By Morgen Makombo Sikwila
Persons with disabilities comprise a significant proportion of the world’s population of individual countries in the developing world.
Their quality of life is a significant concern to both themselves, significant others, social work and health, professionals in education, national and provincial governments.
When persons with disability lose their health or are injured and lose a part of their body, that loss leads to grief. Disability implies loss of something valued and it leads to grief for that loss loss. The grief may be expressed anger, blame, helplessness or other feelings.
When a child is born, parents have certain expectations about what type of child to have. If a child is born with a certain disability ie a congenital disability, the parents grieve for the loss of the ideal child.
This grief manifests itself through the developmental life of the child.
Accepting the disability status of a child is a real challenge. ‘Accepting’ is related to recognising reality and grieving for what has to be given up. Sometimes parents might not be aware he or she is in denial. Some parents associate disability with words like ‘bad’ or ‘ill’. In the Shona culture anyone with a disability is referred to as sick. Disability is portrayed by families as a misfortune and the disabled are viewed as outcasts in communities they live in.
Some parents with children with a disability have feelings of ‘badness’ and can lead parents to be patronising, overprotective or a placatory behaviour. When a parents believe that their child’s disability is a result of their bad sex, he or she might ill-treat or overprotect the child. Some of the parents feel it is a punishment from God or God given punishment or whipping!
Some people who live and care for a child with disability present an uncaring attitude to the public. This stems from feelings of guilty they may harbour. Sometimes they withdraw or lash out at the child. Some parents do not understand why they have a child with a disability and express their own fears by trying to control the child. The control can be counter-productive because it does not allow the child to develop as normally as possible. The child may desire to please the parents because he or she feels guilty for the condition. This inhibits acceptance of his or her condition. The hope to be better might be unrealistic and might also inhibit the child’s rehabilitation.
When a child with a disability dies, or his or her family member dies, discussing the fact of death with family members or with the child is not pleasant. Most people including those with disability find reflecting upon death instills fear on them. Children with disabilities exaggerate their imaginings about death.
The wish to commit suicide stems from the desire for the child with disability to ‘punish’ their parents or carers. The wish to commit suicide may be because the child is angry or helpless from pain caused by the disability.
When someone is disabled, there is the mistakenly view that disability must lead to loss of role for the child. From home and at school, the child with a kind of disability is not given a chance to take responsibility for themselves or others. Loss of role is related to loss of independence.
For some people, disability is associated with stigma. This powerful negative social label radically change a person’s self-concept and social identity- an individual is diminished and discounted in the minds of others and resultantly socially isolated. Lives for those with disabilities is made difficult. The notion that children with disabilities should be treated as ‘special’ may cause the society to stigmatize anyone with disability.
The belief that people with disabilities cannot have sex is a myth shared by some people. Unfortunately, some children with disabilities are often sexually abused or subjected to incest. Some people even find some certain disabilities as sexually attractive. Teenagers with or without disability who are going through the adolescent milestone of a developing sexuality and aggression, react against too much adult supervision. Adults sometimes reject or feel ashamed when they realise that their disabled child is sexually attracted by others or to others. Teenagers with disabilities should be allowed to interact with other teenagers so that they share their anxieties with their peers. Isolating any teenagers from their peers may intensify his or her anxiety about sex and developing sexuality.
Attitudinal barriers is one of the concerns in people with disabilities. Attitudinal barriers result from others’ opinions that limit people with disabilities. A disability can be seen by others as a character flaw. It can be seen as a reason to infantilize someone. Or it might make someone invisible all together. People can make assumptions about people with disabilities and about what they can or can’t do. Attitudinal barriers make it much easier for other barriers make it much easier for other barriers to persist which is why it is important to rectify incorrect beliefs about disabled people and what they need.
Physical barriers limit movements of individuals who use wheelchairs or other mobility supports. This could look like a building only accessible via stairs, a polling place with doors too narrow for a wheelchair to fit, medical equipment that only can be used by a person who can walk or stand.
Several laws and regulations require accessibility for individuals with disabilities, but if these policies are not known or not enforced, they become issues of concern.
People with disabilities should not be excluded from participation in any programs, services, opportunities or benefits they would otherwise be entitled to access.
Language presents a communication barrier for people with and without cognitive impairments, such as if information is presented in a language that one is not fluent in-either technical jargon or a language foreign to the individual. Some people with visual impairments are not considered.
The primary benefits of addressing issues and concerns in people with disabilities is to help ensure people with disabilities have equal opportunities to live their best lives. The entire community benefits when everyone is able to participate-when they or their families, friends or community members are all able to enjoy some access to employment, entertainment, accepted and interests advanced. Addressing issues and concerns is good for everyone, and it ensures that people with disabilities right to to live, work and learn in their communities is recognized and advanced consistent with disability policy.
Morgen Makombo Sikwila
MSc Peace and Governance
BSC Counselling
Diploma in Environmental Health
Certificate in Marketing Management
