Hodges 1

Logan Hodges
Professor DAlessio
UWRT 1102- 008
08 March 2016
Final Essay-Disability Studies
People with disabilities are judged every day. Whether it is positive or negative
judgments, people in society normally stereotype the disabled community. There are many
disabled people in the world. There is not a way to get rid of disabilities due to the various
random impairments that happen in human genes when developing. Some are respected and
looked at highly, and others are neglected every day. I believe this has to do with the persons
social class and situation; if theyre famous and rich, an average person, or a poor and homeless.
There are many examples of the outlooks on the disabled and how they are portrayed to society.
For example, Stevie Wonder is a blind musician and has had a lot of success in his musical
career. People respect him and admire him because of how successful he is even with his
disability. Another example, one that shows the negative views on the disabled is the film Radio.
It is about this disabled man and how his community treats and views him like he is useless. I
believe that people with disabilities cannot help that they have a disability and that we should not
treat them differently because of it.
Throughout my researching process, I have learned a lot of information regarding people
with disabilities. In a media clip called Inside Dyslexia, individuals with the disorder Dyslexia
and their families are interviewed. They are asked questions about how life is with Dyslexia.
Most of the interviewees feel like there is a boulder in their way of living a normal life
(Infobase). Also, in an experiment on Is a Disabled Person Happier and Healthier When

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Participating in Society, I found that people with more serious physical limitations have fewer
contacts that are concerned about them. People with more serious limitations do not like to go
out or celebrate most holidays (Campen). I have always known there were disabled people in the
world but I never thought about what they have to deal with on a daily basis due to the actions of
society. I believe a lot of people feel sorry for the disabled but most do not attempt to make them
feel normal and welcomed. A family friend of mine has two sons; one has a stern case of
autism and the other is a dwarf. I know from being around their family that it is difficult to go in
public due to the stares and judgments they get from the people around them. On the other hand,
the parents are very open about their lives and do not become sensitive when talking to peers
about their sons disabilities. But, whenever their sons are with them, others become obviously
uncomfortable around them, which then makes them feel uncomfortable.
There are many successful disabled people in the world that are looked up too. They
show that you should not judge a book by its cover and give everyone hope to become anything
they want to be. For example, Stephen Hawling had developed motor neurone disease in 1963 at
the age of 21. This disease destroys motor neurons, which are cells that control important muscle
activity such as talking, walking, and breathing. He was given 2 years to live, and with that
information, he went on to become a successful researcher and a professor at two colleges
(Biology.com Editors). Society did not judge him harshly because of his disability nor did they
put him down. I believe it is people like him that show the world that if you work hard at
something, success is possible. Another successful person that has a disability is Tom Cruise. He
is an actor that suffers from a severe case of Dyslexia. As most know, Cruise has now been
nominated for and won many awards. He had to deal with his disorder to live out his dream of

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becoming an actor. He taught himself with the help of a book, how to acquire reading and
studying habits (Dyslexia Help).
In an experiment in 2007, Cretien Van Campen wanted to know if a person that had
limitations or disabilities was happier and healthier when participating in society. He asked a
range of participants that had different backgrounds questions that pertained to their life and their
involvement with society. For example, he asked questions to individuals of different ages,
gender, had a paying job, and others that did not. This variability allowed him to receive an
accurate conclusion. In one part of the experiment, he took a sample of 5,826 people; some had
no limitations, others had moderate limitations, and the rest had serious physical limitations.
From this data, it is shown that happiness decreases as the seriousness of the disability increases.
Also, the mental and physical health of an individual declines while the disability worsens. The
result of this experiment was that a person with any limitation is happier and healthier around
people that support them. This will lead to better wellbeing for the disabled when participating in
activities they enjoy and they will acquire more long-term personal goals.
On the other hand, some people in society become uncomfortable and judgmental when
they are around the disabled. In the study The Impact of Labeling, Stereotyping, Separation,
Status Loss, and Discrimination on the Lives of Individuals With Disabilities and Their
Families, disabled people are interviewed and asked questions about these topics. The results
found that people with disabilities feel as if they do not fit in regular categories. During this
experiment the interviewee that has a disability that has her limited to a wheelchair, stated a
comment like a hesitance to look me in the eye or to shake my hand because they do not know
how to shake hands with someone in crutches or in a wheelchair... Another interviewee that has
a son with Down syndrome reported that people find it hard to have a conversation with her

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about her son and his daily doings (Green). Labeling and stereotyping people with disabilities
and disorders affect their outlooks on life and their personal self-evaluation. I could not imagine
having a conversation with someone knowing that they are judging me on a disorder I did not
ask for. To walk in a room and feel all eyes turn to you because you are in a wheelchair or
anything like that would make you uncomfortable.
Thereareavarietyofgenresouttherethatpeoplecanaccessatthetouchoftheir
fingertips.Fromfilms,tonovels,tomotivationalspeakers,thepeopleofsocietyareshown
differentaspects,perspectives,andopinionsonpeopleingeneral.Anexampleofafilmon
societyandhowpeopleviewthedisabledisRadio.Itisaboutasmalltownwhereeverybody
stronglysupportsthelocalfootballteam.Atfootballpractice,thecoachandsomeplayersnotice
ayoungman,James,watchingwhilepushingashoppingcart.Itismadeclearthatheisdisabled.
Thepopularplayersmakefunofandbullyhim,butthecoachdoesnotletthathappenvery
long.CoachHaroldJonestakesinJamesandenrollshiminschoolandletshimhelpoutwiththe
footballteam.HefindsoutthatJameslovesradiosandthatshowhegetsthenicknameRadio.
ThepeopleofthecommunityhaveahardtimewiththefactthatRadioisgoingtohighschool
withtheirchildren.Also,thefootballplayersparentshaveareallyhardtimewithRadiohelping
atfootballpracticesandgames.TheycomplaintothecoachandprincipalbutcoachHarolddoes
notlistentothem.Intheend,Radiosupportsthefootballteamandalltheplayersaregladheis
there(GoodingJrandHarris).Ittooktimeforthemtobecomecomfortablearoundsomeonewho
isnotnormallikethem.
InthefilmRadiomentionedabove,thedirector,MikeTollin,didanexcellentjobat
showinghowawkwardanduncomfortablepeoplebecomearoundthedisabledandwhentalking

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aboutapersonwithadisorder.TheplayersandparentsdidnotrealizethateventhoughRadiois
disabled,hewouldnotbringdowntheteamandmakethemlosegames.Hesupportedand
motivatedtheplayersanddidnoharm.Ibelievethedisabledarenotouttobemeanandhurt
otherpeople.Eventhoughtherearesomedisorderswhichcauseapersontobecomemeanand
violent,mostdonot.Theywanttofeelliketheyarehelpingandarelovedjustasmuchas
normalpeopledo.Ithinkthismovieopenedalotofviewerseyesonthetopicofhowwetreat
thedisabled.Weshouldbeawareofhowwetreatandactaroundothers,notjustthedisabled.
Allinall,itishardtoimaginebeingdisabledwheneveryoudonothaveasevere
disabilityyourself.Societyisoftenshowndifferentviewsoftopicsthroughdifferentgenressuch
asmovies,music,newspapers,etc.Mostpeopledonotinteractwithanindividualthathasa
severedisabilityonadailybasis,sowhentheydocomeincontactwithsomeonethatdoeshave
adisorder,theydonotknowhowtoactnormalaroundthem.Theactionsofothersdonotonly
affectthedisabledperson,butalsothefamilyandfriendsofthem.Ihavelearnedanabundant
amountofinformationonhowthedisabledcommunityfeelsaboutthewaysocietytreatsthem
andabouthowtheyfeelaboutthemselvespersonally.SinceIdonothaveadisability,Icould
onlyimaginethathavingonewouldfeellikeIamstuckinarut.Formyself,Ibelievethatwe
shouldnotbecomeuncomfortablearoundthedisabledbecausetheydidnotchoosetohavethat
life.Mostofthetime,peopleofsocietydonottakethetimetogettoknowsomeonethathasa
disability.Theirdisabilityistheiridentityandthatshowpeopleidentifythem.Weshouldnot
judgeabookbyitscoverandweshouldtreatthemthesamewaywewanttobetreated.There
arestillmanyquestionstoaskpertainingthistopic.Forexample,whydomostpeoplenaturally
becomeuncomfortablearoundadisabledperson?Isitbecausetheyarenotaroundandinvolved

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withoneregularly?SincewetooktheECclassesoutofelementaryschools,havetheactionsand
behaviorsofstudentsbecamemoreawkwardaroundthedisabledandtheirfamilies?Ifso,
shouldwebringthoseclassesbackintoallschools?Whydopeoplebecomenervousand
awkwardaroundthefamilyofadisabledperson?Thesequestionsmayneverbeanswered,butI
hopethatwe,asasociety,becomeawareofouractionsandtreatpeoplewithdisabilitieswith
respect.

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Work Cited
Campen, Cretien Van, and Jurjen Iedema. "Are Persons with Physical Disabilities Who
Participate in Society Healthier and Happier? Structural Equation Modelling of Objective
Participation and Subjective Well-being." Qual Life Res (2007): 635-45. Web. 29 Mar.
2016.
Green, Sara. "Living Stigma: The Impact of Labeling, Stereotyping, Separation, Status Loss, and
Discrimination in the Lives of Individuals with Disabilities and Their Families."
Sociological Inquiry 75.2 (2005): 197-215. Abstract. Sociological Inquiry 75.2 (2005):
197-215. Print.
Infobase. Inside Dyslexia. Films On Demand. Films Media Group, 2007. Web. 16 Feb. 2016.
NIH. "Motor Neuron Diseases Fact Sheet." Motor Neuron Diseases Fact Sheet. NIH, 14 Mar.
2012. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
Regents of the University of Michigan. "Success Story: Tom Cruise." Success Story: Tom Cruise.
Regents of the University of Michigan, na. Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
"Stephen Hawking." Bio.com. Ed. Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, a. Web. 29 Mar.
2016.
"Stevie Wonder." Bio.com. Ed. Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, n.d. Web. 29 Mar.
2016.
Radio. Dir. Mike Rollin. Perf. Cuba Gooding Jr. and Ed Harris. 2003. Film.