powerpoint_ch12_Ability.pptx

Chapter 12 Ability Ability  Persons with disabilities (PWDs): • Do not view themselves negatively • Are just as likely to lead full and happy lives as are more able-bodied people  Even so, prejudice and discrimination are a fact of life for PWDs Defining Disability  Disability –physical or m...

Chapter 12 Ability Ability  Persons with disabilities (PWDs): • Do not view themselves negatively • Are just as likely to lead full and happy lives as are more able-bodied people  Even so, prejudice and discrimination are a fact of life for PWDs Defining Disability  Disability –physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities of an individual, a record of such an impairment, or being regarded as having such an impairment  Disability is a social construct Ableism  Persons with disabilities experience ableism: • A prejudice against or disregard for the needs of persons with disabilities • Is created by social, political, and environmental obstacles that turn impairments into disabilities Limitations of the Stigma of Disability Research  Researchers: • Focuses on those with visible impairments that are relatively permanent • Base findings on self-report • Employ confederates to gauge people’s reactions to PWDs:  But they often aren’t disabled themselves • Focus on one-time interactions Original Survey Questions Revised Questions (Person Oriented) (Environment Oriented) What complaint causes your difficulty in holding, gripping, or turning things? What defects in the design of everyday equipment like jars, bottles and tin cans causes you difficulty in hold, gripping, or turning them? Are you having difficulties in understanding people mainly due to a hearing problem? Are your difficulties in understanding people mainly due to their inabilities to communicate with you? Does your health problem/disability mean that Are community services so poor that you need to rely you need to live with relatives or someone else on relatives or someone else to provide you with the who can help look after you? right level of personal assistance? How difficult is it for you to get about your What are the environmental constraints which make it immediate neighborhood on your own? difficult for you to get about in your immediate neighborhood? Does your health problem/disability make it difficult for you to travel by bus? Do poorly designed buses make it difficult for someone with your health problem/disability to use them? Attitudes Toward PWDs  College students’ explicit attitudes are generally positive  Attitudes vary by type of disability  However, PWD’s actual experiences don’t match these reported positive attitudes Stigma of Disability  Extent of stigma depends on a number of factors  Whether or not the disability is: • • • • Concealable Aesthetically appealing Controllable Potentially dangerous Employment Discrimination  Unemployment is much higher for those with a severe disability: • Poverty rate is also much higher  PWDs’ suitability for employment depends on the nature of their disability Anxiety about Interacting with PWDs  The nondisabled experience two types of anxiety • Aesthetic anxiety – fears engendered by people whose appearance deviates markedly from the usual human form or includes physical traits regarded as unappealing  Based in cultural beliefs about PWDs  Leads to shunning those who are physically unattractive Anxiety about Interacting with PWDs • Existential anxiety – perceived threat that a disability could interfere with functional capacities deemed necessary to the pursuit of a satisfied life:  Leads to the belief that PWDs are helpless and dependent Communication Between PWDs and the Nondisabled  As with older adults, people sometimes infantilize PWDs: • Stems from belief that PWDs need help or special considerations  Belief is based on good intentions: • But PWDs find it patronizing and infantilizing  Can lead to the problem of “overhelping”: • Can lead to greater dependence and reduced self-confidence Communication between PWDs and the Nondisabled  Most nondisabled individuals have had limited interactions with PWDs: • Leads to uncertainty about how to interact • Often leads to anxiety  Both nondisabled and disabled people feel awkward in social interactions that involve members of both groups Mental Illness  Stereotypes about people with mental illness include that they are: • • • • • • Withdrawn Depressed Tense Unpredictable Dangerous Aggressive  Attitudes toward mental illness are more negative than attitudes toward physical disabilities Perceived Controllability and Dangerousness  Beliefs about mental illness are influenced by how controllable people view the disorder to be  When mental illness is thought to be controllable, perceivers are more likely to: • Avoid a person with mental illness • Withhold help • Endorse coercive treatment  Perceived danger also influences attitudes toward people with mental illness The Experience of Mental Health Illness Discrimination  Mental illness is usually concealable and people often choose not to disclose it  Many experience discrimination because of their mental illness  However, experiences of fair treatment are also common