The very definition of a disability is anything that puts a person at a disadvantage in society. Well if that is the meaning of having a disability, then disabilities are the norm in society. After all, only a mere 5% of the population naturally have the perfection that is portrayed in the media. Not all impairments are obvious, many of them are mental or physical ones that are not easily spotted. In 2010 about 1 in 5 people had a disability; this proves how prevalent these ailments are in our daily lives. It is not uncommon to have classmates that are diagnosed with ADD or Dyxlexia. However, it is hard to know who has these disabilities unless specifically told. People don't even bat an eye when they see a blind person being lead around by a trained dog. These conditions are incorporated into our lives since we were young. People are not defined by their situations because to them it is just a part of them and while to the outsider it may seem like a big deal, try to see it from the person's perspective. A blind person from birth would not realize what they have never had. Even if they lost their sight at one point in their life, the person would learn to live with it and its not like the person would stop living just because they cannot see anymore. Indeed, the person's body would boast the other senses to compensate for the lost sense. Instead of seeing it as a disadvantage it could be an advantage, after all, you could end up with super hearing.
Resources:
"11 Facts About Body Image." 11 Facts About Body Image. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <https://www.dosomething.org/facts/11-facts-about-body-image>.
"United States Census Bureau." Nearly 1 in 5 People Have a Disability in the U.S., Census Bureau Reports. 25 July 2012. Web. 1 Feb. 2015. <https://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/miscellaneous/cb12-134.html>.
I've always wondered if people remember seeing before they go blind. Also it would be pretty cool to get some super hearing as compensation for blindness. Not that I would want that situation to inflict me, but I think it would be nice for others.
ReplyDeleteYou really went all out finding statistics. Relating outside sources to the texts in class improves both your ethos and the logical appeals. The way you balanced the emotional appeals in the middle and end with the logical appeals in the beginning was very professional. Well done!
ReplyDeleteAnd I hope this doesn't bother you, but if you want to put this one in your notebook make sure it's "boost" instead of "boast" in the second to last sentence.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know ~5% of the population had the perfection portrayed in media! I like how you find the positive aspects of having disability with superhearing. I heard of people's sense of smell increasing too...interesting.
ReplyDeleteWow, Anna I like how you mentioned that disabilities have already been incorporated into our lives. The example of the blind person really proved that we have already made a step towards improvement.
ReplyDeleteI like the thoughts you imply about disability, Anna! I love how you imply that we are all disabled. This was a very good post, and I enjoyed reading it! :D
ReplyDeleteI love that you found the statistics, but I have just a small thought: a person's situation does define them. Their situation at times becomes a stepping stone for how they live and the choices they make. Those children that were raised with a disability versus those that obtained a disability later in their life will have different approaches to living with it as well. I think you hit it right that nowadays we have become less discriminating against disabilities, kudos!
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