. While our resources are spending, millions on people who don't really need all those resources to survive everyday life. One of the underlying issues within healthcare is America's inability to properly and efficiently provide individuals with disabilities the proper resources or funding. On one hand, some people will argue that our health care provides them with all that they need to live day to day lives. However, some people feel that handicapable people are denied proper treatment and often ignored. My argument is

While not outwardly condemning laws regarding disability rights, Bernstein dedicates her article to the negative effects that have come from expanding the amount of disabilities covered in said laws. In an attempt to ban discrimination against people with disabilities, Congress passed the ADA in 1990 (Bernstein 124). However, in 2008, “Congress broadened the scope” of the ADA and the new version was called the ADA Amendments Act or ADAAA (Bernstein 124). Under this new act, significantly more conditions could be considered a disability and more people could receive compensation benefits (Bernstein 126). Bernstein believes the ADAAA has hindered people with disabilities from finding a job because employers “fear hiring those who have even the slightest “disability,” instead increasing the rate of unemployment for those with real disabilities” (126). Employers are becoming increasingly cautious of hiring those who have a disability because of the possible litigations and lawsuits that could follow them. This is due to the fact that many ailments and conditions that were not initially considered disabilities are now thought to be a disability. Some people with these conditions are saying they are

The society’s judgment and biasness for the disabled in the past was no more different than their hatred for colored people. Fortunately now for both, disabled and colored people, there have been numerous changes within society due to the management and treatment for these people. In Essig’s article, “A Media Fad for the 1990s?(People with Disabilities Becoming Media Celebrities)”, stated that in previous years disabilities were meant to be ignored and kept in closets and parents of

Prior to the course, Perspectives on disability, my understanding of disability was a fundamental, concept of disability, in which I knew it existed, and also have seen and interacted with people considered to have a disability. I never took a deep look at all the social and political factors that exist within the spectrum of disability. This course has allowed me to examine all aspects of disability, which has changed my view and approach of what a disability is and how it is viewed. "Historically, disability has been viewed fundamentally as a persoal tragedy, which has resulted in diasbled people being seen as objects of pity or in need of charity. They have been subject to descriminatory policies and practices in which the predominant images of passivity and helplesness reinforced their inferior status"(Barton 4). Uncovering the framework of disability, by studying the historical, soicial political and educational standpoint, I see the intricacies in which gives me a greater understanding and awareness of the topic.