Interview Report on Disabled Persons
In approaching this task, I made a list of my classmates in the MW group and asked them to participate in the interview process. The response was amusing because most of them were willing to spend about 2-3 hours being interviewed. I further ranked the students according to their availability, openness, and their thoughts regarding the interview process. After that, I came up with questions that would be posed to the top 5 potential interviewers within the group. That exercise enabled me to come up with one potential respondent to help me develop a proper understanding of the issue at hand. I further went ahead and conducted an in-depth interview using the selected person as the respondent. Apart from being a representative of the group, he also gave his personal experiences on the topic of concern. During the interview, I made use of the questions that were provided in class in getting responses on the topic selected. The report below gives a summary of responses by a respondent in the MW group on disabled persons.
The respondent started by making an introduction that inclined towards his childhood times. He gave an account of how he grew up within an orphanage within the United States. According to his story, he was abandoned at the age of three years after his parents noted that he would not walk on his own. After being abandoned, he was taken up by unimpeachable Samaritans who took him to an orphanage. Those become his permanent home. He got all the support he needed in that setting including education and proper care. In that setting, he was accepted and treated like the rest of the children. He explained to me the difficulties he had in dealing with his disability without having parents around him. However, he was happy after acquiring the skills of using a wheelchair. According to him, that made things to be easier for him than before because he got involved in many activities within the orphanage. He was able to build confidence in whatever he undertook, and that raised his spirits and made him determined to achieve some targets in life.
During his time of growing, he got encouragement from everyone within the orphanage. For instance, he was told of how God loved him and that everyone was equal before the creator of the universe. He was told that being disabled was normal in society though in a few people and that would not be controlled. However, he was made aware that the normal and the disabled persons had equal chances of succeeding in life. It only required them to be determined in their work. He was given a list of disabled persons who had succeeded in life and got encouraged and perceived himself as being normal but would not walk.
According to him, some of the mistaken identities and stereotypes would be considered inhumane. For instance, some people believed that being disabled was a curse from God to the parents of the child. That would have been the case of the respondent. He failed to understand the reason for him being abandoned by his parents. He was aware of the rejection that people like him faced in everyday life including rejection from close relatives. He further confirmed that the disabled were disrespected by most people. Such people would also be discriminated against when it came to job opportunities. According to the respondents, that was unfair because the disabled were equally gifted in carrying out tasks.
The respondent accepted all treatments accorded to him by all people who interacted with him. He learned that there were people who would treat him as a normal person and saw no problem in him. That enabled him to accept his status and any treatments that would be accorded to him. The respondent had learned that he needed exceptional attention and identified himself as an endangered being. He was at risk of being neglected by some sections of society. That made him realize the importance of being aggressive and determined in a society that would reject him.
The respondent confirmed that he had been treated in an inhumane manner when he was a young child. His parents had abandoned him in the street after confirming that he would not walk. At that moment, he did not know anything and cannot explain how he felt. At the time of the interview, he felt sad about what his parents did to him. However, he said that he had forgiven them and prayed for them to have graced so that they would accept disabled people in society.
The interviewee confirmed to me that there existed words or names that one would not be expected to use on disabled people. For instance, instead of calling those who cannot walk, the lame, it would be polite to call them, the physically challenged. According to him, polite words and names would be appropriate to use when referring to the disabled.
He further suggested to me that if I came across a disabled person being treated with disrespect, I should defend the person and help them. That would be by making the person discriminating against the disabled understand the situation of the disabled. It would also involve explaining to them that the disabled did not choose to be disabled and that there was a reason for that condition.
To relate well with the disabled, people were required to accept the disabled in society and help them. Relating well would come after acceptance of their situation had been achieved. People also needed to know that the disabled were normal people, and in the eyes of the creator, people were equal. Understanding the disabled required people to spend more time with the affected people, share experiences and encourage them in their activities. That would enable a proper understanding of the disabled and encourage the formation of close relationships with them.
The respondent’s career goals were to have and manage an orphanage for disabled children. He hoped and dreamt of publishing various articles that would provide knowledge on the acceptance of disabled people in society. He would be happy if the disabled were not discriminated against in society by normal people. Besides, he would appreciate it if the disabled were accepted in families, given help and support, and treated with respect in society.
My view on this issue is that the disabled should be given respect by society. This will encourage them and motivate them to work towards their excellence in life. Stereotypes such as them being referred to as being incapable of performing tasks, being evil, and even being unromantic should not be used on the disabled (Shakespeare & Corker 2002, 160). I believe that the disabled will be motivated and feel equal to others when given care and attention. Giving them resources and providing equipment to them would empower them.
Works Cited
Shakespeare, Tom, & Mairian Corker. Disability/postmodernity: Embodying Disability Theory. New York: Continuum, 2002. Print.