Barriers to Inclusion in the Context of Family and Education

Discuss the barriers disabled children, youths and or adults from ethnic minorities face.

The disabled people face opportunities in the context of family life and educations as well as they have to face barriers to inclusion in the context of family and education. Disability affects one in four families; these families have the experience of living with a disabled member at some point of the life course. Families are the bedrock of the society, it gives moral values of the young people and it nurtures the children to build the society (Ryan and Runswick 2012). The thesis statement of the essay is to discuss the barriers to inclusion and the opportunities faced by disabled people in the context of family and education.

Social Model of Disability is about impairment and this could be lacking apart from the body and having a defective limb. Disability is a disadvantage of activity that is caused by a contemporary social organisation that takes no account of people for physical impairment. The society excludes the disabled people from the main mechanism of life of social activities. As stated by Cameron (2009), the social model of disability is caused by the way society is looking up the disability rather than how the individual sees the picture. The social model is linked to issues of social justice, equity and human rights.  

The Medical Model of Disability refers a disability or an illness as the result of a physical condition that is intrinsic to the persons. This condition may decrease the individual’s quality of life and it causes clear difficulties to the persons (Fulcher 2015). Medical model thinks about diagnosis and labelling of the impairment. Impairment becomes the focus of attention and it is about segregation and alternative services. Functionalist perspectives for basic functions of the family is related to sexual gratification, reproductive, economic and education socialisation. People with disabilities face barriers in almost every aspect as they cannot access physical environment that is not accessible.

In giving birth of a disabled child, detecting the issues of physical or mental disabilities can be a shock to the parents. At the stage of birth, eugenics practices of prenatal genetic testing and selective abortion. This problem can lead to serious intellectual, physical and auditory problems of the child. Family, There are various stigmas, discrimination and prejudice are associated with people’s mind and common people observe disability as personal tragedy. The family person provides legitimate sexual gratification within the family and children are produced within the family (Magadi 2010). Structural barriers are associated to policies that call for screening and abortion. For parents in a family, having a disabled child increases stress and it impacts on mental and physical health. For parents, it impacts on decision of them about education, work and training. Parents of the disabled children are facing the issue of reduced self-esteem and blame. Opportunities are associated to protect children from any discrimination and to take the actions to the rights of the disabled people. In addition, the children in Singapore have the right to express free opinion that can affect the child. People observe that disability is personal shortcoming or deficit and people have a social responsibility to support the independent lives. Common people have the attitude that disabled people assume that quality of life for disabled people are very poor and they live an unhealthy life just because of impairments.

Impact of Social and Medical Models of Disability on Disabled Individuals from Ethnic Minorities

In childhood disability, children can face intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and Fraile X syndrome. In childhood, the children face the self-identity by the individuals around them. Siblings’ relationships play an important part and physical inaccessibility of disabled people also acts as barriers in the inclusion process in the context of education. Young children face the issue of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in the society and school life. The disabled children take their life as personal tragedy and poor with physical impairments. In the childhood age, the parents of the disabled child face the issue of parents’ allocation of time, healthy and unhealthy children and financial resources. The parents also think about short and long term contribution on household and sibling health. In the UK, NHS & Community Care Act 1990 ensures the long-term care for the children and people. In Singapore, Rainbow Centre has Sibling Support Group and PSG family provides overseas vacations. These conventions aim to remove barriers in the inclusion process of disabled people in society and family including attitudinal, cultural, communicational, and physical and mobility barriers. Linda, lives in London is a young girl of five years old and she has been suffering from cerebral palsy and she is too afraid to go out of the house. In previous time she used to volunteer her friends. Her mother says that she reads books more rather than she plays with her friends. Linda might be feeling isolated from all her friends and she is in need to have a special education system. Parents of the disabled children can share their values who are struggling with same (Bbc.com 2018). The scholars have found the impact of culture on the inclusion of disabled people in terms of family. People who have disabilities are not likely to be employed and disabled children face the issue of violence in their lives (Cameron 2009).

In youth age, the inadequate funding is a barrier to the special education of disabled people at elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels. Youth is a period between childhood and adult stage and physical impairment is mostly seen barrier. The disabled people often do not get enough funds to pursue education. In youth age, the individuals face the barriers of communication and they use small prints, Braille, videos and oral communication as well. People have negative attitudes towards disability and services, policies. There are several barriers to the inclusion process of disabled people in terms of education. Social barriers are related to the people are growing, born, learn and live with the disabled conditions (Priestley 2003). The education process does not provide attention to the individualized need of disabled people (Fulcher 2015). Social barriers of sibling rivalry are seen and an economic factor of poverty is another issue in youth age. For instance, Toni, a 21-year-old individual lived in Singapore and he used to go to school like average children do. He could not walk properly due to his crippled legs. Most of the school children made fun of him and he even faced bullying for his physical disabilities and it is the sign of mandatory isolation, institutionalisation (Projectinclude.org 2018). However, in modern days there are opportunities for disabled people in youth age in the context of education. There are advanced tools (e-learning) which are developed to address specific educational needs of disabled people (Seale 2013). Opportunities in youth age are education provided to them as it is important in youth age; employment and financial independence are given to them. In addition, they can express through social media and can spend time in fashion and leisure. Disabled youth are getting help from technology like Robotic for cerebral palsy.

Strategies to Remove Attitudinal, Cultural, Communicational, and Physical Barriers to Inclusion

In adulthood, the families that experience challenges in giving care to the disabled person have to face degenerative conditions. Intersectionality considers many aspects of humanity like race, class and sexual orientation of the individuals and this concept does not separate the people from each other but makes the people complexly interwoven (Fulcher 2015). In adult age, the people face the physical and cognitive functioning and social model proclaims that they are independent adults. Adults’ people face the stigma and stereotyping issue. UNCRPD provides the right to education and citizenship rights. In order to stop the intersectionality, the people must look for different perspectives and they must find the common ground. Jason lived in Singapore and he spent an active life. He used to go to gym, run and cycle in a regular basis. At the age of 31, he noticed that his muscle seemed to go weaker and his feet were getting weaker. People started laughing at her and he felt isolated. MRI report told that he developed multiple sclerosis. In adulthood, it can broaden horizons of family life, increase the awareness of the family members and it can encourage the connection to community group. Opportunities that the disabled adults can have are technologies like prenatal screening. Social support is another thing that has started like Trouble Family Programme. As stated by Burke (2004), social barriers create problem to enter into the culture of the residence or community, people behave rudely to the newcomers in the society. If the newcomers have a physical or mental disability, existing people isolate the disabled people.

For old age, Singapore has started Social Security Disability Programme, where aged people can use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and adoption of modern technology in education system provide opportunities to disabled people in the process of inclusion in the context of assistance in daily life. In old age, the people face the issue of social barriers like double discrimination, age and disability. In addition, lack of sufficient money to support the disabled child and the people have lack of adequate skills. There are relevant assistive technologies associated with disabilities (adaptive, assistive and rehabilitees). Peter lives in Hong Kong and he has been suffering from acute dementia and he cannot walk properly. He is 76 years of old and he gets angry without any reason. Physical frailty demands that he needs the care of family persons. Home-based support is there is Hong Kong; however, his family does not provide support to him. Having a disabled old people in the family can enhance the responsibility of the family persons and it enhances the cohesion of the family members (Bbc.com 2018). It is needed to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities to join in each aspect of life to their abilities in older years.

The family persons are having the opportunities like ‘Elders Shield Insurance Coverage and Senior’s Mobility and Enabling Fund. Interim Disability Assistance Programme for Elderly people is another support system. Older people need to take advantage of and benefits of old-age home to live a better life. The UNESCO also supports the right to education of the disabled people thus providing them with opportunities to pursue education.

Challenges Faced by Disabled Children, Youths, and Adults

In Singapore, the government has started Enabling Masterplans programme, it is a five-year programme that can guide Singapore to be an inclusive and caring society for the disabled people. This emphasizes the important role of family members in the inclusion process of disabled people. In this plan, government and community work together to address the challenge faced by disabled people. In addition, in Singapore, The Disabled People’s Association (DPA) works as the voice of disabled people and this organisation helps in achieving the full participation and equality in society. On the other side, in the UK, the NHS &Community Care Act 1990 focuses on the collaboration of cross-agency and individual assessment of the requirements of disabled individuals and their family members. The assessment of the impact of disability on family members was encouraged by the Disabled Persons Act of 1986 in the UK. The Recognition and Services Act of 1995, the Caregivers make obligatory rules for authorities of social service to make provisions for young caregivers of disabled people.

The disabled children face discrimination whether they are born in a developed country like the United Kingdom or a less developing country like Bangladesh. In Singapore, the disabled children face several barriers to inclusion. The children in Singapore are restricted from being educated only because there is no facility of the toilet within the premises of their school. The disabled girls have been facing the issues of increasing tendency of rape. The process of inclusion of disabled children in the future society should be perceived as an important investment and the process of inclusion fosters justice in the social system. The inclusion process of disabled people in the society is not a mere goodwill or charity but it is an implementation of Human Rights recognised universally

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