Comment Paper #1 By CRYSTAL ANDERSON

French, S. Swain, J. The Relationship between Disabled People and Health and Welfare Professionals pp.734-751

What does it mean for a disabled person to be “independent?” As I began to read this article it became clear as to what that all means. Each person desires to be independent, to be able to choose for him or her self and to be in control of their lives. I have come to realize that person with disability also want this, and it is not in terms of physical capability but, rather it is something of control. Maintaining independence for an individual who does have limitations or a disability can be such a challenging task that no one would be able to understand. In the reading by Sally French and John Swain, they had done some research on some of the experiences of persons with disability in relations to social structures and power relations with professionals. Disabled people have been placed in institutions for so long and have been treated as ones who should be left alone; the kind of “not so normal” people. Then there are the doctors who seem to not care much about the individual and decide to diagnose the individual instead of trying to pay some attention to the actual need. An example of this, negative discrimination and would be described as someone who looks at what is physically wrong rather then the entire body of the person, who happens to have a disability. In this case, health professionals keep people with disabilities oppressed, either consciously or subconsciously. Allan Dudley, whose disability is being deaf, is an example from the article of an individual had been rejected from ten universities and then he finally was accepted into a university he got his degree in Social Work. Once he got his degree it was hard for him to find a job, because he either had to work with people the same disability as himself or there were no jobs out there for him (744). This is a clear example of how society has been discriminating against people with disabilities.

There was a movement that took place to eradicate people’s ideologies, attitudes and misconceptions of people with disabilities. People with disability were people who no one wanted to talk to or be around and therefore just stuck them into institutions. Therefore, people with disabilities came together to change these issues and to help show non-disabled people (as well as disabled people) that they too have rights and values that should be respected and be treated as equal individuals. They fought for the right to be independent if they chose, to live a life that they chose and to take control and power over their own lives. Therefore, this meant that major barriers needed to be changed. For instance, inclusion into the community instead of exclusion, health care workers as well as other professionals take a more sensitive and compassionate approach in dealing with persons with disabilities as they would with any other individual. There was a centre that was organized called the Center for Integrated Living which focused on Independent living.

I believe that each person has the right to choose what he or she desires and the role of the professionals should not be to oppress or negatively discriminate but, rather support them in their efforts to be independent. As quoted in the article “Disabled people have the right to determine their own lives in every aspect…” (748).The only way there will be change in the professional field is when we challenge to change the professional structures, policies and ideologies. Now that this is slowly being chipped away, people with disabilities are starting to have control and power over their own lives, rather then the professionals deciding for them, and begin to live independent lives.