Society has always been divided along racial, gender, class, religious, sexual identity and various other lines. The divisions among society more often than not give rise to negative reactions and stereotypes towards the members of society belonging to groups that are perceived as inferior and not of equal status for one reason or the other. Discrimination and stereotyping affect those it is directed to and deny them the various opportunities to be productive and successful members of society. Therefore, this paper aims to show that the only way to stop discrimination is to experience what the discriminated group goes through then actively change our mindsets regarding the minority groups.
I selected the disabled group in society because I believe that unlike many discriminated groups, their plight is not as adequately addressed as it should be. Most of the other discriminated groups require a change of mindset and perspective in order to be viewed as equals in society. However, in my view, the disabled require more than just a change of mindset, they also require structural adjustments to get by. These structural adjustments are rarely put in place and it is upon the disabled to adapt rather for society to contemplate the needs of those disabled.
Disabled people are usually viewed as a nuisance like they get in the way of other people in society who are in a rush. Not many schools or workplaces or public transport or public facilities have the necessary structural adjustments to cater for the disabled members of society. Most mainstream schools do not provide facilities for the disabled students forcing their parents to enroll them in special schools which are quite expensive and do more to group them and make them feel different than other students. A disability also quite limits the chances of bright students to join good colleges or universities due to the lack of facilities and funds to cater for their needs.
When it comes to employment, there is discrimination right from the job advertisement and recruitment stages. The hiring of a blind or lame person would require structural adjustments which cost money and companies and organizations would rather allocate that money to other use. Streets, public transport, social and public amenities are all designed to cater for people without disabilities which greatly disadvantages people in society who have disabilities. There are policies that seek to give tax rebates to companies that hire disabled people, however, there is no law that obligates their hiring.
According to Deane (2009), people with disability are not treated with the dignity and respect that they deserve. They are not afforded the same opportunities as other members of society and thus end up having to struggle for even the most basic rights and services. For people with disabilities, life in itself is a struggle since they are shut out of various institutions and their conditions regarded as their problems and not the societies. Discrimination and stereotyping against the disabled means that their choices in life are quite limited, for example, other members of society go to the movies without a second's thought but for a deaf or lame person, the choices are limited based on whether there is a cinema that adequately caters for their needs. The same can be said with regards to schools.
The choices of disabled students are limited based on whether the schools they wish to join can cater for their disabilities. According to Green et al., (2005), the disabled have learned over time to keep away from mainstream institutions and activities because they are certain they would not fit in. They face stigmatization, discrimination, and even hostility on a daily basis. Society has shut them out and bunched them in groups that were long forgotten about.
According to the social identity theory, a person gauges his or her worth based on the group to which he or she belongs. Social comparisons come about as a result of a person's motivation and drive for esteem and positive identity (Halsam, 2001). Hence, the discrimination towards disabled people would come about when people realize that that group cannot enhance their self- esteem or positive identity. Disabled people are seen as outcasts who require assistance often and are not a desirable group and are therefore prejudiced and shut out. This concept then influences the members of the disabled group to have a low estimation of their self- worth. Since the group they belong to is discriminated upon and ostracized, the disabled develop a low sense of self- worth.
Observational learning as a theory of social psychology can also shed some light on the prejudice towards the disabled in society. Observational learning has four critical stages of gaining the attention, then retention, then motor reproduction and finally motivation of the members of a group. This theory suggests that human behaviors are acquired by the constant observation and consequent imitation of others (Brewer, 1998). According to this theory, people do not just become prejudiced, they observe others in society and they eventually imitate this behavior. In relation to the disabled, people in society will view how society treats the disabled with disdain and intolerance and they are eventually motivated to imitate this behavior. This theory influences the disabled people to view themselves the same way that society views them. In other cases, they also begin to discriminate on other disabled people based on the degree of disability.
In conclusion, to remedy the situation created by society, as Pettigrew (1998) suggests, the best place to start in reducing the discrimination is in the country's legislations. Laws and policies should be formulated that cater for the needs of the disabled people in society. Building codes and regulations, for example, should be made with disabled people in mind. Other institutions will then follow suit and even form intergroup relations and cooperation that would benefit the disabled. Finally, when all members of society strive for the equal status of all, then there will be minimal to no discrimination and prejudice in the society.
References
Brewer, K., Wann, D.L. (1998). Observational Learning Effectiveness as a Function of Model Characteristics: Investigating the Importance of Social Power. Social Behavior and Personality, An International Journal. Vol. 26, Issue 1.
Deane, K. (2009). Shut Out: The Experiences of People with Disabilities and their Families in Australia. Retreived on July 19, 2016 from https://www.dss.gov.au/our-responsibilities/disability-and-carers/publications-articles/policy-research/shut-out-the-experience-of-people-with-disabilities-and-their-families-in-australia?HTML#summary
Green, S., Davis, C., Karshmer, E., Marsh, P., Straight, B. (2005). Living stigma: The Impact of Labeling, Stereotyping, Separation, Status Loss and Discrimination in the Lives of Individuals with disabilities and their Families. Sociological Inquiry, Vol. 75, No. 2, pp 197-215
Halsam, A.S. (2001). Psychology in Organizations – The Social Identity Approach. Sage Publications Ltd, London, pp 26-57
Pettigrew, T.F. (1998). Intergroup contact Theory. Annual Reviews in Psychology, Vol. 49: 65-85
