Psychosocial Challenges with Physical Handicap Person PDF

Psychosocial Challenges with Physical Handicap Person What are the significant challenges faced by individuals with physical disabilities? 1- Limited accessibility Access to public spaces, transportation, and buildings remains a persistent challenge for people with disabi...

Psychosocial Challenges with Physical Handicap Person What are the significant challenges faced by individuals with physical disabilities? 1- Limited accessibility Access to public spaces, transportation, and buildings remains a persistent challenge for people with disabilities. Inadequate infrastructure and a lack of universally designed environments often create obstacles, limiting the mobility and independence of individuals with disabilities. 2- Education Despite legislative efforts to promote inclusive education, barriers persist within educational institutions. Inaccessible facilities, a lack of appropriate accommodations, and a shortage of trained educators contribute to the academic challenges faced by students with disabilities. 3- Employment The job market can be particularly challenging for individuals with disabilities. Discrimination, inaccessible workplaces, and lack of accommodations often limit their employment opportunities. Addressing these issues requires a concerted effort from both employers and policymakers. 4- Healthcare Access to quality healthcare can be compromised for people with disabilities. Barriers may include physical inaccessibility of healthcare facilities, lack of accessible information, and the neglect of specific healthcare needs. Bridging this gap is essential for ensuring the overall well-being of individuals with disabilities. Book an appointment with the best orthopedic hospital in Coimbatore if you are looking for advanced care and treatment for any motor disabilities.  5- Financial strains Living with a disability can incur additional costs, such as medical expenses, assistive devices, and specialized care. Financial strain is a common challenge, and social support systems must be strengthened to alleviate the economic burden faced by individuals and their families. 6- Technological gaps While technology has the potential to empower individuals with disabilities, there is a significant gap in access. Not all assistive technologies are affordable or readily available, limiting the ability of people with disabilities to leverage the full range of technological advancements. 7- Transportation challenges Public transportation systems are often not designed with the needs of individuals with disabilities in mind. Insufficient accommodations, such as wheelchair ramps and audible announcements, create barriers to independent mobility 8- Mental health considerations The emotional toll of living with a disability should not be underestimated. Individuals may face higher rates of depression, anxiety, and social isolation. Mental health support tailored to the unique challenges of disabilities is crucial for overall well-being. Negative Social Perceptions - Unconscious Bias Unconscious biases are preexisting judgments that an individual holds toward a certain group of people. These prejudices lay underneath conscious awareness and often occur automatically. In fact, most unconscious biases are formed from past experiences with similar individuals. While the concept of unconscious bias is generally used to discuss unfair treatments of and prejudice against minority groups on the basis of gender, race, or ethnicity, unconscious bias also applies to conversations about the disabled community. Studies show that many people exhibit unconscious bias toward disabled people and tend to unfairly favor abled people over PWD (people with disabilities) For example, Harvard University conducted an experiment from April 2004 to December 2015 that tested participants’ unconscious bias toward disabled people through surveys and sorting experiments requiring active participation. Of the 305,739 experiment participants, 68% of participants showed ―some‖ automatic preference for abled people compared to disabled people, with 37% of participants exhibiting a ―strong‖ automatic preference for abled people. In other words, participants who showed a preference for abled people unconsciously reinforced their beliefs of the superiority of abled people over PWDs. Unconscious biases trigger a multitude of consequences and can influence behavior, preferences in social circles, legislation, and employment opportunities. - Media Perceptions Social perceptions of PWDs are further distorted in various forms of media, which reinforce incorrect and occasionally negative and harmful stereotypes about PWDs. These stereotypes are dangerous because they ―distort reality—constituting a real barrier not only to understanding but also to the transformation of society that is really needed to embrace disability and not reject it out of fear and loathing.‖ One example of these negative stereotypes is found in the major motion picture, Me before You, a story about a quadriplegic man who chooses assisted suicide after finding his life devoid of meaning. As one quadriplegic reviewer stated in his review in The Chicago Tribune, ―the hazardous risk in movies like [Me Before You] is that it romanticizes and glamorizes an early exit for those who already feel marginalized, who feel they are living on borrowed time... the blatant subtext of Me Before You... only makes people like me feel we have to justify our preference not to commit suicide. In this right-to-die climate, we’re forced to defend our right to live, albeit as expensive, high-maintenance disabled folks.‖71 As the United Nations points out, PWDs are ―often negatively stereotyped and not appropriately represented‖72 in the media. Movies such as Me before You treat PWDs as ―objects of pity, charity or medical treatment that [must] overcome a tragic and disabling condition or conversely, presented as superheroes who have accomplished great feats, so as to inspire the non-disabled.‖ This type of incorrect or idealized representation presented in the media is not only damaging to the self- perceptions of PWDs but can also contribute to the maintaining of incorrect perceptions about PWDs in the minds of the general population. Social Exclusion One frequently overlooked consequence of having a disability is social exclusion. As one scholar notes, social exclusion among PWDs is a complex issue, because a PWD can be socially accepted in certain settings, such as within their immediate family, but may simultaneously experience social exclusion in other facets of their lives, such as at the workplace or in their local community. Additionally, social exclusion can happen to PWDs at any stage of their lives, including at young ages and while in elementary school. One study conducted in Ontario, Canada, interviewed fifteen elementary school students with cerebral palsy. The study found that the children were victims of ―implicit‖ social exclusion, meaning that their peers were simply unaware of their disability or that the students with cerebral palsy required accommodations. Children who experienced implicit social exclusion, then, were excluded simply because they were unable to participate. This inability to participate was often due to a lack of accommodation that, if remedied, would allow the child to be included in activities with other students. Another type of exclusion observed in the study was ―explicit‖ or intentional social exclusion, accomplished through methods such as ―verbal and physical bullying.‖ Although this study was conducted outside of the United States, the negative social experiences reported by these children illustrate the different types of harmful repercussions that children with disabilities may face.87 This study explained that children with disabilities are also more vulnerable to social exclusion because they tend to have fewer friendships, which would likely protect them against bullying. Adults with disabilities are also subject to social exclusion. In the realm of dating and marriage, some experts have asserted that people with more apparent physical disabilities or who use wheelchairs typically start dating at a later age and are married less often than people without disabilities. The first-marriage rate in the United States for people ages 18–49 is 48.9 per 1,000. However, this rate is almost exactly half for PWDs, sitting closer to 24.4 per 1,000 people, according to Philip Cohen, a sociologist at the University of Maryland–College Park. Although no explanation has been offered by the researchers themselves for this disparity, one possible reason might be due to the tendency of people without disabilities to create judgments based on stereotypes before getting to know the PWDs, causing them to refrain from dating PWDs. In fact, another study that examined how PWDs present themselves on online dating sites found that while some participants were upfront about their disabilities in their dating profile, others preferred to wait to disclose information about their disability. These participants feared that nondisabled users would not consider or even reject them based solely on the fact that they had a disability. Childhood bullying and struggles with dating as an adult are only two examples of the wider umbrella of social exclusion, but these issues demonstrate how social exclusion too often stems as a consequence of having a disability. Dealing With Negative Stereotypes and Perceptions Another consequence of having a disability closely related to social exclusion is being subject to negative stereotypes and perceptions. Negative stereotypes about PWDs can be reinforced through the media or through a personal experience that an individual has involving a person with a disability. The consequences of these harmful stereotypes can be detrimental for PWDs in several areas of life, including in the workplace and in social circles. One study conducted in Australia, which reviewed several studies from multiple countries, asserted that negative stereotypes of PWDs ―greatly affect their inclusion in their communities and their capacity to achieve basic goals.‖ Some of these negative stereotypes include beliefs that PWDs have a less important place in society or that PWDs are unable to contribute positively to their local communities. These stereotypes, among others, prompt people without disabilities to distance themselves from PWDs, leading to social exclusion and isolation. Additionally, negative perceptions of PWDs could be one reason for the high unemployment rates of PWDs, as two-thirds of the unemployed disabled population have expressed that they are searching for employment but have not been hired. A review of multiple studies concluded that negative perceptions held by managers toward PWDs was a critical factor in the decision not to hire a person with a disability. Furthermore, one survey given to employers exposed common unfavorable perceptions that employers held toward PWDs, including that PWDs require job accommodations, take more time to learn new tasks, and make other employees uncomfortable.