Disabilities

 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5993176/

 In his article, Hehir writes about a mother who refused to let her child be defined by their disabilities.  Penny is the mother who jumped off the path of least resistance in order to both protect and promote her child.  She worked with different people to dismantle assumptions about those people living with disabilities.  Penny felt that her child deserved every opportunity toward a successful and satisfactory life.  Penny developed awareness for the rights of those living with disabilities.  

The YouTube video provided insight into a person living with a disability.  Judith Butler and Sanaura Taylor take a walk to discuss what it is like to live with a disability.   Sanaura is a person who lives with a disability.  Her disability is found within her body.  She cannot maneuver through life without assistive living devices that improve her mobility.  During their walk, Sanaura speaks about how her disability has not affected her mind and that she has rights equivalent to those living without disability.  

 I sought out an article that would directly relate to the YouTube video and article we read.  In my searching, I found the above link.  The study examined life satisfaction among youth living with disabilities.  The study addressed three questions: (1) Is having a disability associated with lower life satisfaction? (2) Do youth with a disability experience discrimination and, if so, how does this affect life satisfaction? (3) Can a sense of belonging mitigate the negative effect of discrimination?  

The study concluded that people living with disabilities felt the least satisfied secondary to discrimination.  Those disabled people involved in the study largely did not feel dissatisfied with life secondary to their disability.  It was more people's reaction to them and the varying degrees of discrimination that negatively impacted their lives.  This was especially true of females living with a disability.  

Another point made within the article was that when those living with disabilities are engaged with a community and experience a sense of belonging, they have positive life satisfaction.  When those living with a disability exist in a place where they are able to talk about their disability without feeling hindered by it, they propel into positive self-actualization.  

A lot has been done to raise awareness about people living with disabilities and discrimination.  It is important to for classrooms to be inclusive and free of assumptions.  The study I have linked, the article we have read, and the video all point out that above all, life-satisfaction and positivity deeply impact lives.  Speaking about their lives and the societal impact not only raises awareness, but also builds community between those living with and without disabilites.