Snowed In!

Hello everyone in blog world! I am sorry that I haven't written in a while. It has been a heck of week! We are snowed in here in Pittsburgh. Luckily I am at my boyfriend's apartment. My parents were snowed in with no power. The power company is expected to get everything up and running again on Friday! Yes, Friday! It is horrible. My parents got a generator and are trying to get it up and running. Hopefully it will be warm by the time I get home after the super bowl. Say a little prayer that the power comes on sooner than Friday! I don't know if there will be another blog this week or not. Hopefully the power comes on and I will be able to. If not, have a wonderful week and Valentine's Day (if you believe in celebrating a Hallmark holiday :D)!

Last Sunday, my boyfriend and I went to church. Part of the sermon addressed opening new doors in our lives (metaphorically). I really related to this. I often feel that many individuals with disabilities are often overlooked or ignored because they simply have a disability. Early afternoon on Sunday, my boyfriend and I ventured to Duquesne University for a basketball game. There in the student section was a young woman who had Down Syndrome. At first I questioned if she was a student, but then I decided that it didn't matter if she was a student or not. The student section helped in and out of the stands when she needed it, and she had a ball. She was singing, dancing, cheering, etc. I thought to myself that this is exactly what the sermon was about. You never know what people are going to have to offer, but writing them off because they have different opinions/ways of doing things doesn't mean they don't have something to give.

In my opinion, people learn more from those they least expect to learn something from.

If you're around any of the places that got hit by this snow storm, keep warm and stay safe!

Think Beyond the Label - Evolving Your Workforce!

These advertisements are apart of the Think Beyond the Label Campaign. Their objective is to encourage businesses to hire people with disabilities. They have partnered with other agencies and have obtained grants in order to fund the project.

I have to admit I questioned these advertisements the first time I saw them. I understood the concept; however, it seemed to be an overgeneralization. Just because someone is different doesn't mean they have a disability. And just because someone does have a disability doesn't mean they are "weird." I guess this what they were trying to accomplish though. People, and businesses in particular, are not hiring individuals with disabilities as often as they should. The employment rate of PWDs is 36.9% and the unemployment rate of PWDs is 79.7% (2007 Cornell Disability Status Report). Keep in mind that these statistics are much higher right now because of the economy.

Generally, people with disabilities are pitied in the media and agencies/businesses who hire them are doing them a favor, which means PWDs are dependent on how the media portrays them. The ads link to the "5 Myths and Real Facts" tip sheet that state things like, "Myth NO. 1: Hiring employees with disabilities increase workers compensation insurance rates."

"The ads try to challenge conventional wisdom about workers with disabilities by offering humorous examples of people with “differences” already employed" (NY Times). Everyone in the workplace is different and those differences should be embraced. Everyone, whether they admit it or not, labels others to some degree. These ads show that the labels should not matter because each of us have differences. The question then becomes do any of these labels directly correlate with how people perform in the workplace? Not so much. Businesses need to understand that most accommodations cost under $500 (as per the Job Accommodation Network (JAN) and that most individuals need things like flexible schedules, the ability to work from home, work site modifications, etc.

Several individuals with disabilities have supported this campaign. Such as actor, Alana Wallace, who said “I knew I needed to be a part of this campaign because there were enough of the pity-party approaches to [hiring people with disabilities]" (NY Times).

I have been saying for a while now, that businesses need to become more aware of the benefits of hiring individuals with disabilities. Most of them seem to be unaware of the tax benefits of hiring PWDs, as well as best practices in hiring qualified PWDs. On their website, Think Beyond the Label, highlights tax benefits, best practices, etc. This is a really useful website and should be utilized by many. Anyway, these commercials are supposed to start running Sunday on ABC, CBS and NBC and on cable channels like BBC America, CNN, ESPN and HLN. The print ads are to appear in publications like Fast Company, HR Magazine, Inc., Time, The Wall Street Journal and The Week.

Just out of curiosity what do you guys think about the ads?

Disability In the Media

Disability is socially constructed based on how a particular culture views health, illness, and ability. A particular condition only becomes a disability if the environmental and contextual factors warrant it. The beliefs a society holds and their values are learned, not inherited. Geert Hofstede believes that mental programming is the "software of the mind." In other words, our mental programming is established by social environments and not our genes. Each person has their own perceptions of the world, that is why different is sometimes viewed as wrong. The ways in which disability is viewed/depicted in art and literature is the way most societies view disabilities. Also, cultural views of disability are based on social and political dynamics of the society's interactions. Another thing to keep in mind, is that personal and aesthetic views of disability are created from individual experience. Aesthetic views have the ability to resist and transform mainstream values about society. Studying assistive technology (AT) is particularly interesting because it has progressed to more aesthetically pleasing aids/devices. More and more aids/devices are being designed to be hidden or more fashionable.

Understanding disability culture is important to understand semiotics, or what particular cultures communicate. Historical views of people with disabilities (PWDs) show that they are a minority and there are a common set of prejudicial values/attitudes they experience. It is our responsibility to study the disability is defined and understood, the ways in which the definitions change, the ways in which we can change the way people think about disability, and the power we have to influence the ways in which we think and develop supportive communities. So, why is understanding disability culture so important? Because the images represented in mainstream society often reflect society's values, perceptions, expectations of PWDs, etc. For example, giving disabilities to villainous characters reflects and reinforces these prejudices: disability is a punishment for evil, PWDs are embittered by their fate, and PWDs resent people without disabilities (Longmore, 1993).

There are many instances where TV/movie programs depict disability in the form of the above. For example, South Park had a "Cripple Fight" and Tropic Thunder used the "R" word. Other media characters with disabilities included: Frankenstein, Nemo, the Hunchback of Notre Dame, Barbie's friend Becky, Tiny Tim, Individuals include: FDR, Bethany Hamilton, Glee, Josh Blue, Aaron Fotheringham, Matt Scott, etc. These videos aren't long, but are worth watching!

I think the important thing here is to realize that even though disability is still viewed in a negative manner (like Barbie's friend having to be the one who uses a wheelchair and not barbie herself, South Park episodes, Tropic Thunder, etc.), there are many role models in the media who are proving that PWDs can do anything people without disabilities can do, and that they do not need to be pitied, glorified, made into heroes, villianized, etc. They are people living their lives - plain and simple.

News Within the Disability Community

Sharing some news within the disability community.

First, planned parenthood and advocates have created a sexual education curriculum for people with developmental disabilities. You can find the link here.

Second, The Department of Public Welfare is planning to cut up to 24 percent of the supplements it pays to federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients. Unless reversed, DPW's action means that individual SSI recipients now receiving only $27.40 per month as the state supplement will get $22.10. Couples receiving SSI will see their supplement cut from $43.70 per month to only $33.70 per month. Even at the higher numbers, persons getting the supplement must live at approximately 75 percent of the federal poverty level.

Third, the Miracle League of Cranberry Township is accepting registrations for the 2010 season. If you are interested in volunteering please visit this website.

Fourth, by April 15, 2010, the U.S. Social Security Administration must provide materials/communications to its beneficiaries in an accessible format. Hard to believe they serve individuals with disabilities and do not provide accessible information.

Fit Parents?

This was posted on the New York Times.

"Kaney O'Neill and David Trais will be in a Chicago courtroom this week, arguing over their five-month-old son, Aiden. Trais says that O'Neill is unfit to have custody of the boy because she is a quadriplegic."

I don't even know where to begin. I am appalled that this mindset is still in existence. I thought that the opinion of people with disabilities being viewed as "unfit to have/raise children" was a thing of the past, at least in America. I know that in other countries infanticide still occurs and that PWD's rights are taken away. Forced sterilization is still practiced in some countries. I guess I just thought the mentality in America is different. After all, we are the most progressive in disability rights laws and such. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is based off the ADA. Yet, we have individuals who believe they are superior because they do not have a disability.

As long as a person with or without a disability has the knowledge, the means, and support systems to raise a child, then they should. Now I don't know their personal story, but accusing someone of being unfit mother just because they have quadriplegia is not a sound argument. Technology today is AMAZING. There are tables that be raised/lowered with an infrared control, there's assistive technology that can help, aids if need be. It depends on the individual, the disability, the severity, etc. Furthermore, in McKeesport, PA there is a program called Blue Roof technologies. These house are fully accessible. These houses offer smart health, smart learning, smart living, and smart technologies. Pay no attention to the model houses with steps, the other models don't have steps. Also, here's a youtube video of the Blue Roof Technology.

With this technology, how can anyone say people with a disability cannot and should not have/raise children? I, personally, think it's ridiculous.

The Happiness Project

I am currently reading "The Happiness Project. Or, Why I spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun" by Gretchen Rubin. I had to choose a self-help book for an assignment for class and wanted to choose something that I could potentially learn from. I definitely found it and definitely recommend that you read it. Gretchen felt as if she was just watching her life go by, thinking about all of the things she said she'd do and didn't. Gretchen began to wonder what truly made her happy and how she could go about making herself happy. It isn't always easy for Gretchen to chart her behavior and resolutions, but she finds that her resolutions and the tracking does help her to feel happy. She was caught between what she wished she were and who she really was (she felt "stuck").

I am not yet finished with the book, but I definitely wanted to share the book with everyone in blog world. This book seems to be for every day people and how they can improve their lives right now. Often times, I think people think they need to have this big epiphany in order to change their thoughts, feelings, opinions, actions, etc. But in reality, one can change whatever they would like each and every day. Regardless if one makes a choice or doesn't make a choice, one still is making a choice.

Here is a link to The Happiness Project. This is Gretchen's blog about The Happiness Project. I hope that you find it useful in changing the things that you can control, which more often than not is only ourselves and not others!

NY Times Article

Hey everyone in blog-o-world! I am sorry that I have not written in a while. With the rush of the new semester and seeing all that was due, I got slightly overwhelmed. And then I had a touch of the stomach flu...no worries though, I am not oinking! ;)

Here is a link to a New York Times Article, The Americanization of Mental Illness. This is a little long, but extremely worth reading. The Westernization of Mental Illness is an interesting concept to think about, especially when we consider that some countries do use our DSM classification. If cultures have different values, beliefs, etc. about their people and community, then how can we expect them to assimilate to
our beliefs of what we think abnormal is? I especially liked the studies completed on biological or environmental cause of mental illness, and the studies on the stigma associated with industrialized vs. non-industrialized nations. "Individuals are the captains of their own destiny and should be able to overcome their problems by force of personal will." I think that definitely sums up how the majority of US citizens feel regarding mental illness....add to that the fact that mental illness
is not always visible like a physical disability and a lot of people just don't understand it.