Module One

Diversity in Employment: Disability Awareness

LESSON #2: DISABILITY AND THE REAL WORLD

Initial Thoughts:

What does it mean to "have a disability?

There are different ways to think about disabilities.

Some people think a disability is an illness. Some people focus on the negative implications of disability—what people with a disability cannot do.

Having a disability means that an individual has cognitive, physical or emotional characteristics that may affect the way they interact with their environment.  An individual's disability (e.g., intellectual disability, blindness) simply means the individual shares some characteristics of that disability with others.

At the same time each person is unique—their family background, ethnicity, religion, upbringing, educational and social experiences, hopes, dreams, fears and concerns have all contributed to who they are.

Think about the characteristics you may share in common with others, for example your ethnic origin. Although you may share that characteristic with others, your ethnicity is just one piece of your puzzle.  For example, two people may both be of Latino descent, but one person is very interested in outdoor activities while another prefers reading. Even people who grow up in the same families have different interests, goals and abilities.

People with a particular disability, however, are often perceived exclusively in terms of their disability as a result of others' perceptions and stereotypes discussed in Lesson #1.  The reality is that people with autism, for example, share only some characteristics of autism.  Otherwise, they are very different from one another in most other ways.  Disability is only one of many characteristics of an individual.

Another example relates to people with an intellectual disability.  Below are two examples of myths about people with this label. 

 

1. People with intellectual disability can not make decisions:

Untrue. Because of this belief, many individuals will direct questions or comments toward support workers rather than the person with intellectual disability.  This myth, however, is untrue.  People with intellectual disabilities can and do make decisions. It is dehumanizing to be ignored based on an assumption that you have no opinion in matters that concern you.

2. People with intellectual disability cannot learn:

Untrue. All people can and do learn.  Traditional learning methods may not be appropriate for some people with intellectual disability, but this does not imply that people with an intellectual disability cannot learn.  This myth stems from our narrow understanding of learning and our inability to recognize and explore different ways of learning.

(Purdon and Noble, 2004)

return to top | previous page | next page