Community access and Participation Workbook 2
Part 1: Rights of People with Disability
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Individuals with disabilities are prone to several challenges in the society. They are covered by individual rights which are compromised by other people, organizations or public service. There are rights that I feel are at risk for physically challenged people. For example, all individuals are equal in rights and dignity. The other is that nobody should be subjected to degrading or inhuman treatment. Also, the right to be recognized everywhere by everyone as a person (United Nations, 2016).
There are high chances that people who are physically challenged may not enjoy such human rights. For instance, they are not treated as ordinary people in the society. They are said to have an exceptional condition and therefore are not involved in most community development projects. People with physical challenges may not be treated with dignity by other most people in the society. Most people tend to look down upon the physically challenged people. Physically challenged people may not be recognized in other places as ordinary people because they mostly seek for assistance from other people. It is also believed that they mostly rely on help from other individuals and that they cannot engage in most economic activities that are strenuous in nature. Special facilities in buildings to enable easy movement of physically challenged people are not put in place.
Convention of Rights of People with Disabilities
State parties are required to take appropriate steps to make sure that accommodation is provided to the physically challenged people so as to eliminate discrimination and promote equality. For children with disability, the primary consideration will be their best interest. Individuals with disabilities have the right to life meaning that state parties should ensure that necessary measures to taken to ensure that physically challenged people to enjoy their life (United Nations, 2016). Occupational therapists should ensure that the take care of the health of everyone to avoid suffering or unnecessary use of resources to treat illness. In healthcare centers, people should not be discriminated against due to their physical conditions. All people should have equal access to treatment. High-quality accommodation should be provided to everyone to ensure that they do not suffer from diseases. Occupational therapists can take measures to ensure that special accommodation facilities are offered to physically challenged people. Equality can also be promoted by giving equal opportunities to everyone by making sure that all people are served in an effective and timely manner.
Disability Discrimination Act
Discrimination is consideration or treatment of people or also favoring them based on their class, group, and category rather their individual merit (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2012). People discriminate against others by favoring people who they share similarities within the society. People in the videos are treated differently just because they belong to a different category from the rest. In the video, the physically challenged people are the majority in the community. Most facilities are designed for the physically challenged people making it difficult for able people to perform activities normally. For instance, the taxi is specially designed for the disabled. If a person is not physically challenged, they are not allowed to board it. In offices, most of the people who are served are the disabled. It becomes quite challenging for able-bodied people to comprehend most things or to access different services. In the video, the able-bodied man ignored the people using sign because he could not understand them (Australian Human Rights Commission, 2016).
Part 2: The Australian Social Context
Support from NDIS and Community Participation
The summer foundation, Annecto, and TAC, join efforts to come up with housing designs and locations, support and assistive technology to help improve the lives of the physically challenged people (NDIS, 2016). Girls also have coordinated support that helps them to live an independent life. The organization showcases innovations in buildings that enable physically challenged people to live without depending on assistance from other people. People in the videos will start living a good life to special facilities made for them. Community members will love the new ways of living and thus will be encouraged to support projects that help raise the living standards of disabled people (NDIS, 2016). The housing project also encourages people to join efforts in coming up with designs that allow easy movement of physically challenged people. Instead of looking down upon, projects should be started to help disabled people to live with without constantly asking for help.
NDIS Facilitation of Greater Control and Choice for Participants
Participants of NDIS will be helped to come up with a goal-based and personal plan about how people can be provided with reasonable and support. The NDIS is committed to respecting people’s interests especially those who are physically challenged. Such people will exercise control and choice about issues that affect them. NDIS will come up with development projects that help improve the living standards of physically challenged people. Such developments include housing projects that are specially designed for physically challenged people. The NDIS also assesses and determines the necessary and reasonable support that needs to be funded to help the participants of the scheme. NDIS supports the social, independence, and economic participations of physically challenged people. It also provides necessary support for the intervention of various parties. NDIS enables physically challenged people to exercise control and choice while pursuing the goals (NDIS, 2016). They are also helped in planning and delivering services that raise their living standards.
NDIS takes measures to support and improve different sectors of the economy. They include mental health, school education, transport, justice, and employment. Others include justice, community and housing infrastructure, and improved higher education. By engaging in such development activities, NDIS will facilitate control of participants. It will be easy for people to understand how they should treat the physically challenged to make them have a sense of belonging (NDIS, 2016). Improving transport, housing, and involvement of people in development projects will help participants of the scheme to become quite keen on matters involving physically challenged people. The organization also helps in funding specific projects that contribute to improving the lives of physically challenged people.
Part 3
Difficulties Experienced
As a physically challenged person, using a wheelchair while moving around is not easy. At times I feel that I burden people a lot because I always ask for assistance from them especially when I get tired of pushing the wheels. Most people are not willing to assist because they always think that they are too busy for someone like me. As a result, I feel offended and neglected. One way of trying to understand their situation is by assuming that everyone has a tight schedule and that we have to keep time. The other challenging this is that I cannot move as fast as the rest of the people. Also, moving freely at various destinations is difficult. Moving around when am alone is also a major problem, I have to send people to various places. The other difficulty I frequently encounter is visiting public toilets and being served in shops and restaurants since no special facilities are set aside for the physically challenged.
People’s Reaction
From the look on people’s faces, I could tell that they felt pity for me especially when I was struggling to do something like moving up a sloppy ground. Some came to assist me while others ignored me. It was quite clear that most people thought am someone who always needs help. Therefore, they motivated me and encouraged me to stay strong despite everything. It seems they did not understand that I did not pity myself. I am always thankful to God because there are other people with worse conditions. People also seemed to think that I was different from them because I needed assistance in most things.
What was one thing that surprised you?
I was surprised to see that some people totally understood my situation. Such people gave me a privilege of being served first in restaurants and shops among other places. Some of them just approached me and asked me if they could be of help to me. There are some places where I could least expect special facilities for the physically challenged. To my surprise, some of them had special parking areas set aside for such people; the stairs were also modified to make it easy for people using wheelchairs to use them. It was also a rule in some places to give the priority to people like me. I felt encouraged and appreciated because there are people who understood my situation.
Positive Experience
The best thing I enjoyed about my condition is that however much slow my movement was; I was given the priority as far as getting services was concerned. Every time I arrived at a certain place, attendants came to me and asked whether they could serve me. Most of my friends who had no physical challenges could queue to get services. It was a pleasure being served first. I also felt that I was being treated well and that it also saved my energy. I could see the kind of challenges other people face especially in public offices where they needed to be served.
Lessons from the Experience
I learned that people who take care of physically challenged people in the community are well respected. The people who accompanied me to various places were served in a quick way. I also noted that most people were willing to listen to them. In case they needed any form of assistance, it was granted to them promptly. I also noted that people were willing to help them out especially if they appeared tired or exhausted. The other thing I learned about carers/friends who gave a helping hand is that they had either encountered such a situation, or a close family member suffered such a condition. It was quite clear that such people were patient, reliable and understanding. People who were impatient could not accompany me to various places because they thought I would waste their time. The other thing is that such people put service first unlike others who would just ask for money after giving any form of help to someone.
Lessons for my OT Practice
I have learned that physically challenged people to feel inferior in the society and that it is our duty to help them feel like part of the society. A small fraction of people surrounding them is willing to help them. It is our duty to encourage people to take care of the physically challenged because they are also people like us who need our help. If we seem to always pity such people, we lower their self-esteem because they start feeling as if they are not capable of doing certain activities. I also learn that it is my duty to take care of myself without expecting much from other people. If we fully depend on other people for help, we end up being disappointed because such people may not serve us as we want. They also have their problems that they prioritize. It is not also good to always expect favors just because you are physically challenged. If a favor is not given to someone who expects it, they feel disappointed and tend to become angry at others. I have learned to always offer special care to the physically challenged people because most people in the society are not quite keen on the challenges they face. It is important to care for them so as to make them develop a sense of belonging and to feel loved.
References
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2012). Disability discrimination: Know your rights. Retrieved from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/publications/know-your-rights-disability-discrimination
Australian Human Rights Commission. (2016). Videos: 20 Years of the Disability Discrimination Act. Humanrights.gov.au. Retrieved from https://www.humanrights.gov.au/twentystories/videos.html#building-better-lives
NDIS. (2016). National Disability Insurance Scheme. Ndis.gov.au. Retrieved from https://www.ndis.gov.au/people-disability/videos-and-stories/videos.html
United Nations. (2016). Universal Declaration of Human Rights: UN General Assembly, Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 10 December 1948, 217 A (III), Retrieved from http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/
