Disability Exercise Essay Example

1. Do you follow the "commandments" listed in the guidelines when speaking with people with disabilities?
Yes, I follow the commandments when speaking with persons with disabilities (PWD). Specifically, I strictly follow commandment number 7 about listening attentively and having patience to let them finish talking. This is because I was raised to be very sensitive on the needs of people I am dealing with. Having patience to hear what the PWDs are saying rather than imposing your own ideas is also a skill honed through the years. Also in the commandment is to always clarify things you didn’t understand. This is important because pretending to understand is not a good communication behavior. Especially when dealing with persons with disabilities, we need to provide an environment where they are understood. 2. Which "commandments" are most difficult to follow? As a human being, it is a natural reaction to give special treatments to PWDs that is why it is most difficult to follow commandments number 4 and 5. It remains a challenge for me not to offer assistance especially to people on wheel chair and not to patronize them by giving them a pat on the shoulder. Those behavior maybe good on my part but for them, it is disempowering.3. Do you work with people with disability? If yes, what has been your experience? Yes, I do have an experience working with PWDs. I once encountered a person with disability (PWD) in a Feminist forum I attended several months ago. She was a very empowered and skilled woman despite her being wheelchair-bound since birth. She is the kind of person who would capture your attention and hook you into the discussion. She speaks with confidence not only in telling her story but in fighting for PWDs’ rights for an inclusive justice. It was my first time to converse with a PWD because I wasn’t exposed to such a community before. That encounter with her made me realize that we are just same human beings struggling for a society that cares.
4. Specifically address how you would manage or create an inclusive environment for employees with disability. You may choose a particular disability to address. Around the globe, people are talking about development and justice. This however will remain vague without the inclusion of people with disabilities. Their inclusion in all the talks about development and social justice is imperative. In our own communities, let us not further practice exclusion. Let us start the practice of acceptance and love towards a just and inclusive communities.
In the workplace, employees with disabilities should always have a representative in meetings, discussions, planning, and assessment. Their voice in decision making should always be heard and considered. Legislative bodies in all governments should in virtue of acceptance draft and pass a law that would standardize workplace designs that is friendly to persons with disabilities. 5. Have you experienced policies that have failed - if so, why? Yes, I once encountered a failed communication in the past and it was because I don’t know anything about sign language. So instead of trying to have a conversation, we just smiled at each other.