Psy question and response for disabilities studies

PSY question: short answer

• What are the three strategies that the United States government has used to address the drug abuse problem? How effective have these strategies been?
• What have been some of the negative effects of deinstitutionalization?

Response for Disabilities studies

Brian Serrano 

Discussion 7

Top of Form

The idea of “able bodied privilege” is pretty insane when you really think about it.  There are things we do in our everyday life that we do not even have to think about, and some people do not even have the privilege to do that.  Many of us can literally go on with out day without even having to stress how we are going to go somewhere or have to worry about any specific situation once we arrive to that place.  We all take this for granted because disabled people really have to think all these things through before doing anything.

After watching a few videos on YouTube, I decided to choose this video of Dylan Alcott’s Ted Talk.  Dylan grew up in a wheelchair and is now known for being a professional wheelchair basketball player.  In the video, Dylan spoke about some of the problems he faced growing up as a teenage and he spoke about things that I never thought of while growing up.  Things that I found so natural growing up were some of the things that he found the most difficult and this was a real eye opener.  Whether if it were playing sports, going out with friends, or just trying to take a walk around the city, we all face no problems with these activities while others may not be able to enjoy this without facing a problem.  I believe that many of us are so fortunate to not have to deal with some of the things a disabled person may have to go through and its really how sad we take these things for granted.

Bottom of Form

Robert Caputo 

Discussion 7

Top of Form

Privilege is something that occurs all throughout the world. Whether it be white privilege or able bodied privilege, privilege is something that will show up everywhere. Able-bodied privilege is something that I have seen first hand, and it is an incredibly painful thing to have to witness first hand.

When I ran a group home for adults with special needs, I had a client who’s name I cannot legally use, so I will call him James. James was in a wheelchair due to his disabilities, so he required accommodations when traveling via a vehicle. We were sent tickets to the Sussex County fair by the company that runs our group home, and we took the group home’s van to the fair.

We got a flat tire on our way, so I had to call the company and have them send someone to pick up the clients and my staff and take them to the fair, while I waited for the company maintenance man to come tend to the van. I was not allowed to attempt fixing the flat on my own, per company policy.

The van that they sent to pick up my clients and staff, was not equipped to accommodate someone who needs a wheelchair. So in the long run, James was unable to get to the fair because he had to stay with me at the broken down van until the company sent someone else to come pick him up, and unfortunately, they did not get there with enough time for James to get to the fair and back in time for his medications at 8PM.

This is one of the most painful examples of able-bodied privilege that I had seen. I am sure that I have experienced it myself at some point, being able to do something that others might not be able to do, due to the fact that I am able-bodied.

Bottom of Form