FASD and suicide

There are many aspects of the topic Indigenous people that I would like to talk about but I would like to focus my attention on two main ideas, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) or also known as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and suicide in Aboriginal children and Aboriginal communities. I have had the unfortunate experience working with children with severe (FASD) and children facing suicide/suicidal ideation on a daily basis through the ‘system’ with Children and Family Services in Ontario. FASD is a term that “describes a range of disabilities that may affect people whose mothers drank alcohol while they were pregnant.” This lifelong disability has also been called the ‘invisible disability.’ Suicide is suffered by its victims who decide to take their own lives, families and friends and unfortunately it is most commonly occurring in aboriginal communities. The statistics are alarming.


In my opinion, I think the awareness needs to start with women who are at the child bearing age about drinking during pregnancy and FASD is incurable! Too many children are encountering health problems that affect every aspect of life such as mentally, physically, behaviourally and emotionally throughout their lives right from birth. These children have a setback in life right from the first breath they take from no fault of their own. The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that approximately 1% of people living in Canada or about 300,000 people are living in Canada today with FASD.


Although it has been reported that there are no statistics to date for how many aboriginal children or adults have FASD, Paul Masotti et al. (2006) reported in Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Aboriginal Communities: A Methods Development Project that “not surprisingly, FASD is more common in communities with high prevalence rates of drinking, such as some Canadian Aboriginal communities.” In aboriginal communities, the Canadian Community Health Survey observed that “16.1% of women in the 15–44 age group, and 26% in the 20–24 age group, reported binge drinking 12 or more times in the previous year.” Binge drinking is important to note because it often leads to women continuing to binge drink while pregnant. “The Ontario First Nations Regional Population Health Survey indicated that significantly more Aboriginal females reported binge drinking than their counterparts in the general Canadian population.

Although the statistics may be alarming, I have failed to look at FASD through a social work lens which is why I am adding the following paragraphs in to see the difference on how an ‘outsider’ may see this problem and then from the lens of a social worker. Reading over the comments from this blog, I’ve realized that when looking through the social work lens, there needs to be focus on how to solve this problem and it is not about pointing fingers at the mother. The focus needs to be on helping Aboriginal people heal in their communities when they have suffered for so many years. Silvia points out a good point in her comment that we need to help women, children AND men heal from the traumatic events that have happened either in their lives or problems in their family that has resulted in them suffering.  Yes, everyone knows there is a problem but we now need to come up with solutions on how to fix this problem.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Prevention: Canadian Perspectives explains four different levels of how we can start with just basic awareness and then gradually work at the prevention area. The Public Health Agency of Canada reported that "in Canada over the last decade, health promotion and prevention specialists have been learning about how to prevent FASD using multi-sectoral, holistic approaches. Beyond advice to not drink while pregnant, these newer, holistic approaches have demonstrated that helping women plan their pregnancies, obtain prenatal care, improve their nutrition, reduce stress in pregnancy and heal from root causes of addiction such as experience of violence – all contribute to improving women’s health and reducing the risk of having a child affected by FASD." (Poole, N 2008)

I believe that we do need to also focus on healing but just as much on prevention because the cycle will only continue. The healing process it not easy and according to Mabel Nipshank (2001) who did a report called Aboriginal Women: No Rights to Land or Children she reported that:

“As a result, Aboriginal Women attempting to escape violence are often forced out of the family home and community and into cities, where they encounter a multitude of systemic barriers. They are constantly being re-victimized by racism in the system. Aboriginal Women are often forced to live in extreme poverty and with these additional barriers it is almost impossible to fight for Child Custody and Access rights. The Social Development Department within a band is modeled after the child protection act, and the ‘best interest of children’ is seen through this lens - usually who has access to family home, extended family, and to traditional culture and financial stability. The patriarchal structure of today's band policies entitles men to all of these, leaving women with few resources. The residential school syndrome and the destruction of the matriarchal system have led to the normalization of violence. Men can have a history of wife assault but their right to child custody and access is never questioned. Allegations of child sexual abuse are being dismissed, without investigation, as false and vengeful charges. Mothers have lost custody of their children because they dared to breach a court order by refusing unsupervised visits with fathers who have abused the children. Custody and access issues expose the true values of our society. We need a society based on fairness, and a system, which accounts for the real social, political and economic realities for Aboriginal women. We need to put the safety of women and children first.”

While suicide can be tied in with mental health, suicide is not recognized as a psychiatric disorder but as an action or behaviour. I believe this can be tied in with physical disabilities because dating back from the residential school days, Aboriginal children were taken from the home and put through a great deal of abuse and neglect. Now, if you throw a physical disability into the mix of your culture being stripped from you, alcohol, drug and sexual abuse in your family etc, you are already under a great deal of stress trying to cope with a physical disability. Aboriginal people with a physical disability may feel overwhelmed and hopeless that they cannot provide for themselves or others and feel that life is not worth continuing. This is not equality and no one deserves to be treated or to be made felt this way. For every suicide victim, how many Aboriginal people make suicide attempts, are depressed, experience anxiety and want to end their life? I can only imagine that the number is very high and again we need to focus on prevention, prevention, prevention! In a study that is being done in Manitoba by the Swampy Cree Suicide Prevention Team called Community-based Suicide Prevention Research in Remote On-Reserve First Nations Communities (2009), it states that “while the process employed for this study may not be unique in regards to Aboriginal health research, it is to our knowledge the first of its kind for a suicide prevention project in Manitoba and perhaps Canada. This is very shocking to see that it is the first of its kind. In working with children and adults in a hospital, I’ve seen that many suicide attempts are not only a mental health issue but can turn into a physical disability. Areas in the brain can be affected from an overdose or by attempting to hang themselves which may affect areas of the brain that cause specific muscle movements or permanent nerve damage to limbs.

Laurence J. Kirmayer et al. (2007) reported in The Aboriginal Healing Foundation- Suicide Among Aboriginal People in Canada that the “overall suicide rate among First Nation communities is about twice that of the total Canadian population; the rate among Inuit is still higher— 6 to 11 times higher than the general population. For Aboriginal people, suicide is an affliction of the young. From the ages of 10 to 29, Aboriginal youth on reserves are 5 to 6 times more likely to die of suicide than their peers in the general population. Over a third of all deaths among Aboriginal youth are attributable to suicide.”

In conclusion, although FASD seems to be more apparent in Aboriginal communities and Aboriginal children, there are no statistics to date to give an approximate number of people living with this disability. It is most shocking to me that there are many clinics to diagnose FASD children and many resources for looking for the signs in young children but where is the prevention? There is not enough emphasis on the prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Aboriginal communities and it needs to be addressed. As for suicide in Aboriginal people, especially youths, you can see that indeed the statistics are alarming. There needs to be more focus on prevention and support in both FASD and suicide and not just after the fact. This needs to be a continuous process from the government and the government needs to continue their part in what was created from the horrible historical events of residential schools.


References:


Isaak et al., C. (2009). Community-based suicide prevention research in remote on-reserve first nations communities. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(2), doi: 10.1007/s11469-009-9250-0

Kirmayer et al., L. (2007). Aboriginal healing foundation: suicide among aboriginal people in canada (Adobe Reader), Retrieved from http://www.ahf.ca/publications/research-series

Masotti P, George MA, Szala-Meneok K, Morton AM, Loock C, et al. 2006 Preventing Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in Aboriginal Communities: A Methods Development Project. PLoS Med 3(1): e8. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.0030008

Tiffany

Bridging the Gap: The FASD population in Manitoba

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder, more commonly referred to as FASD is a continuum of permanent birth defects caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome or FAS is just one branch of the spectrum of fetal alcohol related disorders. The amount of Aboriginal children inflicted with this disease across Canada and especially in Manitoba is significantly overrepresented compared to those children who are not of Aboriginal descent. The population of children in the child welfare system in Canada who have are affected by these disorders are overwhelming. (Fuchs et al., 2010).

Due to the range of disorders within the Fetal Alcohol spectrum there is also a range in the severity of birth defects that can occur. According to Wikipedia the main characteristic of FASD are distinct facial abnormalities which include: a flattened groove between the nose and upper lip, a thin upper lip, and a shortened width between the eyes. A child born with FASD has many neurological disorders which result in learning disabilities, cognition problems, impulse control and poor motor functioning. Though FASD would be prominently thought of as a learning and behavior disability, it also greatly affects physical aspects of a child’s development. Due to the decreased size of the cerebellum children have poor motor functioning, which ranges from difficulty writing and holding small objects, to complications with riding bikes and in some extreme cases even walking. (Wiki).

The number of children with FASD in the Manitoba welfare system sadly continues to increase.(Bennet et al., 2010). There is a great need for education so that we can decrease this easily preventable disorder. The government recognizes the impact of historical events in Manitoba which have led to alcohol addictions within Aboriginal people. Colonization, residential school, and welfare intervention has led the Aboriginal people to a disconnection of their language and culture. This cultural genocide of the Aboriginal people has led countless individuals to alcohol dependencies as they try to cope with these hardships. A report conducted in 2003 showed the rate of disability as twice as high for Aboriginal people compared to non Aboriginal. (Fuchs et al., 2010). It is the addictions to alcohol and other substances which are causing the high number of defects and disabilities within the Aboriginal population.

Having a disability such as FASD requires support, education, and funding. Many Aboriginal people living on reserves are unable to access these resources simply because they do not exist where they are living. Many times these children are voluntarily placed into the child welfare system so that they can access the support they need related to their condition. There are service gaps for Aboriginal children with special needs who live on and even off of a reserve. The government is trying desperately to increase education and resources so that children with disabilities such as FASD will not have to leave their homes and reserves in order to receive medical treatment and therapy. (Bennett et al., 2010).

I believe that the government needs to continue to reach out to Aboriginal communities and reserves so that education and support can be implemented within their own culture. Instead of parents having to send their children into the child welfare system so they can receive adequate treatment, parents should be given the resources and education to treat, and more importantly prevent these diseases from occurring. Fetal Alcohol syndrome and its related disorders are caused by drinking during pregnancy. Therefore if these women simply did not drink during their pregnancy the epidemic of this disease could cease. However, it is obviously not a simple solution. The root of these alcohol addictions stem from the historical tragedies as well as continued neglect of the Aboriginal people in Canada. To prevent these diseases and disabilities caused by drinking we must first improve the root of the problem. I think that the more the government does to educate pregnant women about the impact of maternal drinking, as well as support them throughout their pregnancies, the lower the rate of Aboriginal FASD will become. I don’t think there is any fast strategy to completely stop these preventable diseases, but every bit of education and support is a step in the right direction.

Bennett, Marlyn., Wekerle, Christine., Zangeneh, Masood. (2010). Aboriginal Health- the overlap amongst maltreatment, metal health, and addictive behaviors- The way forward. International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction. Special Issue: Indigenous health, 8(2), 127-134.

Fuchs, Don., Burnside, Linda., Marchenski, Sheila., Mudry, Andria. (2010). Children with FASD- related disabilities receiving services from child welfare agencies in Manitoba.  International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, 8(2), 232-244.

-Eliza R.

The past still lingers

Oppression is defined in the oxford dictionary of current english as: “cause to feel depressed or anxious” (Soanes, 2001, p. 628). The state of oppression is found commonly amongst many aboriginal people in our Canadian society (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). Aboriginals’ experiences with past events such as residential schools have caused this oppression and the affects are still strong today (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). Residential schools were funded by the government and run though churches in Canada (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). These schools took aboriginal children from their homes and striped them from their “language, culture, religious practises” (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007, p.20). These school provided conditions of abuse, neglect, cultural genocide (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). After leaving these schools aboriginal children left with long term affects of negative psychological/physical conditions, poor education, loss of culture, poor health, est which continued to affected them into their adult lives (Barnes, Josefowitz &  Cole, 2007). This is only one example of many what has contributed to the issues aboriginal people face today in Canada. 

It is important for the mistreatment and oppression of aboriginal people caused by “Euro-Canadian dominant ideologies” to be addressed and not forgotten. (Morrissette, 2006) The aboriginal perspective is an ideology that works towards this. The dominate ideology and the policies in place today are still causing oppression in the aboriginal population (Morrissette, 2006). Discussed earlier in this blog were a number of issues that aboriginal people face as a result of mistreatment in the past and still continues today. In this blog I’m going to discuss how aboriginal people with a disability benefit and not benefit from the structures and policies in health and economics from the aboriginal  perspective.

In “1991 Health and Activities Limitation Survey (1991 HALS) indicates 16 per cent of Canada’s population has a disability, the 1991 Statistics Canada Aboriginal People’s Survey indicates that 31.3 per cent of Aboriginal people were persons with disabilities” ("Aboriginal Persons with Disabilities", n.d) “Aboriginal persons was 23.1 per cent as compared to a rate of 8 per cent in the general population” ("Aboriginal Persons with Disabilities," n.d).

Newbold (1999) discussed how conditions such as “geographic remoteness, physical access to

health care, distrust of western medicine, racism” est are some of the potential causes of not accessing services resulting in high amounts of health/disability issues among the aboriginal population (p. 291). Conditions such as these are causing any aboriginals to receive inadequate health care and services (Newbold, 1999). In order to fix this the government needs to help improve these “social conditions” (Newbold, 1999, p. 195). Unlike the neoconservative perspective which believes in the notion that everyone should fend for themselves which is causing this oppression to continue. (Morrissette, 2006). The aboriginal perspective believes in a “qualitative” social change and focus on the well-being of the community (Morrissette, 2006). Social change is based around the needs of the people rather than the larger society (Morrissette, 2006).

Research states that many aboriginal people suffer from low socioeconomic status in “education, employment, income, and health” (Durst, 2006, p. 15). This low socioeconomic status affects aboriginals with disabilities to an even higher extent (Durst, 2006).  Many of these poor conditions are caused because of the poor housing and large amounts of unemployment on numerous reserves (Durst, 2006). It is also stated that when aboriginal people with disabilities try to move off the reserves to urban areas they are faced with similar issues in finding sufficient housing, employment, home care services, transportation, and educational opportunities resulting in forms of poverty (Durst, 2006). The aboriginal perspective does not believe in means tests and feels that a community should help its members. The welfare state works towards making sure that all individuals and families have the essentials that are needed to live and access to proper services (Morrissette, 2006).

A negative aspect of the aboriginal perspective is that the structure of their government has changed towards a view close to a liberal/neo-conservative perspective (Morrissette, 2006).  This does not allow individuals any choice in their leaders or much participation in social change (Morrissette, 2006). This leadership structure is hierarchical which can lead to some needs in society not being met or acknowledged (Morrissette, 2006).      

 Nicole Gauthier

Reference

Aboriginal Persons with Disabilities (n.d.). In Manitoba Disabilities Issues Office. Retrieved November 3, 2010, from http://www.gov.mb.ca/dio/citizenship/aboriginal.html

Barnes, R., Josefowitz, N., & cole, E. (2007). Residential schools : Impact on aboriginal students' academic and cognitive development. Canadian Journal of School Psychology, 21, 18-32. Retrieved from http://cjs.sagepub.com.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/content/21/1-2/18.full.pdf+html

Durst, D. (2006). Urban Aboriginal Families of Children with Disabilities: Social Inclusion or Exclusion? 9-20. Retrieved from http://www.nafc.ca/PDF/NAFC-Disability-17-03-06.pdf

Morrissette, V. (2006). Towards an Aboriginal perspective that addresses ideological domination in social policy analysis. Chapter 5: Implications for Social Work (pp.162-189). Unpublished master’s thesis, University of Manitoba.

Newbold, K. B. (1999). Disability and use of support services within the Canadian aboriginal population. Health and Social Care in the Community, 7(4), 291-300. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.proxy1.lib.umanitoba.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&hid=15&sid=5a43d95c-b244-41b6-bec3-12efd394f003%40sessionmgr4

Soanes, C. (2001). Oxford dictionary of current English (3^rd Ed.). New York, US: Oxford University Press.

Judging a book by its cover...

Are those with physical disabilities at a disadvantage for employment when up against an LGBT person?

"All human rights legislation in Canada prohibits discrimination in employment on a number of grounds, including physical and mental disability. Employers cannot refuse to employ an individual, terminate an employee or discriminate against any employee with regard to the conditions of employment on the basis of a perceived or actual disability." http://www.benefitscanada.com/benefit/disability/article.jsp?content=20071019_174603_4596

In any work place other employees, or the customers are more often over heard complaining about the workmanship of a person with a physical disability. The only reason they do so is because they are judging the person before they know them. Just because they have a disability does not mean they cannot do the job properly. Yes it takes a bit longer to get done but it still gets done. LGBT, and straight people are not always the best for the job. They assume that because they aren't a 'little person', or have any other visible disability they don't have to work as hard. They are however taken more seriously than those with disabilities. Yes they can still be made fun of, but you don't come across it as often.

I work at a department store and we hire people of all races, sexual orientations, etc whether they have a disability or not. At one point there was an assistant manager that was a lesbian, and now the front end manager is gay. We also have a manager that is a 'little person'. Unfortunately for her the customers would rather speak to the managers of 'normal height' and take them more seriously. The same goes for the cart pushers. A year or so ago there was a boy with a physical and possibly mental disability that we had let go. Of course we couldn't fire him for being who he was, we had to fire him because of all the situations that would arise. It took awhile before they could actually let him go as they needed to get proof that things were happening. If he were physically fine, he would have been fired on the spot.

Although LGBT, and those with disabilities are still discriminated against, there are laws that help keep the disabled employed over the LGBT. In this day and age nobody should be looked down upon and there should be no laws saying some people are guaranteed jobs. They should just be hired. It's a shame, but its also life.

- Brittney M

A Queer Disability

My friend applied for a job which she was qualified, capable and willing to do but for some reason was passed over only when it appears her employer found out her sexual orientation.

Being homosexual has many limitations much like those of the disabled. Before 1973 homosexuality, gay, lesbians, and queers was classified as a disorder (Straka, SWRK 1310, Oct. 20, 2010).  Although the physically disabled are just like any one of us, society seems to put forth many limitations, weaknesses and obstacles that people without disabilities do not realize. I believe these limitations are seen and experienced in much the same way as in the queer/homosexual community. Today it appears there are growing rates of homosexuality across cultures; however, many homosexuals are still faced with challenges and barriers in their everyday lives as they were years ago.

Although same sex marriages were legally passed as of July 20^th, 2005. Canada is still only the 4^th country in the world to legalize gay marriages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Same-sex_marriage_in_Canada. Many homosexuals in Canada still appear to compete with the judgment of family, friends and the people around them.  To this day barriers exist when it comes to housing, employment and memberships of organizations (Straka, SWRK 1310, Oct. 20, 2010). It is still difficult today for many homosexual people to find jobs because of their orientation and they often may not openly indicate their sexual preference. How they appear to the heterosexual community may continue to be a more significant barrier then those with other disabilities. I hope that in the near future ones sexual orientation will be more widely accepted and they will be given the same opportunity in our community and not treated as if it were a disability. We should all have the same opportunities, rights, freedom and are no longer criticized, characterized or limited by our identity. Just because we are unsure or do not understand does not mean we should pass judgments upon someone or something we should let each persons skills, abilities, and performance define them. 

-Autumn, B.

References

Straka, SWRK 1310, Oct. 20, 2010

Neo-liberal and Neo-conservative closely linked

Neo-conservatives view of looking after an individual in need or assistance is the responsibility of the person themselves or their personal support networks. Neo- conservative and neo-liberal are closely tied in the economic prespective where the market, business and contracts are the most important thing. Mallaly (2007)states that neo-liberals beliefs are that "classical liberals saw the state in negative terms as a threat to individual freedom and great inequalities in market power make one person's freedomanotherperson's oppression" (p. 92). Neo-liberals say that everyone has the same opportunities, but how are they attainable for some people, like people who have a physical disability for example do not choose to have a setback in life. A couple examples will be discussed below of how neo-liberals are only making living day to day more difficult and how income insecurity is common among these people. Whether you have travelled across the world to fight for your country and are now physically disabled or you need to continually prove that you have a physical disability, the neo-liberals seem to keep these people around the poverty line and it has to stop somewhere. The rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer.

Veterans are another example of victims of neo-liberalism. The new Veterans Charter states that "by 2013, the Canadian Forces (CF) expects to provide services and benefits to more than 63,000 CF veterans and still-serving members. Some of the "key features proposed in the new Charter is a broad package of ‘wellness’ services and programs. These include: Rehabilitation services, health benefits, job placement assistance, economic loss support, disability award, death benefit and family support." These programs would seem like a good idea but according to Major Mark Campbell, this is ‘a joke.’ Campbell said in a CTV interview in Winnipeg, Manitoba "why is a corporal who’s missing two legs entitled to $37,000 a year, and me as a major I’m entitled to $75,000 a year based on the 75 per cent insurance model. How is that right? It doesn’t matter if you’re a corporal or a major, you're missing your legs and that's the rest of your life." The army’s senior serving uniformed disabled member called the new Veterans Charter "a joke." Seems like giving these veterans a lump sum of money is only to shut them up and for neo-liberals, eligibility seems to be an excuse to cut people out of money that they deserved.

Looking at other provinces throughout Canada, Alberta has a program called Assured Income for the Severely Handicapped (AISH). The AISH program declaration states that AISH "provides financial and health-related assistance to eligible adults with a disability. The disability must be permanent and substantially limit the person’s ability to earn a living. AISH clients may also be eligible to receive supplemental assistance (a child benefit and personal benefits) through the AISH program." Again, the key word in AISH’s statement is ‘eligible.’ A case study was done by Malacrida and Duguay (2009) called ‘The AISH review is a big joke’: contradictions of policy participation and consultation in a neo-liberal context. In this study, it is discussed how "individuals are only eligible for AISH after exhausting all other options, including private insurers, the CPP and workers’ compensation programs (Alberta Seniors and Community Supports 2005a)." The main concern of people receiving disability benefits (who have no family or friends to look to and where it is physically impossible for these people to work) is that they are living below the poverty line from no fault of their own! These people need to continually prove that they fit into this ‘eligible’ category and this crosses the line of discrimination. This reflects neo-liberals obsession with cost reduction and Malacrida and Duguay (2009) found that through an AISH review that in 2004, the maximum level of benefits that could be collected per month was $850. It is also important to note that a main problem found in this study was how "it was common for the women to describe literally stumbling upon AISH as a support option, learning about AISH not from social workers or other agencies but from acquaintances or friends" (Malacrida and Duguay, 2009).

Okay, so while I have seen so many examples of how neo-liberals are not making the right choices for people with physical disabilities, worrying about depletion for future deserving citizens or using the sad excuse of being ‘ineligible‘, I have come across one example that touched my heart. That is people struggling with Multiple Sclerosis.  CTV news reported in November, 2009 that the main researcher, Dr. Paolo Zamboni (Italy) explained that "as the blood moves into the brain, pressure builds in the veins, forcing blood into the brain’s grey matter where it sets off a host of reactions, possibly explaining the symptoms of MS." Zamboni believed that "if key veins of MS patients were blocked, perhaps he could open them and restore normal blood flow?" This angioplasty surgery that unblocks narrowed veins is called liberation treatment. In June 2010, the Toronto Sun reported that the federal liberals were calling on the neo-conservatives to provide more funding for the costly treatment of liberation therapy. Kristy Duncan the MP for Etobicoke North and serves as the Liberal Party’s critic for Public Health, reported that "the province of Saskatchewan announced it will help pay for clinical trials of liberation treatment." I am quite impressed that since 1976, the liberal government has held a firm stance with future research for MS. Karen Blackford (1993) stated in the book Feminizing the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada that "the goal of finding a cure for MS drove all biomedical research directives until 1976. Finally, in that year, women with MS gained an unlikely ally in the Liberal federal government. The Ministry of Health insisted that federal research money, if allocated, must be used to seek improvements in the present life condition of persons with MS. In spite of strong protests from physicians within the MS Society of Canada, the government held firm" (MS Canada, 1976: 2). The neo-liberal government has continued to hold firm on this for 34 years.

In conclusion, neo-liberals main view is all about making the rich, richer and the poor, poorer and as we have seen throughout the last few paragraphs, the government has a tight hold on people when it involves money and anything in regards to the economic perspective. People living with a physical disability do not deserve to live below the poverty line and there needs to be equality.
　
　
References:

Blackford, Karen A.  (1993). Feminizing the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada. Canadian Woman Studies, 13(4), 124-128.  Retrieved November 24, 2010, from CBCA Complete. (Document ID: 450273371).

Malacrida, C. & Duguay, S. (2009). ‘The AISH review is a big joke’: contradictions of policy participation and consultation in a neo-liberal context. Disability & Society, 24(1), 19-32. doi:10.1080/09687590802535360

Mullaly, R. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3^{rd ed.).} Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press Canada.

Tiffany

You're responsible for yourself

Neo-conservatism is considered the ‘new’ form of conservatism. From the perspective of neo-conservatives, Mullaly states social justice is “based on the belief in individual responsibility. That is, every individual has a responsibility to look after him or herself” (2007, p. 78) “An exception to this rule is that if people are judged to be in difficulty through no fault of their own (I.e., disabled persons…) they may be eligible for some help through residual welfare system” (2007, p. 83). According to Baycrest “physical disabilities include minor difficulties moving or coordinating a part of the body, muscle weakness, tremors and in extreme cases, paralysis in one or more parts of the body. Physical disabilities can be congenital, such as Muscular Dystrophy; or acquired, such as tendonitis. Physical disabilities affect an individual’s ability to perform manual tasks, control the speed of one’s movements, coordinate one’s movements, move rapidly, experience balance and orientation, move one’s arms or legs fully, move around independently, reach, pull, push or manipulate objects, have strength or endurance.” A physical disability can prevent you from working very little to not being able to work at all. The topic of physical disabilities will be discussed further in the neo-conservatism perspective and the main ideas of the deserving and undeserving poor, economic inequality, and how economic inequality can lead to poverty.

We do not live in a neo-conservative society in Canada today and therefore people who need assistance can look to the welfare system and the wide variety of programs being offered in Canada without feeling ashamed. For example, among the many services being offered in Ontario for children and adults with physical disabilities, Ontario has an important law and it’s called the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005. It states that it is the first of its kind in Canada and explains that people with a mental or physical disability should have the same opportunities to achieve quality of life as everyone else. Often, people take for granted education, employment and many others such as grocery shopping or going out to a movie. Also, according to Staying alive: critical perspectives on health, illness, and health care, it states that individuals have rights and that not only should there be equality, but also free from discrimination.

Neo-conservatives main idea is that the government’s role should be reduced and it is the individual’s responsibility to take care of themselves. On the other hand, “a political belief of neo-conservatives is paternalism for those whom society designates as not responsible” or “the deserving poor” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 82). The deserving poor idea came from the 1601, Elizabethan Poor Law and has continued until today. The “deserving poor” has been defined by poverty and policy as someone who is unable to work due to illness or age and should be compensated through cash assistance. Neo-conservatives belief on social welfare programs is that “social welfare programs (both private and public) should only come into play when the normal channels for meeting needs -the family and the market economy- break down. When these preferred structures of supply are not functioning properly or when an individual cannot make use of them because of illness or old age, a third mechanism for fulfilling need -the social welfare system- is brought into play” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 86). It seems that there is a fine line between “idleness” and “people being judged through no fault of their own.” When it comes to neo-conservative beliefs, Mullaly states in his book that “even if people do become ill and cannot look after themselves, the judgement is often that they should have made arrangements in the first place and it is up to the family to look after them.” He also states that “history has shown, however, that this group of ‘deserving poor’ has always been numerically under-represented” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 83).

Quality of life is jeopardized when an individual, family or community is living in poverty. It has been found that even though almost half of the people living poverty are employed, they do not earn enough money to bring them out of poverty. “Social assistance rates and disability benefits do not come close to lifting individuals out of poverty” (National Council of Welfare, 2004). Dennis Raphael wrote the book Poverty and Policy in Canada: Implications for Health and Quality of Life and in his book he states, “Poverty is the experience of material and social deprivation that results from a lack of economic resources. In a market-dominated economy such as Canada, poverty is usually associated with low earnings or receipt of very low benefits in lieu of earned income. For those engaged in the employment market, the marketplace stratifies individuals on the basis of social class, education, gender, race, disability status, and immigrant status, producing greater vulnerability to poverty for those at the bottom of the employment hierarchy. Added expenses associated with disability increase the probability of experiencing poverty, even if employment situations remain unchanged.”

According to Critical Public Health,“public health discussion of economic inequality, poverty, and health has taken place primarily within government health promotion policy documents, a series of publications by the Canadian Public Health Association and other provincial health associations, and research and conceptual analyses by health sciences researchers at various Canadian universities. There is a curious disjunction however between the ideas contained within government statements and general public health practice. Some of this disjunction appears to be related to public health reluctance to become involved in social and health policy discussions, as well as the increasing influence of neo-liberal and neo-conservative ideologies on Canadian political life.”

In some cases, people with physical disabilities may have no choice but to look to the welfare system and Canada wants to make this easier for people without feeling ashamed and looked down upon. Whether you were born with a physical disability or it was acquired during your lifetime, today’s society it is all about equality and these people deserve to live a happy, fulfilling life like everyone else. As Mallaly stated in his book from the neo-conservative view, “every individual has a responsibility to look after him or herself and the exception to this rule is that if people are judged to be in difficulty through no fault of their own, they may be eligible for welfare” (Mullaly, 2007, p. 83)


References:

Mullaly, R. (2007). The New Structural Social Work (3^rd ed.). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press Canada.

Raphael, D. (2007). Poverty and Policy in Canada: Implications for Health and Quality of Life. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Scholar’s Press Inc.

 Raphael, D. (2000). Health inequalities in Canada: current discourses and implications for public health action. Critical Public Health, 10(2), p.194-195. Retrieved from http://www.omiss.ca/centre/pdf/raphael.pdf

Raphael, D., & Bryant, T., & Rioux, M. (2006). Staying alive: critical perspectives on health, illness, and health care, p. 311. Toronto, Ontario: Canadian Scholar’s Press Inc. Retrieved from http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=KQaU2GThbFUC&oi=fnd&pg=PA305&dq=neo-conservative+and+physical+disability&ots=JK6p-0Hy8G&sig=wjV57o-qN8XdfoFtTyU0OwDu-dI#v=onepage&q&f=false


Tiffany