In the modern world, there are social and economic differences between people, and many countries establish programs to help those who have financial difficulties. However, for many various reasons, those programs may start to receive less funding, resulting in difficulties for the public. When a socially valuable project gets cut in the budget, there is a need to determine possible consequences and identify a course of action that would help people who need support.
Government plays a pivotal role in various situations in which people need help, positively or negatively impacting those situations. In 2018, the authorities put forward the next year’s budget that was meant to cut funding for several programs affecting millions of families. As the news explained (Parrot et al., 2018), the budget included cuts in the food stamp program, grants and loans for college students, compensation for people with disabilities, and a number of projects supporting families. While all listed should be equally significant for the public, I do not especially agree with cutting funding for people with disabilities. Government should contribute more to the lives of those who are not able to support themselves if they have severe physical or mental conditions.
The public has to promote programs for people with disabilities to address the challenges that they and their families may encounter, and everyone should strive to overcome those challenges as a part of the community. Such programs do not just provide financial help but can also offer emotional comfort, promoting every person’s inherent dignity and worth of the person regardless of any impairments that they may have. Above all, I do not agree with cutting funding for programs that support people who have disabilities because it is socially unjust.
Cutting budgets meant to help people with disabilities can directly affect these people and their families. Disability programs protect people whose careers can be in danger due to mental or physical conditions and provide benefits for people who have disabilities. For example, Supplemental Security Income supports more than 1 million children across the nation who have intellectual disabilities, autism, Down syndrome, and blindness. The programs are necessary because, for about 70% of low-income families with more than one child with a health condition, it is difficult to afford basic needs such as food, rent, and heat (Parrot et al., 2018). Cutting funding for programs that help people who have disabilities means taking away the opportunities for their families to live with fewer hardships.
Social justice concentrates on the aspects of life usually affiliated with disabilities. In order to lessen injustice, people have to challenge inequality by focusing on discrimination, poverty, and unemployment, which can all be related to the struggles of families that have members with health conditions. Social justice should be based on the principles of fairness, equality, rights, and participation. However, without support from programs for people who have disabilities, many families would experience more hardships in everyday life that can retain them from personal, academic, and professional achievements.
Socially justified actions and decisions, especially those coming from authorities, have to promote a sense of community and the value of human rights. Cutting the means to help people with various health conditions may show that the government does not appreciate them and thus excludes them from the rest of the community. Cutting funding for programs for people who have disabilities would make it harder for their families to make ends meet and focus on other aspects of life, promoting social injustice.
Although it may be hard to change the government’s decisions, there is a course of action people, and especially professionals in social work may take to resolve the issue. The public can contribute by bringing more awareness to the problem and offering emotional support to people who have disabilities to help them feel more comfortable and safer with others apart from their families. For example, children who have severe mental health issues can live productive and meaningful life with enough help from caregivers, which could lead to minimizing social injustice.
All people can advance social justice for those with various health conditions by challenging discrimination, promoting respect for diversity, and building solidarity. As a part of the community, every person should aspire to increase social justice for people who have disabilities by raising more awareness of their struggles.
To summarize, cutting funding for programs for people who have disabilities is socially unjust as it would show the public that the authorities do not value them and take away their means for everyday life. Without those means, the families would struggle more financially and emotionally, making it harder for them to achieve growth. Every person can promote social justice for people with disabilities by attracting public attention and contributing to their mental health. People should be ready for situations where the government may not support them, so they have to support each other, especially regarding health issues, which can happen to any person.
Reference
Parrot, S., Aron-Dine, A., Resenbaum, D., Rice, D., Floyd, I., & Romig, K. (2018). Trump’s budget deeply cuts health, housing, and other assistance for low- and moderate-income families. CBPP. Web.