Ableism
When I was reading these essays I was pretty shocked about the various services we lack to help people with disabilities. In my observations I wrote about a time when a client with a disability tried to open the super-heavy door we have at the hair salon and we really should provide an easier way for them to open the door. We have clients with disabilities come in the salon all the time and we need to provide a more accessible way for them to enter the salon. A few points that I found very interesting from the readings was that 72% of people with disabilities are unemployed and they also have an income less than half the national average. I thought this was ridiculous! I also read that many of the employers at stores or agencies ect don't want to hire people with disabilities because they feel they would cost the company money or they would not be able to perform the job's duties effectively. However it has been reviewed that workers with disabilities work more efficiently and are most likely to not get hurt in the job unlike an "able" worker would. I also found out that disability is caused by physical structure and social organization of society. Poor architectural planning creates physical obstacles for people on wheelchairs or people who can walk but can’t get up stairs because it has been created in the young adult white male paradigm in mind. I really understood this when I looked back at the example of the client that was having trouble entering the salon. "Physical imperfection if thought to spoil..." (Adams, 481) I was raged by this comment and the example the author gave about how a disabled woman married a able man and a father of her friend went and told the groom he felt sorry that she had placed a burden on his life now that they married, I mean really!? That's just outrageous, she should not been seen as a burden just because she has a physical or mental disability or the latter! (Excuse me I get upset very easily). One more interesting thing was how disability compared to race is marginalized. The author of this essay wrote about how in an article a man was a victim of a hate crime because of his race however, the article mentioned very little about his being disabled also. I thought it was awful how something that is more talked about like race can undermine something just as important like a disability. AND one more thing. Sports. So I am a Bulls fan and I was thinking about that today and I thought, wait there are leagues of disabled basketball players but I never see them on TV or hear them on the radio or anything like that. I never hear that there will be a local tournament for disabled persons. It's really sad that players with the ability to run and shoot the basket are more seen than others who may as well shoot the basket or be better than famous NFL players.
I understand that just like racism and all other types of "isms" ableism is something that able people take advantage of because they feel like it's something they should not worry about, but I would like to start looking at the other side and consider advocating for those who need this type of help. My next step is to talk to my supervisor about installing an automatic door for the salon I work in. It may not work but I will keep advocating for it and I may start a petition to get this important cause going. I want to make people feel like they can enter the salon safely and easily; not only able people should have the ability to enter the salon.
I just want to say that this film was very inspiring. I not only liked how much community involvement the workers in the film had but the noble cause that Vik gave back to his roots. I would like to one day give back to the country I grew up in and that helped shape my simple and noble feelings about things. Because I grew up poor and with barely anything ever to eat or sleep in sometimes, I see material things as not necessary. I literally would give all of my things away if I wanted to because they don't make me happy, I feel that my family, friends, and the blue sky makes me much happier. Anyways, I really appreciated the community involvement the workers had and how they all received a portrait of themselves because they are beautiful. I loved how much money they first portrait at the auction won! I almost began to cry because of that! And finally I loved how the workers began a learning center with the money they were given. It's great to see these kinds of things happen even in very poor areas in the world, just goes to show that income does not separate us much at all. We are all dreaming of a better future no matter where we are, we are trying to find happiness and peace.
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