Perception of Society on Differently Abled People

Abstract

Differently able means a state where a person might be physically or mentally challenged but can do a task in a different way than a normal person. The term “Disabled” was substituted with the new word “Differently able” focusing the fact that though they are challenged in a way they still are capable of performing tasks in a different manner. This report tries to find out the status of differently-abled people, society perceptions towards them and explain the challenges and opportunities for them. People with disabilities face many challenges when integrating into the workforce, overcoming co-workers and employers’ negative attitudes and perceptions is one such challenge.

Keywords: Differently abled, society, perception

The world worries more about disabled people than disabled people do.

-Warwick Davis

The quote means that society are more concerned about differently people than the disabled themselves. Over the years, perceptions towards disability have varied significantly from one community to another. Limited literature in disability history, however, continues to pose a great challenge to students of disability studies in their endeavor to trace the development and formation of perceptions toward persons with disabilities. The terminology used to describe people with disabilities has been changing along with changes in society’s attitudes. Very old terms include; idiot, imbecile and moron. These terms were replaced with “mentally retarded” and “disabled”. In recent years, it has become important to emphasize the individual, not the person’s disability; e.g., “individuals with mental retardation” rather than “mentally retarded people.” People with disabilities want to be recognized for their abilities, not their disabilities. Some individuals prefer the term “differently abled” rather than disabled. According to the World Health Organization(WHO), 15% of the world’s population (1 billion) is estimated to live with some form of disability(World Tourism Organization network,2015). In order to encourage social justice against discrimination and social exclusion- a major problem still faced by differently-abled people in developing countries like our Nepal where hospitality and tourism is a great sources of economic empowerment. United Nation Word Tourism Organization (UNTWO) has outlined rules and regulations worldwide to ensure that differently-abled people are included in tourism and hospitality development and societal planning. Due to the lack of proper knowledge regarding the nutrition, most of the people in rural areas give birth to differently-abled people in our country. In 2011,94% of the total population of Nepal reported having a disability, According to the Nepal Census. Despite the growing population of differently-abled people, they are still unemployed and treated as a burden to their family and society. Though they can do something in a better way, they are not given opportunities or proper places where they can showcase their talents. They are being dominated by their own family, society and even the government as well. Most of the hotels are only focusing on the recruitment of highly qualified people, they are not focusing on the uniqueness on the hospitality business. Inadequate infrastructures, political instability and ineffective or weak promotion are the major obstructions for the differently abled people in the hospitality business in our country. Discrimination against individuals with disabilities appears to continue as a serious problem despite efforts, legislation, and identified benefits of hiring people with disabilities (Geng-qing & Qu, 2003; Ruggeri-Stevens & Goodwin, 2007; Stokes, 1990). It seems that certain individual characteristics (past working experiences, own disability, frequent exposure, and gender) affect individuals’ attitudes toward people with disabilities (Perry, Ivy, Conner, & Shelar, 2008; Unger, 2002) thus potentially leading to decreased discrimination. Employers who had worked in the past with people with disabilities had positive attitudes and were more willing to hire and integrate them into the workforce (Daruwalla & Darcy, 2005; Geng-qing & Qu, 2003; Gilbride, Stensrud, Vandergoot, & Golden, 2003; Unger).

Prior to the twentieth century, social attitudes reflected the view that persons with disabilities were unhealthy, defective and deviant. For centuries, society as a whole treated these people as objects of fear and pity. The prevailing attitude was that such individuals were incapable of participating in or contributing to society and that they must rely on welfare or charitable organizations.

Generally speaking, prior to the late 1800s, people with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism, and/or epilepsy resided at home and were cared for by their families. Life expectancy for severely and profoundly disabled individuals was not as long as it is today.

Beginning in the late 1800s, institutions were built by state and local administrative agencies to house people with developmental disabilities. These institutions were usually built on the outskirts of town. Societal attitudes fostered this segregating style of management. Unfortunately, segregation from society further stigmatizes people.

Florida Farm Colony for the Feebleminded and Epileptic was built in Gainesville, Florida in 1920. Management of residents was based on a “custodial” model. They were not integrated into community programs. Obviously, segregation from society is stigmatizing. Attitudes toward Disability

Negative societal attitudes toward people with disabilities are well-documented in the literature (Brodwin & Orange, 2002; Cook, 1998; Frank & Elliott, 2002; Livneh & Antoniak, 1997; Siller, 1976; Smart, 2001; Wang, Thomas, Chan, & Cheing, 2003). Because of the impact of societal attitudes on life experiences, opportunities, and help-seeking behaviors of people with disabilities, negative attitudes toward disability could be viewed as “invisible barriers” to successful rehabilitation (Chubon, 1982). For these reasons, the study of attitudes toward people with disability and validating effective attitude change strategies has continued to be an important topical research area in rehabilitation.

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An attitude is viewed as an evaluative statement (favorable or unfavorable) related to a person, object, or event. It is generally agreed that attitudes are composed of the following three components:

• Affective component (feelings—what one feels)
• Cognitive component (beliefs—what one thinks)
• Behavioral component (actual actions—what one does)

Other concepts related to attitude include stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. Allport (1968) defined stereotype as an “exaggerated belief associated with a category. Its function is to justify (rationalize) our conduct in relation to that category” (p. 191). The statement, “Asians are good at mathematics,” is an example of stereotypes held by some Americans. Prejudice is an “aversive or hostile attitude toward a person who belongs to a group simply because he belongs to that group, and is therefore presumed to have the objectionable qualities ascribed to in that group” (All- port, 1986, p. 7). Prejudice may be felt or expressed and may be directed to a group as a whole or to an individual because he or she is a member of that group. Discrimination is defined as the negative action that a person carries out, based on prejudice (Allport, 1954). Excluding people with psychiatric disabilities from employment, residential housing, and political rights are examples of discrimination (Smart, 2001). The term stigma refers to problems of knowledge (ignorance/stereotyping), attitude (prejudice), and behavior (discrimination) (Thornicroft, Rose, Kassam, & Sartorius, 2007). Stigma is a behavioral chain that starts from the stigmatizing mark (e.g., race/ethnicity, gender, disability), progresses through attitude structures (e.g., stereotypes and prejudices), and results in discrimination that is often harmful to individuals with disabilities (Lam, Tsang, Chan, & Corrigan, 2006). Grand, Bernier, and Strohmer (1982) indicated that the relationship between attitude and behavior is highly complex and modified by norms, contexts, habits, and expectations. In the context of disability, emotional, social, personality, and cultural factors also affect our attitudes toward people with disabilities (Livneh, 1982).

Likewise, the individual’s reaction to his or her disability (e.g., anxiety, depression, mourning, grief, denial, passivity, dependency, aggressiveness, withdrawal, compensation, and coping mechanisms) may also affect the reaction of people without disabilities (Livneh, 1982). Attitudinal Sources of Negative Attitudes toward Disability Livneh (1982, 1988) traced the origins of negative attitudes toward people with disabilities by reviewing the disability and rehabilitation literature and identified several major attitudinal sources that can be perceived in terms of cause-and-effect relationships by people without disabilities. An understanding of the complexity of the interacting factors contributing to the formation of negative attitudes toward people with disabilities may help researchers better develop and validate effective strategies for changing negative societal attitudes toward people with disabilities. The major Sociocultural conditioning. People are influenced by societal and cultural norms, standards, and expectations of physical attributes (e.g., beauty, physical ability, wholeness); productivity and achievements; socioeconomic status; and health status.

Any major deviation from these culturally conditioned expectations often leads to the formation of negative attitudes and status degradation. Because some of the consequences of a disability can include physical changes, reduction in productivity, unemployment, and secondary health condition issues, these deviations from cultural values and expectations held by members of society lead to stigmatization of people with disability Childhood influences. The child-rearing practice of parents in the western world can also lead to negative attitudes toward people with disability. This is because childhood experiences related to emotions and cognitions can influence the growing child’s beliefs and value system. Parents’ preoccupation with health and normalcy could instill fear and anxiety toward sickness, illness, and disability in their children, leading them to avoid people with disablity and to associate them as transgressors.

Psychodynamic mechanisms. People without disabilities may expect people with disabilities to grieve for their loss to preserve the societal value of all the importance of a functioning body. Any resistance to conform to this “requirement of mourning” and the need to adjust to such a “misfortune,” or the rejection of the “suffering role” will meet with negative attitudes from people without disabilities. Other psychodynamic mechanisms at the root of negative attitudes toward people with disability may include the following: (a) the spread phenomenon, which is the tendency to invest one salient characteristic (e.g., a physical disability) with other unrelated characteristics (e.g., emotional maladjustment); (b) the attribution of personal–moral accountability to the cause of a disabling condition; and (c) the fear that association with people with disabilities may be interpreted by others as reflecting psychological problems of one’s own (“guilt by association”).

Disability as a punishment for sin. The triad of sin, punishment and disability as an underlying psychodynamic mechanism of negative attitudes is reported prominently in the literature. The triad of sin, punishment and disability could be regarded as a universal phenomenon in which the source of a person with a disability’s suffering is frequently attributed to an evil act committed by the person or by ancestral wrongdoing. As such, people with disabilities are perceived as dangerous, and fear of people with disabilities can be attributed to the belief that people with disabilities are dangerous. Furthermore, disability may also be viewed as an unjust punishment and, therefore, people with disabilities may seek revenge for the imposed injustice.

Anxiety-provoking unstructured situations. Ambiguous and unfamiliar situations are often anxiety-provoking, especially when social rules and regulations for proper interactions are not well-defined, as in the case of social interaction with people with disabilities. The ambiguity creates an incongruent cognitive gestalt that disrupts the basic rules of social engagement and can cause withdrawal from further interaction. Also, there can be a fearful and negative affective reaction to people who are different because it does not fit into the structure of the expected life space. The lack of effective readiness can exemplify their distress. Lack of contact and exposure is, therefore, a major contributing factor to the origination of negative attitudes toward people with disability.

The people who are differently abled may face different challenges every day and it's not the challenge that they are afraid of it’s the way that the people in the society look at them when doing the task at hand, they are constantly being judged for there action and effort they put into which leads them to eventually giving up on there task at hand and not giving it another try due to all the judgment towards them. As per the words of Stephen Hawking ‘ disability need not be an obstacle to success. Although he has had this disease with him for almost all his adult life. He has faced on the disease head-on no matter what people thought about him. His achievements have made him a worldwide sensation. He is a true inspiration to all the people that are phyically and mentally challenged. But unfortunately, not all people are fortunate enough to think like he did and face those obstacles like him. Some are demotivated to the point where they go through severe depression.

The main reason for this occurrence (depression and demotivation) is due to how people within the society look at them and judge them. This has been a major cause for the differently abled to not come out and shine or not be able to accomplish the task. They may have different physical and mental illnesses or sicknesses from birth or which come into there life’s later. Some may have visual impairedness, be handicapped, mute (no audibility) etc All of these the people who have them from birth are so used to it so hence they can deal with it, but what they cannot deal with is the constant judgment form the people of the society. In a context of poverty, limited resources and psychological stresses, people with disabilities appeared to be assigned a lower priority. society observes that cultural beliefs about differently abled causation may have attracted prejudicial attitudes and discriminating behavior within the family unit, and beyond in the community [21]. Roles government and private sector in hospitality development to give equal platform for differently abled people?

• Quota system and equal opportunity.
• Awareness and training program.
• Government and private sector can provide more opportunities for differently abled people
• Make more outlets available for differently abled people to work in as permanent staff.
• Make the hospitality sector for differently abled people friendly so they have an equal opportunities like other people.
• Providing good job opportunities to all the differently abled people and also scholarship and many more things.

After the completion of my thesis report I would like to recommend below points:

· Appropriate measures to create job opportunities on the open labor market, including financial incentives to employers to encourage them to provide training and employment for the differently abled.

• Differently abled people also need to be given the opportunity to work because they can also do every work like normal people.
• Another person also can get motivation when differently abled are hired at the staff.
• Government should have a policy regarding differently-abled employment opportunities.
• A quota system should be provided to give employment opportunities.
• If the differently abled are given the opportunity it raises brand awareness as the name of the company is more recognized and is beneficial for the company and their stakeholders.
• Differently abled can do mental work even if they are physically challenged.
• Awareness programs should be created to empower differently-abled people.
• Family should take differently-abled people as a blessing not as a burden.
• Empathize or put yourself on the shoe of differently-abled people.
• Having differently abled in the company increases awareness of physical challenges and help to innovate new solutions.
• Training should be provided to differently-abled people.
• Government should support vocational training, vocational guidance and placement service.
• Encouragement of co operation so it improves the employment situation.
• Differently abled should enjoy equal opportunity in respect of access to, advancement in employment.
• Putting in place of concerted local action plans and multidisciplinary teams.
• The vital role of education should be given.
• The incentive should be attractive to motivate differently able people.

Reference

1. · (Balta_Bengisu 2019). Retrieved 16 July 2019, from https://agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/ertr/files/2012/09/401_Balta_Bengisu.pdf
2. · Darcy, S., & Taylor, T. (2009). Disability citizenship: An Australian human rights analysis of the cultural industries. Leisure Studies, 28(4), 419-441.
3. Chan, Fong & Livneh, Hanoch & Pruett, Steven & Wang, Chia-Chiang & Zheng, Lisa. (2009). Societal attitudes toward disability: Concepts, measurements, and interventions. Understanding Psychosocial Adjustment to Chronic Illness and Disability.