In what ways has the example your peer posted about in their initial post demonstrated how disability narratives impact historical thought about disability?

RESPOND TO THE FOLLOWING PEERS IN ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS

1. In what ways has the example your peer posted about in their initial post demonstrated how disability narratives impact historical thought about disability?
2. How did the initial post you responded to align with your observations/experiences with disability narratives?

JUSTIN POST

 As a father of two boys, both with "disabilities", I have seen how they are viewed and treated. My 9 year old son has mild autism and my 8 year old has ADHD. Understandably, they both have difficulties in their own way with learning. My older son had help within the classroom to accomplish his work and tests, but as soon as he started showing that he could keep up, they took all the extra help away. My younger son, with having ADHD, is seen as a behavioral problem and not a scholastic issue. He receives no additional help in school for this reason and struggles with his grades because of it. Though his mother and I see it as he is just bored with his work so it is hard for him to focus because the work is too easy for him, it would be beneficial to have some additional resources that he could use to help keep him focused. As they both get older, I know that they will have issues with entering into adulthood because of how society views these "disabilities". The best way I can describe what I foresee for my older son with autism is from the show "The Good Doctor". A very talented surgeon was almost turned away from a hospital and not given a job simply because his "disability" keeps him from connecting with others the same as a "normal" person would. After getting the job, he was held back and not allowed to perform the duties of his position for the same reason. The character is constantly held down because society views him as a lower life form than that of the standard. My younger son, with ADHD, is viewed as way too energetic to be controlled. His grandfather even introduces him as "Hell on wheels". Though he is very energetic, he also is very intelligent and very loving. This kid does everything in his power to try to help anyone and make everyone happy. He also is attempting, at 8 years old, to learn other languages. I have been teaching him what I know of Italian, and Spanish. I have also taught him how to do multiplication, division, and square roots. Though he could potentially end up as one of the most intelligent people I know, it is sad to think that people will still look down on him because they label him as having a "disability". As males, these two boys will have it tougher than females would as stereotypically, males are supposed to be the "providers" of a family. And since they will have harder times finding jobs, due to their "disability", it will also be harder to find someone to start a family with. These things start to stack up and create unique challenges that most of us wouldn't even think about as we are considered "normal" in society. 

DAVID SMITH

I was a operations manager for 28 years I worked with and gave tours to men, women, and children from different cultures with disabilities. My experiences included analyzing how disability is portrayed in literature and media. Studying the impact of these portrayals on attitudes towards disabilities. In my position as a operations manager  I would explore personal narratives of individuals with disabilities to understand their experiences and perspectives.

Disability, when intersected with race or gender, can indeed increase oppressions and complicate the narrative. This is because these intersections often result in multiple layers of discrimination, which is also known as intersectional oppression.

For example, a person with a disability might face ableism, but if that person is also a woman, she might face sexism as well. If she is a woman of color, she might face racism too. Each of these forms of discrimination can compound and exacerbate the others, leading to a unique form of oppression that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Moreover, these intersections can complicate the narrative because they challenge the idea that oppression is experienced in the same way by all members of a marginalized group. For example, the experiences of a white woman with a disability can be very different from those of a woman of color with a disability, due to the additional layer of racial discrimination.