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thesouthernpsychologist · 3 years

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Part III: Disability Rights Movement

An explanation of how theoretical frameworks shape behavior or action concerning your social change or social justice topic

Behavior is shaped toward individuals with a mental illness or physical impairment by understanding a person’s attitude toward a disability. Vilchinsky, Findler, and Werner (2010) used attachment theory as the theoretical framework for investigating individual attitudes concerning people with disabilities. Vilchinsky et al. (2010) study show that participants, when reading the article of a person with a disability had negative emotion than when reading about the person without a disability. The study found that participants still had a negative emotional response toward a person with a disability at all attachment levels. People in the study with a secure attachment were easy to bounce back from the negative emotional response that those with an insecure attachment.

People’s view of people with a disability usually is always predetermined. Negative thought patterns such as needing help or pitying them for the disability or another cause such as a person with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder may fear them. Changing the mindset of how we view disability could potentially cause a negative emotional response.

An explanation of psychology’s role in advocating for the greater society and how this is evident or demonstrated in your social change or social justice topic

Cohen, Lee, and McIlwraith (2012) define psychology advocacy as “informing and assisting decision-makers who promote the interests of clients, health care systems, public and welfare issues, and professional psychology.” Cohen, Lee, and McIlwraith (2012) say lobbying is a way to influence legislation to improve laws. Psychology can play a role in both advocating and lobbying. Psychologist can use their knowledge to promote change within the individual which can help a person to advocate for themselves. Additionally, a psychologist can appeal to employers and the government for social change. Social change has happened with the disability rights movement, with the Americans with Disabilities Act accessible for disabled people, such as ramps, automatic doors, and disabled bathrooms. Companies with 15 or more employees must make reasonable accommodations for disabled workers (ADL, 2015). The Affordable Care Act does not allow insurance companies to deny coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Steps have been taken to help a person with disabilities; however, it is hard to change a person’s attitude toward a disability.

Conclusion

Disabilities directly impact nearly 50 million Americans daily, not to include the impact it has on their friends and families. The Disability Movement has been fighting for rights since the 1960s. The most significant part of the movement was the passing of the ADA. Stigma is one way that negatively impacts a person’s way of life, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Stigma is another way society can discriminate against and deny people with disabilities to provide the service they deserve. Technology is one way to improve the quality of life for those with disabilities. Technology is a way to allow people with disabilities to function in society. The disability rights movement has gained significant ground over the year; however, a lot still needs to be done to ensure equality and right is level with the non-disabled population. Psychology’s role in social change is still insufficient; however, psychologists have become an instrument for social change over the last decade. The knowledge and education psychologist could shed new light on ways to promote social justice. Psychologists need to step out of the shadows and stand up for change. Many people are faced daily with the challenges of their mental illness or physical impairment.

Additionally, they have the combined challenge of someone’s attitude toward them, which could put more obstacles in their way of social interaction, employment, or education. Psychology and others can promote equality between society and people with disabilities through advocating or lobbying for more rights and genuine equal opportunities. Although step has been made in the right direction, still many things can be done to support a person with a disability.

References

ADL. (2015). A Brief History of the Disability Rights Movement. Retrieved from https://www.adl.org/education/resources/backgrounders/disability-rights-movement

Cohen, K. R., Lee, C. M., & McIlwraith, R. (2012). The psychology of advocacy and the advocacy of psychology. Canadian Psychology/Psychologie canadienne, 53(3), 151- 158. doi:10.1037/a0027823

Vilchinsky, N., Findler, L., & Werner, S. (2010). Attitudes toward people with disabilities: The perspective of attachment theory. Rehabilitation Psychology, 55(3), 298-306. doi:10.1037/a0020491

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thesouthernpsychologist · 3 years

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Part II: Disability Right Movement

Role of Psychology

Crethar and Ratts (2008) define social justice as a multidimensional methodology in which mental health providers attempt to concurrently encourage personal growth and the mutually decent through speak to obstacles correlated to both individual and distributive justice. The counselor or psychologist empowers the client or group to stand up for their beliefs in a healthy manner. Crethar and Ratts (2008) suggest that when they entrust their client, they base the empower around four principles: equity, access, participation, and harmony. Equity is the appropriate dissemination of resources. The Key is the everyone has access to these resources. Participation is that everyone is part of the decision-making process. Lastly, harmony is the best possible outcome for the community.

Kinderman (2013) states that psychologists should speak out against social injustices. Psychologists study human behavior, which makes them a great way to speak out for the injustices in the world. Social change primarily comes from groups and leaders (Louis, Mavor, La Macchia, & Amiot, 2014). Leadership is in a position of power to change injustice in a group quickly; however, some are unwilling to step up and be the voice for change. For the psychologist, social change could go against their code of ethics. Lack of leadership would pose a dilemma for the psychologist to choose between belief or principle of ethics. Kinderman (2013) suggest that psychologist should help other understand human behavior to shape social change.

Ethnic Inequalities on the Psychological Well-Being

People with disabilities are more likely to have lower education, low socioeconomic status, and be unemployed. Psychological well-being is already common in most cases when someone has a disability. According to Chang et al. (2014), disability was one of two factors responsible for depression rates. A person with either suffers from a mental or physical disability is at a higher risk for depression. A disabled person could be discriminated against because of limited resources. Resources may be diverted away from a person with a disability because they are considered to have a reduced quality of life and toward a person with a so-called better chance of having a good quality of life.

Analysis of any Concerns Regarding Ethnic Inequality

Disability can also affect a person’s relationships. According to Wasserman (2016), people that are married are generally happier than unmarried people. Disability can make it difficult for a person to find friendship or love. The disability is seen as creating an awkward degree of inequality and difference. Wasserman (2016) suggests that non-disabled people could think a relationship with a disabled person might be unfulfilling. Relationships are complicated for most people without disabilities. Relationships are viewed as more complex with people with disabilities because of society’s view on people with disabilities. Relationships are only one aspect of inequality that people with a disability experience. They also experience inequality in education, health care, and employment. People with disabilities understand their limitations and will not apply for the job they cannot perform. Some non-disabled people will judge a person by their disability instead of focusing on their qualifications. Society needs to focus on the person in front of us instead of the disability. Lastly, we can recognize a person’s limitations but understand they are far more capable than their disability.

Analysis of the Role of Psychology

Social psychology is a way to tie the individual to social change; however, social psychology is usually based on how individuals view others. Psychology has not had much influence on social change. Historical sociologists have been the first for social change. According to De la Sablonnière (2017), over 70 years ago, social change came up in psychological literature; however, only a few psychologists have to take on social change. Intersectionality is obtaining arise in consideration in psychology. The theory or framework comes from the work of Black feminist scholar-activists and its emphasis on interlocking systems of oppression and the necessity to effort regarding structural-level alterations to stimulate social justice and impartiality (Rosenthal, 2016). Modern curiosity in intersectionality in psychology gives a chance to lure mental health providers’ devotion to structural-level problems and make public integrity and fairness more crucial in psychology (Rosenthal, 2016). Psychologists have learned many subjects of social justice such as prejudice, discrimination, conformity, and numerous subfields around these matters in psychology. The American Psychological Association (2017) code of ethics needs psychologists to uphold all society’s rights, regardless of the stage of life, sex, gender identity, race, background, national origin, belief, sexual orientation, disability, language, or financial status. The code pushes psychologists to become mindful of these features and circumvent bias and unwarranted practices. Hays et al. (2010) suggest that group work is a way to assist in empowering clients at an individual and systemic level. Hays et al. (2010) believe in increasing attention to social justice problems using education, training, supervision, practice, and research. Promoting change within a group could help shed light on the oppression or discrimination of people with disabilities. Psychology could empower people to stand up for equal rights to promote positive change.

An explanation of the relevance of this topic to the field of psychology and the role and responsibilities of psychology concerning the issue

Individuals with a disability have experienced some shame in the world. Non-disabled people are unsure of how to handle a person’s physical or mental impairment. Psychology explore the data about physical or psychological impairment and way to treat the impairment. The field of psychology’s responsibilities should be to support and discover where the hitches are and try to shed light on the issue with the group, legislature, and community to increase the quality of life for those with disabilities.

The American Psychological Association (2013) defines clinical psychology as “a clinical discipline that involves the provision of diagnostic, assessment, treatment plan, treatment, prevention, and consultative services to patients of the emergency room, inpatient units, and clinics of hospitals.” The American Psychological Association (2013) says Clinical psychology combines “science, theory, and practice to understand, forecast and alleviate maladjustment, disabilities, and discomfort as well as to promote human adaptation, adjustment, and personal development.” Psychology concentrates on the intellectual, emotional, biological, psychological, social, and behavioral characteristics of a human role in diverse societies and at all socioeconomic levels.

Publishing Site and Reasoning

For this blog, I am choosing to launch it on the blog site Tumblr. Tumblr is a place where people of different backgrounds and points of view can express themselves, discover themselves, and find new perspectives. It is where your interests connect you with your people. This platform is very user-friendly and has been available since 2007. Using Tumblr, I can reach academics that are casually looking for more psychology-related content and a younger audience that may find comfort in reading information on disabilities and ways social change can be implemented for this social problem. Tumblr is an excellent platform to help facilitate an academic conversation because Tumblr is easily accessible and can be seen from any smart device.

References

American Psychological Association. (2017). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/

American Psychological Association. (2013). Guidelines for psychological practice in health care delivery systems. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/deliverysystems.pdf

Chang, T. E., Weiss, A. P., Marques, L., Baer, L., Vogeli, C., Trinh, N. T., … Yeung, A. S. (2014). Race/Ethnicity and Other Social Determinants of Psychological Well-being and Functioning in Mental Health Clinics. Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved, 25(3), 1418-1431. doi:10.1353/hpu.2014.0138

Crethar, H. C., & Ratts, M. J. (2008). Why social justice is a counseling concern. Counseling Today. Retrieved from https://www.txca.org/images/tca/Template/TXCSJ/Why_social_justice_is_a_counseling _concern.pdf

De la Sablonnière, R. (2017). Toward a Psychology of Social Change: A Typology of Social Change. Frontiers in Psychology, 8. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2017.00397

Hays, D. G., Arredondo, P., Gladding, S. T., & Toporek, R. L. (2010). Integrating Social Justice in Group Work: The Next Decade. The Journal for Specialists in Group Work, 35(2), 177-206. doi:10.1080/01933921003706022

Kinderman, P. (2013). The role of the psychologist in social change. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 60(4), 403-405. doi:10.1177/0020764013491741

Louis, W. R., Mavor, K. I., La Macchia, S. T., & Amiot, C. E. (2014). Social justice and psychology: What is, and what should be. Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology, 34(1), 14-27. doi:10.1037/a0033033

Rosenthal, L. (2016). Incorporating intersectionality into psychology: An opportunity to promote social justice and equity. American Psychologist, 71(6), 474-485.

Wasserman, D. (2016). Disability: Health, Well-Being, and Personal Relationships (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy). Retrieved from https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/disability-health/

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thesouthernpsychologist · 3 years

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Intro: Disability Rights Movement

My name is Tyler Doleman, and I am a Clinical Psychology Doctoral Student at Walden University. I am originally from San Antonio, TX. My passion for psychology was ignited when my cousin, born on the same day and hospital, was diagnosed with a moderate intellectual disability disorder (IDD). Our mothers cared for us the same while pregnant with us, and we had very similar early childhood moments. The difference between us was that my cousin was significantly delayed in her development. My cousin’s parents were at first in denial to the delays, but as disabilities became more prominent, my cousin was then diagnosed with Moderate IDD. I have chosen to start my career by working with individuals with IDD disorder and other mental health diagnoses. I have noticed within the workplace and in school settings that individuals who have disabilities rather than physical or psychological face discrimination. According to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (n.d.), in 2016 nearly 40 percent of discrimination lawsuit was because of discrimination against a person with a disability. People with disabilities need access to the best healthcare available. With insurances rate increase yearly and their ability to deny coverage, we should ensure them the entrance to the same content as anyone. The ADA has made it possible for many to receive health care; however, government and insurance companies kept working to change policy to increase their bottom line. Disabilities are a problem that we should be assisting in improving the quality of life instead of figuring out a way to pay for treatment.

Nearly 20 percent of Americans have a disability. A disability can be defined as a physical illness or mental illness that considerably reduces an individual’s ability to function as other individuals or groups. People with disabilities can still maintain a job and provide food and different basic needs for their families.

Many people with disabilities accept that mental illness or physical impairment and are willing to seek treatment from doctors and therapists to manage or improve their quality of life. However, they are a few people who are unwilling to accept their diagnosis or accept diagnosis due to the impairment. People that are unwilling to accept the diagnosis could become a problem for their families and communities, depending on the diagnosis. The individual unable to acknowledge their diagnosis because of the impairment relies on their families to provide them with the care they need. A person that is not proper for their mental illness or physical impairment could become suicidal, homicidal, and aggressive toward others, depending on the diagnosis.

Most of the time, people without disabilities are untrained and not as knowledgeable as professionals to assist a person with a disability. The lack of training creates a gap in society because most people cannot look past the disability. Aiden and McCarthy (2014) say that people are afraid that they will mismanage the situation or say something wrong during a conversation with a disabled person. When people are worried about talking or looking past the disability, society starts to treat them like a second-class citizens instead of what they can do. Aiden and McCarthy (2014) state that attitudes can be defined as an active group of beliefs, feelings, values, and dispositions that portray how we believe or feel about certain people or situations. A contrary idea to a group of people or individuals, in turn, could make us dislike or discriminate against them or the group again. An increasing bulk of data suggests that a person with a disability is more likely than individuals without being unable to be involved in situations with a negative experience. These same individuals are also more likely to have a critical obstacle to schooling, freedom, transportation, access to public services, social contact, and accessibility outside the home (Aiden & McCarty, 2014).

The Disability Rights Movement gain extensive ground with the passing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990 and the ADA Amendments Act (2008), which are considered the most significant achievements. The ADA gave people with disabilities equal employment opportunities and public accommodations. However, these acts came nearly 50 years since the start of the official movement.

Many steps have been taken to make accommodations to help people with disabilities; however, while civil liberties may be near equal to those without disabilities, many areas still need improvement. According to the Anti-Defamation League (2015), people with disabilities still face prejudice such as physical barriers to schooling, housing or voting stations, and lack of affordable health care.

An explanation of the question or action related to this topic, on which you will focus:

The two areas that I will focus on for The Disability Rights Movement are ways to combat stigma and advancement in technology. Stigma suppresses the rights of people with disabilities and compounds the effects of the disability. Technology is a way to advance life for people with disabilities.

A description of the social change or social justice topic that you will address in your:

Having a disability can lead to more than just the pain or distress of the disability. It can also lead to a social stigma from peers and the community they reside. Corrigan (2014) says that healthcare professionals have taken steps to address the stigma; however, once a person is labeled with an illness, it could hurt a person’s chances of getting a job, relationships, housing, and healthcare. The stigma has both a social impact and a negative impact on a person’s self-worth. Corrigan (2014) states that the stigma creates personal harm because it affects self-esteem and self-efficacy. People with mental illness and intellectual disabilities are among the most socially excluded population (Ditchman et al., 2013).

Technology is one way to help people with a disability gain independence or improve their ability to function within society. In 2004 the Assistive Technology Act was an amendment to allow the provide federal funding from the U.S. Department of Education to each state to improve individuals with disabilities of all ages with technical assistance. Dell, Newton, and Petroff (2011) discuss that the use of assistive technology in a school setting can increase the independence of these students. As stated by Cumming, Higgins, and Pierce (2008), that the use of multimedia student-generated social skills instruction and traditional intervention was able to improve and maintain the social skill of adolescents with emotional disabilities. Technological advancement has helped many people with disabilities to learn social skills, attend classes to further their education, move around their community, and hear for the first time.

References

ADL. (2015). A Brief History of the Disability Rights Movement. Retrieved from https://www.adl.org/education/resources/backgrounders/disability-rights-movement

Aiden, H., & McCarthy, A. (2014). Current attitudes towards disabled people. Retrieved from https://www.scope.org.uk/Scope/media/Images/Publication%20Directory/Currentattitudes-towards-disabled-people.pdf?ext=.pdf

Corrigan, P. W. (2014). The stigma of disease and disability: Understanding causes and overcoming injustices.

Cumming, T. M., Higgins, K., Pierce, T., Miller, S., Boone, R., & Tandy, R. (2008). Social Skills Instruction for Adolescents with Emotional Disabilities: A Technology-Based Intervention. Journal of Special Education Technology, 23(1), 19-33. doi:10.1177/016264340802300102

Dell, A., Newton, D., & Petroff, J. (2011). Assistive Technology in the Classroom: Enhancing the School Experience for Students with Disabilities. Retrieved from https://doc.uments.com/s-assistive-technology-in-the-classroom-enhancing-the-schoolexperiences.pdf

Ditchman, N., Werner, S., Kosyluk, K., Jones, N., Elg, B., & Corrigan, P. W. (2013). Stigma and intellectual disability: Potential application of mental illness research. Rehabilitation Psychology, 58(2), 206-216.

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. (n.d.). EEOC Efforts for Veterans with Disabilities.

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