More Menu

Vulnerable groups among people with disabilities.

byPosted at

This post focuses on recognising the heightened vulnerability of people with disabilities because they belong to certain groups, and it goes into great detail on this subject. By the end of this post, the reader will have acquired sufficient understanding about the vulnerable groups that include people with disabilities. Recognize the type of vulnerability that exists and learn about its degree, scope, and effects.

Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Perception about Disability
  3. Definition of Vulnerable Groups
  4. Children with Disabilities
  5. Women with Disabilities
  6. Youth with Disabilities
  7. Elderly People with Disabilities
  8. Summary

Introduction

Despite being the greatest minority in the world, people with disabilities are divided into many different organisations and communities. Being a member of this group and having a disability makes it extremely difficult for that person to integrate into the group and make forward in the socialising process. It is also common knowledge that being a member of a group that is more susceptible to dangers from the outside world presents difficulties for the individual member who has a disability. Children, women, young adults, seniors, people with disabilities, refugees, migrants, people in displaced situations, and indigenous groups are just a few of the vulnerable groups that include people with disabilities.

Perception about Disability:

It's important to understand disability as a human condition within the framework of its societal construct. The social model of disability focuses on societal environmental constraints that restrict people with impairments from fully participating in society. Because of this, social work practises aimed at the inclusive development of people with disabilities need to be understood and accepted in light of the promotion and defence of such people's rights. The interaction between people who have impairments and social and environmental restrictions leads to disabilities. People with disabilities need to be seen as having rights, being able to exercise those rights, making decisions about their lives with their free and informed permission, and participating fully in society, not as objects of charity, medical care, or social protection.

Sustainable development can be achieved by mainstreaming disability issues as a crucial component of all facets of development. Discrimination against people based on their handicap needs to be recognised as a violation of a person's intrinsic dignity and value. The human rights of all people with disabilities, particularly those who require more intense support, must be promoted and safeguarded. People with disabilities continue to confront hurdles to their participation as equal members of society and breaches of their human rights around the world notwithstanding the numerous documents, laws, and endeavours. Disability rights holders have the same access to civil, political, social, economic, and cultural rights as everyone else.Individuals with disabilities experience a variety of functional constraints. People may be disabled due to an intellectual, physical, or sensory impairment, as well as from illnesses or mental disorders. Such disabilities, illnesses, or disorders could be either temporary or permanent. When speaking of people with impairments, many phrases are used. However, when a person with a disability is a member of a vulnerable group, their situation is considerably worse.

Definition of Vulnerable Groups:

Minorities, migrants, the homeless, people who struggle with substance abuse, elderly people who live alone, and children are a few of the groups that are more likely than the general population to experience poverty and social exclusion. These groups frequently face challenges that can contribute to further social exclusion, such as low educational levels and unemployment or underemployment.

Children with disabilities, women with disabilities, adolescents with disabilities, young adults with disabilities, seniors with disabilities, refugees with disabilities, migrants with disabilities, people who have been displaced with disabilities, Dalits with disabilities, and indigenous people with disabilities are just a few of the people with disabilities who belong to these vulnerable groups in India.

Children with Disabilities:

A physical, mental, or sensory disability affects one in every ten children, according to estimates from the Government of India. Therefore, millions of children with impairments most likely reside in India.

More than 75% of impairments can be avoided. The position of children with disabilities continues to be appalling, especially in rural regions and among the lower socioeconomic strata, despite some improvements in the general status of children in the areas of health, nutrition, and education. Additionally, compared to their male counterparts, girls are more susceptible to illness and acquired disabilities due to gender-discriminatory feeding and healthcare practises in the home.

A child's first six years of life are extremely important. The child's physical, cognitive, linguistic, and social development peaks throughout these years. Therefore, it is crucial to make investments in early childhood health and education. The National Health Policy, the Integrated Child Development Services programme, the National Iodine Deficiency Control and Vitamin-A Supplementation Programs, and other horizontal and vertical health programmes of the State do focus on preventing childhood disability, but their influence on the overall decline in the incidence of disability remains minimal.

Disability still ranks low in the category of "social wellbeing." There is still a long way to go, even though efforts are being made to bring it into the "rights" area. Due to their social, economic, physical, or mental circumstances, many groups of children—including those who are physically and mentally challenged, juvenile offenders, poor children, and minor drug addicts—are disproportionately disadvantaged.

Along with the physical changes, emotional concerns, and interpersonal difficulties brought on by their impairment, children with disabilities also have to deal with these issues. They are continually subjected to prejudice in the workplace, in schools, in housing, in the judicial system, and in matters of health, in addition to the physical and communication-related restrictions that impairment imposes on their everyday activities. The effects on the crippled girl-child can be severe when poverty, physical neglect, and social exclusion all coexist. Families keep crippled girls locked away at home and deny them the fundamental rights to movement, education, and job because women represent family honour. They are perceived as dependant and asexual.

Boys with disabilities are overrepresented in schooling, both in special and regular schools. Education is not prioritised for impaired females due to differing gender-based role expectations. Compared to impaired boys, disabled girls drop out at higher rates. Particularly as a disabled girl hits adolescence, parents become more overbearing and controlling. Traveling to school is a major issue since, in addition to transportation issues, there is a significant risk of sexual abuse and exploitation. Another argument is that investing in a disabled girl's education is pointless because she will never be able to support herself financially. She won't be able to get married, thus her biological family would be stuck with her for the rest of their lives. Therefore, spending money on her schooling or career preparation is financially unwise. 

The formation of one's sexual identity is a crucial part of the development of one's overall personality and sense of worth during adolescence. In this aspect as well, children with impairments are disadvantaged in particular. There is a pervasive tendency to overprotect the impaired youngster. Parents degrade children with disabilities and indicate that sex is just for the physically fit and irrelevant to those with disabilities. These parental attitudes subtly trickle down to the child, who then feels inferior and unlovable as a result. Parents of kids with disabilities encourage reliance and contribute to the idea that people with impairments are intrinsically innocent, childlike, and thus asexual. Even worse, these attitudes taint students' opinions of professors.

The disabled and people with disabilities must be incorporated into daily life. Segregation in special schools and institutions must be reduced, and the subject of disability must be intentionally mainstreamed into discourses on the economics, government, entertainment, sports, fashion, and lifestyle in addition to special education and medical rehabilitation. It is necessary to replace terminology like "human rights" and "particular needs" with ones that are less stigmatising and more empowering. Families need assistance in overcoming emotions of shame associated with raising a handicapped kid. The most crucial aspect of all is assisting disabled children in developing a good sense of self, self-confidence, and self-respect. There won't be complete inclusion and empowerment until these are accomplished.

Women with Disabilities:

Around 650 million individuals, or 10% of the global population, live with impairments, and they regularly face a variety of social and physical barriers. They are typically among those in society who are most marginalised and frequently lack the opportunities enjoyed by the majority of people. Race, age, language, nationality, culture, religion, and handicap are only a few examples of the hurdles that prevent women from achieving complete equality and success. Women and girls with disabilities experience double discrimination as women and as people with disabilities as a result of some persistent cultural, legal, and institutional hurdles.

People with disabilities are sometimes regarded as asexual, genderless humans despite the fact that gender is one of the most significant categories of social organisation. Because of the biological, psychological, economic, social, political, and cultural differences between women and men, women with disabilities have diverse life experiences. In particular, because of the inferior status that tradition and custom have assigned to them, or as a result of overt or covert discrimination, women with disabilities are frequently denied the equal enjoyment of their human rights. Women with disabilities experience unique challenges in the areas of family and reproductive rights, health, violence and abuse, education, and employment.

The social status of women with disabilities differs depending on their unique situations and the neighbourhood they live in. There is substantial proof that women with disabilities have significant psycho-social issues and are limited to activities at home, whereas males are more likely to receive help for activities that are more visible and outward-looking. They cannot obtain a better education or locate a suitable job because they are women. According to society, she is incapable of being a "decent wife" or "good mother." This is a result of society's capitalistic mindset. Women with impairments are more likely to commit foetal and infanticide. Crippled women are frequently more affected than disabled males by isolation and confinement based on culture, customs, attitudes, and prejudices. Women with disabilities who are isolated experience low self-esteem and unfavourable emotions. As a result, all areas of education must take into account the requirements of females with disabilities, which may be more unique than those of any other group.

Compared to non-disabled women, women with disabilities are more likely to experience physical and sexual abuse. Due to their limited access to reproductive health care, individuals are more susceptible to sexually transmitted infections and difficulties with their reproductive systems. Concerns about the requirements of women with disabilities in terms of their reproductive health are not widely known. The assumption is sometimes made that they do not belong to the target demographics because being disabled is generally connected to being sexless or asexual. Many parents of young disabled girls are frequently encouraged to have their daughters' uteruses removed for safety concerns. Girls and women of all ages who have disabilities of any kind are among the most at risk and disenfranchised members of society. As a result, their concerns must be considered and addressed in all policy decisions and programmes. At all levels, special procedures are required to fully incorporate them into the development process.

Youth with Disabilities

The poorest and most marginalised young people in the world are those who have disabilities. According to statistics from UNESCO, 99 percent of disabled girls are illiterate and 98 percent of disabled children in underdeveloped nations do not attend school. Youth with impairments who have completed their education are nonetheless kept out of the workforce. The career options for young people with disabilities are limited by a lack of education and training necessary to participate in larger society. In every society, the unemployment rate for those with impairments is higher than the rate for those without disabilities.

In contrast to those without disabilities, young women and men with disabilities frequently experience greater prejudice as well as significant social and economic inequalities. Exclusion, isolation, abuse, as well as a lack of educational and employment prospects, are commonplace experiences for many young people with disabilities. The fundamental rights of young people with disabilities are not always upheld, and complete public acceptance is frequently elusive. Youth with impairments experience more differences in relationships, jobs, and schooling. Youth with disabilities do not have the same human rights or access to goods and services as peers without impairments, just like adults with disabilities do.

Managing sexual relationships is challenging in general, and having a disability adds additional complexity. Most often, society has the mistaken notion that children with disabilities are asexual and/or incapable of being mistreated. Youth with disabilities frequently lack access to reproductive health information or receive it through unsuitable channels, such as inaccessible clinics, inaccessible print or electronic media, or from professionals who are unable to communicate with them.

Due to misconceptions held by peers, young individuals with disabilities sometimes endure rejection and isolation. Being in an environment that is inaccessible to people with various disabilities only serves to increase feelings of loneliness and isolation. Young people are sometimes rejected employment under the presumption that they are unsuited for certain jobs performed by people their age. Their ability and power to earn a living wage to support themselves and their families is harmed as a result.

Many times, young individuals with impairments are misunderstood. They are seldom respected for their abilities. The social institutions of marriage and family are denied to them. Their rights to be married are rejected. They consequently continue to live in solitude and experience severe stress and depression. It is important to make an effort to integrate them into society. Respect for their rights is required. They must be treated with respect and given the same chances as other citizens as a sign of inclusion.

Elderly People with Disabilities:

The vulnerability of elderly persons with disabilities is heightened. Due to lack of employment when they were younger, elders tend to have poor socioeconomic standing, which has an impact on their quality of life as they age. Social security and the pension plan offered to such elders are not enough. Therefore, their social security is under serious jeopardy.

In the context of globalisation and the nuclear family structure, elderly people with impairments are left alone and without someone to care for and support them. Young people are compelled to relocate in pursuit of work, leaving their elderly relatives in rural areas behind. Disability and ageing together make it extremely difficult for elderly people with impairments to manage the many crises that arise.

Elderly people frequently experience a range of health-related issues. Despite their medical ailments, waiting for treatments and receiving subpar care makes their lives even worse. The reservations made for the elderly continue to be disregarded in numerous situations. As a result, elderly people with impairments have limited access to numerous services and experience social marginalisation.

Due to both their age and handicap status, older persons with impairments face double discrimination. No age group is more homogeneous than the elderly. Older adults suffer a variety of various degrees of impairment, and their perception of disability will vary depending on contextual conditions. Growing old does not necessarily entail becoming disabled. However, because the causes that lead to impairment build over time and are frequently made worse by poverty, older people are more likely than younger ones to suffer impairments. In the context of globalisation and the nuclear family structure, elderly people with impairments are left alone and without someone to care for and support them. Young people are compelled to relocate in pursuit of work, leaving their elderly relatives in rural areas behind. Disability and ageing together make it extremely difficult for elderly people with impairments to manage the many crises that arise.

Disability and illness in older people is often not recognized, and is dismissed as an inevitable part of the ageing process many older people themselves do not self-define as having a disability and as a result they are less likely to seek or receive the same support and services which younger persons with disabilities may be accessing (WHO, 2011).

















































 
Post a Comment
Tag, ,

Comments

Thank You