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 (3rd 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
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