As a person with a visible physical disability I believe persons with any disability are 'deserving poor'. I believe this because having a disability poses different challenges and struggles that only we experience. Neo-conservatives operate in the sense 'you made your bed now lay in it', but when it comes to persons with disabilities, we did not do this to ourselves! Neo-Conservatives believe "Individuals have the responsiblity to look after themselves." (Mullaly 2007) Persons with disabilities have several different costs that 'normal' people don't have to budget for, special equipment to make mobility easier, homecare in some cases, medical equipment and medication that can all add up quick. The additional costs of raising a child with Cerebral Palsy from birth to the age of 18 is an estimated average of $95 000 (US). (Parish, S. L., Cloud, J. M., 2006) That large amount of money would be hard for anybody to 'shell out' but it is especially difficult when you have a child with a physical disability. "Having a child with disabilities seems to have a similar effect on maternal employment as having very young children without disabilities: diminished maternal workforce participation and reduced hours for employed mothers." (Parish et al., 2004) With this additional cost and the prospect of a diminished work, it isn't a surprise that 28.4% of children with a disability lives in poverty. (National Health Interview Survey, NHIS., 1992)
If the disability is severe enough people may not be able to work. "Only 30% of people with disabilities work full or part time compared to 80% of people without disabilities." (Batavia, A. I., Beaulaurier, R. L., 2001) If we weren't 'deserving poor' in a neo-conservative government that would mean our family would have to take care of us and take care of the costs associated with the disability with no subsidy.
Persons with invisible or visible disabilities often lean on each other for support and advise on challenges that are unique to them, forming a community. Neo-Conservatives see the world as individuals, not a collective society, with this view very little if any money would go towards programs put on by these groups that help people with disabilities.
ReferencesPersons with invisible or visible disabilities often lean on each other for support and advise on challenges that are unique to them, forming a community. Neo-Conservatives see the world as individuals, not a collective society, with this view very little if any money would go towards programs put on by these groups that help people with disabilities.
Batavia, A. L., Beaulaurier, R. L., (2001) The Financial Vulunerability of People with Disabilities: Assessing Poverty Risk. Sociology and Social Welfare 28(1), pages 139-162
Parish, S.L., Cloud, J. M., (2006) Financial well-being of Young Children with Disabilities and their Families. Social Work 51(3) 2006, pages 223-232
Mullaly,Bob. (2007) The New Structural Social Work. Third Edition, Oxford University Press
~Jordan C
You make a very good point saying that people who are physically disabled (in the case of having bad eyes) don't choose that path themselves. I don't think that the conservative government really considers that part. Yes they believe that if a problem arises, it is the duties of the family and person themselves to deal with it, but in that outlook they fail to look at that a person who has a vision problem was born with it. I feel like the conservatives base their rules and guidelines on people who do live 'normal' lives, but like everyone knows, everyone is different.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your point about the costs of having a physical disability. Many people who are struggling with disability problems are using up more money than a ‘normal’ person would be. For example, having to take medicine, taking time off work for appointments or having other family members take time off from work to help support the person in need. This is when some assistance needs to come in from the conservative government, as they are deserving of social welfare. In many cases, like Liberals, you see the support from the society that allows persons with physically disabilities to take part in their day to day routines and to better their life. This unfortunately is what the conservative government lacks.
-Jessica VL
You make some very strong and valuable points. I do agree with a lot of what you stated. It seems that in society, people who do not have a visible physical disability are not aware of all the hardships and unknown costs that persons with disabilities may encounter. They see what is on the outside and do not always think about how an entire life is affected by a particular disability, no matter how big or small. Those who are not affected by a disability may not be aware of the struggles persons with disabilites may face and often they can be quick to pre-judge. It seems that it is human nature to look at those who are visibly disabled and wonder what happened. There seems to be a stigma attached.
ReplyDeleteI think it is good that those who are alike in society are able to stick together to support one another. Everybody needs a support system. But your post makes me wonder why the conservative government as well as people in society do not see that if we all assisted one another and formed a large community, treating everyone with respect and fairness, we would all benefit.
Dana W
It would be nice to get beyond the notion of judging who is deserving. People living in poverty have many different reasons and most face a wide range of barriers to getting into a better position. An outside observer who doesn't know a person's story might make a judgment based on superficial characteristics. Most people would agree that people with visible disabilities are "deserving" of help, but that sounds like a charity approach, which is demeaning. You have to prove you are deserving and, as you said so well, Jordan, a person with a disability did not choose to have that disability. So imagine how much more difficult it is for people with invisible disabilities, or people whose lives have been torn asunder by severe childhood trauma and who find it difficult to function in the job market as adults, etc. Personally, I really dislike having to be in position of judging who is deserving and who isn't. In my book, if you are a human being, you are deserving of dignity and a certain quality of life. But then, not everyone would agree with my position.
ReplyDeleteA provocative post, Jordan. Thanks for bringing out some of these points.
Hello Jordan, Thanks for sharing your experience and view on disabilities. I also disagree with the notion of the deserving or undeserving poor. Like you stated it is not someone’s choice if they have a disability or not. Therefore how can you decide if someone is deserving or not? It is definitely important for society to work to meet the need of everyone in it in order for everyone to have a good quality of life.
ReplyDeleteNicole G
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ReplyDeleteThanks Jordan, that was a really interesting post. I completely agree with you, people do not choose to have a physical disability. It's hard enough for lots of people and families to provide neccessities, and with the addition of the costs you mentioned it could become impossible. People with physical disabilities are definitely the deserving poor, and costs associated with their disability need to be subsidized!
ReplyDelete-Eliza R.
I sometimes am ignorant and forget to realize the stakes and funding for people with disabilities and that at many times it is unfair and may cause more difficulty in addition to the disability itself. If the physically disabled were not classified as the deserving poor, I can definitely see how in many cases the disabled may not have the correct means to help them get through their everyday challenges what ever the need be.
ReplyDelete-Autumn B.
Thanks Jordan for sharing your story. Life is sometimes hard even when we don't have visible or invisible disabilities to deal with everyday and thank goodness that we don't live in a neo-conservative society. I have someone who is physically and mentally disabled that lives in our home and i've seen some of the struggles he faces everyday. The people who have to work a little harder to get things done, something as easy as getting ourselves dressed can be such a challenge. The added costs are another big challenge. The above comments are right, what about the people with an invisible disability? Just because you can see that a person has a physical disability doesn't mean they are any more deserving. It's so sad to see how many people need to continually prove that they ARE disabled and they have a few extra challenges. You're very strong and people can say they understand but they won't actually understand until they have walked in someone's shoes who have faced the challenges of a disability.
ReplyDeleteTiffany
Thanks for the comments! I just tried to big a different view and add some personal experience. I was always told to write about something you have an interest in and it will be great. I tried to add my personal experience because it makes the ideology believes real.
ReplyDeleteJordan