Veterans with Hearing Loss

I have worked with Maggie Casteel in the past and know that she is a wonderful advocate and a great person! Maggie wrote a blog post concerning hearing loss, specifically with our men and women serving. It is very interesting and I wanted to share her blog post with everyone!

Is disability a punishment?

I couldn't let this one go by. Please read this blog entry first.

I was going to comment on the blog; however, ironically, it has been "disabled." Fear is a motivator for a lot and continues the cycle of stigma and marginalization against minorities. Hoping that someone acquires a disability because they are rude to someo...ne with a disability isn't going to change anything. It's like hoping a racist person is hurt in some way by someone else who is racist against another group. It just doesn't make any sense and continues the cycle.

This view of God punishing people is the medical model approach to disability, where the individual is blamed and "must have done something wrong to be punished." Disability is NOT a punishment. The social model of disability views disability as a societal responsibility. Disability only exists if there is something in the environment that prevents the individual from accomplishing a task altogether or in a different way (that's where accommodations come in). For example, an individual who does not have the ability to use their fine motors skills doesn't have a disability unless they have an occupation that requires them to use their fine motor skills.

Changing people's attitudes towards disability is the biggest hurdle people with disabilities face.