Elvia Susana Prieto Armendariz was born with a physical disability which consisted of a missing left hand and an additional toe, though it was removed a few days after her birth. The cause of her disability was never investigated by her parents though there was a chance to do so, and such a decision is an important insight into her family life (Marini et al., 2018). Armendariz recounts the struggles she encountered in everyday life at a young age, such as having difficulty with tasks such as opening cans, riding a bicycle, and brushing her hair.
However, further into her life, she was able to manage such tasks independently and participate in activities and hobbies she enjoyed, such as soccer, ballet, driving, and dancing. Additionally, Armendariz was able to use a prosthetic arm to assist with her disability which she recalled as being helpful before it led to severe negativity from her peers at the time.
She describes that her family were consistently supportive, and this is seen as she recounts their attitudes towards her and her brother. Armedariz states that they were treated as equals, even going to the same school. However, there were cases in which she was treated as ‘weaker’ due to her disability, primarily by her father who would not allow her to go out for fear of her being attacked. Though Armendariz later realized her father’s motivation to protect her, it made her feel insecure about herself. She also faced many hardships from her peers, especially in regards to her prosthetic hand.
She often had few friends and noticed people talking about her disability. This continued to affect her, as she often found herself incredibly upset and confrontational. As Armendariz herself mentions, there was little aid in the forms of psychological or financial assistance for people with disabilities in her area. It can be deduced that a lot of her mental distress may have accumulated due to a lack of professionals that could have discussed these issues with her. Armendariz came to realize this herself and studied in the field of rehabilitation due to amputations at birth or adaptation to prosthetics.
The case of Gino Sonego differs greatly in terms of his disability and the support received from government-sponsored programs. Sonego had an accident in his twenties which caused severe spinal cord damage and left him in a quadrapalegic state. He was unable to walk after the accident, had trouble with balancing due to trauma to stomach and back muscles, and had minimal movement in his arms. This meant he struggled with small tasks such as scratching itches, picking up fallen items, or bowel movements.
Though doctors determined that his recovery was successful from a medical perspective, Sonego found himself with sizable bills due to the rehabilitation and did not have much hope of finding work at the time. This seeded a substantial amount of distress within his life as he was concerned about life at home with his wife and the perception of the situation by his friends.
However, Sonego received vital support from medical staff, his family, and acquaintances. The doctors and nurses treating him always provided him an opportunity to form independence. They did not treat his disability as something that could not be overcome while not giving him false hope of a full recovery. Additionally, he was able to reconnect with an old college peer who introduced him back into the construction field. Within a year of the injury, Sonego was able to work for a building company from an office setting, which was not ideal according to his past ambitions but what he considered incredibly fortunate at that point in his life.
In fact, working from the office allowed Sonego to pioneer the computer-oriented workflow of his company, and his colleagues frequently assisted with transporting him around rooms if he was unable to do so by himself. After the construction firm stated that it would close down, Sonego started his own business with a partner that continued to be as successful. He mentioned that sometimes clients would react negatively to his disability but would become accepting after some time of cooperation.
Both adaptation and adjustment signify processes by which an individual changes an aspect of themselves to better work with their given environment. Adaptation usually accounts for long processes that affect fundamental characteristics of a person, while adjustments often reflect exterior factors and solutions that can be achieved faster. In terms of disability, the two concepts are deeply interwoven because both adjustments and adaptation affect the life of a person with a disability in principal ways. Especially because adaptations and adjustments of an individual with a disability are dictated by their surroundings and society. As such, the response or reaction relies on factors such as family and spirituality or ideology. It is also vital to remember that adjustments and responses, adaptations, and reactions are able to change.
The challenges of adaptability to disabilities vary with each individual due to a multitude of reasons. These can include financial status, family or social response, spiritual or religious standing, mental wellbeing, social welfare support, and a myriad of other features. As such it is important to assess the reactions of people with disabilities from diverse origins with differing backgrounds of culture, economic standings, age groups, and gender. Some of the hardest adjustments include adaptation to daily tasks, social integration, employment, and psychological well-being.
Adequate and effective work with individuals with disabilities and their families begins with positive, clear, and strong relationships. Many theories are implemented in such settings and can include individual-centered functions, socially-positive, and strength-based strategies which differ from the more professional psychodynamic, psychotherapeutic practices. It is also vital to identify family needs of the offered services and barriers that may prevent access to them, understanding of the family situation, and engagements in the family dynamic of planning and implementation of adjustment strategies.
Reference
Marini, I., Graf, N., M., & Millington, M., J. (2018). Psychosocial aspects of disability: Insider perspectives and strategies for counselors. Springer Publishing Company.