Free «Disability Activism» Essay Paper

Disabled people have fought for their civil rights in America for a long time. Previously, they were discriminated since they were not offered equal job opportunities. Moreover, some of them were tortured and locked in cages since people associated disability with sin. Due to this, most of them opted to stay locked up in their homes since they feared the criticism that they received from the public. However, people formed several human rights groups that fought for the rights of the disabled people. Today, disabled people are offered equal employment opportunities, access to health services and transport services. This essay explores how disabled people have fought for their civil rights.

Disabled people have fought for their civil rights in several ways. They have helped the establishment of institutions catering for the disabled that offer them special education tools for learning. A group of disabled people helped to establish a centre in Berkeley that concentrated on assisting the disabled students. Furthermore, in 1972, disabled people established a Center for Independence Living. In this centre, such people received educational skills that assisted them in getting normal job opportunities in the society. Robert and Phil Draper established this institution, and they donated their own Volkswagen that helped in transportation of the disabled students to this institution. Disabled people have also fought for their civil right of getting equal employment opportunities. Heumann was a quadriplegic due to suffering polio attacks. She fought for her right to live since she insisted that she be assisted while moving from her wheelchair to classes. She studied speech therapy, and she passed, but she was denied her certificate. However, she fought for her rights, and she was finally given the certificate. However, employers refused to hire her since she was disabled. She continued pressing on until she was hired by the elementary school that she attended. Blind people fought for their freedom of expression using journals. McGill created a journal known as “The Problem”. It aimed at encouraging blind people to help themselves and one another. Campbell created a journal known as “The Outlook” that aimed at wooing experts to help the blind. These journals helped to express how the rights of the disabled people were violated.

 

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Disabled people can be compared to women in several ways. In the 19^th century, women were denied the rights of education just as disabled people. The male children attended schools in this century, while the female children remained at home taking care of their families. The society also denied women the right of expression since they were not allowed to speak on family matters or hold top political positions in the American government. The society also discriminated women since it did not offer them equal job opportunities. Most women were not allowed to work in factories as men did since the society felt that women needed to do domestic chores. Disability activism was similar to Civil Rights activism in several ways. Both of them used the strategy of conducting mass campaigns in order for their rights to be heard by the public. Furthermore, both of them fought against similar types of oppression. They fought for the end of the oppression for not being given the right of voting and right of equal education opportunities. However, the strategy of Civil Rights activism was different since, in some instances, people caused civil unrests and armed rebellion for their rights to be heard.

To conclude, disabled people have fought for their rights in many ways. They helped to establish special schools where other disabled people would experience training. In addition to this, they fought for the freedom of creating journals where they showed the public how their rights were violated. Disabled people can be compared to women since women were not allowed to access education in the history of America. Disability activism are similar to Civil Rights activism since they both adopted the strategy of mass actions for people to listen to their claims. Today, most people respect the rights of the disabled people.