Disability Rights & History Portfolio

    My name is Gavin Jackson, and this is my portfolio on my semester in my GSS Study, Disabibily Rights and History. This course was taught to assist my peers and I and give us an understanding of different disability laws. A few Examples of those are Section 504, ADA, and the Rehabilitation Act. With studying these I was able to dive into history of disabilities and how movements such as eugenics and rehabilitation shaped disability laws today along with the disability rights movement. Throughout the semester we had a total of 11 blogs which I will be sharing below to give an understanding of the questions asked to me, and my responses based off what I had learned. This course taught me a lot and I was able to come away with a really good understanding of disability laws. I hope you enjoy my work!

Blog 1: Sit-Ins

Question: There were many sit-ins that occurred fighting for disability rights. Why was the sit-in led by Judy Heumann so successful, what did it accomplish? Who were some of the contributors and what role did they play that led to this protest being successful?

    "In 1977 Judy Heumann and 150 others who were in wheelchairs or allies gathered in San Francisco at a Federal building and held a protest which happened to be the first ever for the disability movement. What led to this was that in 1973, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act had to be signed so that it could protect diability rights and it never was signed and even went on for 4 years. This caused protests to start up all over the country at federal buildings but none of them lasted more than 28 hours except for in San Francisco. People started to take notice and were bringing food and medicine to these people, and allies began showing up along with The Black Panthers and veterans from Vietnam (Drunk History Season 5 Episode 5, 4:34). This protest got the attention from Washington and Judy flew to Washington with 20 of her friends and attended a hearing and got the 504 signed. After 26 days of protesting at the Federal building in San Francisco everyone was able to leave knowing that they were a part of the change and held an impact on the society of America.

       As years went on Judy Heumann continued to be an advocate for rights of people with disabilities. "Mayor Fenty of D.C. appointed Judy as the first Director for the Department on Disability Services, where she was responsible for the Developmental Disability Administration and the Rehabilitation Services Administration" (2020 The Heumann Perspective). Judy changed the lives of people with disabilities all around the world for the rest of time. Everything that took place happened because of the help from more than just people with disabilities and that is because of all the people who decided to help bring food and medicine to people with disabilities protesting. These people stepped up and became allies and did not stop till there was a change."

Works Cited

"Drunk History: Judy Heumann Fights for People with Disabilities." Comedy Central (2018) Judy Heumann Fights for People with Disabilities - Drunk History (Video Clip) | Comedy Central US (cc.com) 

The Heumann Perspective. (2020) Judy Heumann (1947-2023). Judy Heumann | Advocate For Rights Of Disabled People | judithheumann 

Blog 2: Sit-Use of Terminology

Question: What are the connections between the terms "queer" and "crip" in Part 4 of Beginning with Disability? Discuss how perceptions around these terms might change through their new uses? How do you feel about these terms? Would you be comfortable using them, please explain?

    "In society we have seen words, and their meanings change time after time, a lot of these happen to be derogatory terms and phrases. Many of these words have a negative meaning behind them and were used to pick out a certain individual or to attack them in any hurtful way. What we have seen recently is that the terms "queer" and "crip", which started as derogatory terms have become accepted in certain communities. The word queer started as a term to insult someone's sexuality and insult the LGBTQ, now it is a term in which that community accepts because they now embrace the word and view it as a word that describes them. For the word "crip", it was used for disability activism as the short version of crippled. The word originally had wrongful intention and was used to insult someone with disabilities. What we have seen is that these two terms have a different definition and are not seen for derogatory purposes anymore. Infact both of these words have gotten lighter and have been accepted more than they ever have. 

I do believe that the changes to these words were done for the better because no one should be labeling someone in a hurtful way because of a different characteristic. "It is an identity of its own, and it is one of self-determination and representation." (Strauss, 2022). I personally would not use any of these words at someone or about someone because though communities are embracing those words, I believe it should be embraced for their use and not my own. The reason for that is because of the history associated with those terms because at the end of the day these words are still derogatory and can used in a hurtful manner. "

Works Cited

Davis, L. J. (2023). Beginning with Disability: A Primer. Routledge.

Strauss, Dean. “Queer Crips: Reclaiming Language.” Making Queer History, Making Queer History, 22 Oct. 2022, Queer Crips: Reclaiming Language — Making Queer History 

Blog 3: Deaf Culture

Question: After watching "Protecting and Interpreting Deaf Culture" and reviewing the other videos/resources, think about what was discussed regarding Deaf Culture. What are some of the characteristics of their culture that stood out to you? How do these aspects contribute to the uniqueness of Deaf culture? How has Deaf culture evolved over time?

    "Before hearing this Ted Talk, I had never looked into the Deaf Culture, after it though I can strongly say that I have. The Ted Talk is by Glenna Cooper who talks about her experiences from being Deaf and what she and the rest of the community had to overcome. When her and her family were told that at 18 months, she was deaf, and she should not learn sign language because it would isolate her from the hearing community. That is why in this Ted Talk she explains that society has a wrong view on deaf people and how deaf people can do anything that anyone else can because being deaf is not a disability. Cooper strongly explains the Deaf culture and things like how much the Deaf community values information sharing or how long it can take them to say goodbye to one another. One of the things which stood out the most to me was how straight forward people in the Deaf community are, "If you come up to someone Deaf, and they'll say "You've gained weight! Wow, you've gotten fat! What's wrong?"... we typically are very detailed oriented... we value that information sharing." (Cooper 2017).

    Over the course of time the Deaf community and Deaf culture has evolved. Martha's Vineyard, in the 1700's had the largest rate of generational Deafness and everyone on that island could both speak and sign. This led to a community who all could understand each other which had no barriers whatsoever. Then in the early 1800's America's first ever Deaf education became established and that caused an entire Deaf community to become college educated. After Deaf teachers were fired and hearing teachers were brought in, and the Deaf community went through a hard time it was in 1960 that American Sign Language was proved as its own language. Though it has its own grammar and other different areas of speech, it was shown that "Sign language has complex linguistic characteristics similar to tones in spoken languages. In addition to words, signs use facial expressions and classifiers: a hand contortion which represents an object or shape rather than an idea." (Zarrelli 2016)."

Works Cited

Cooper, G. (2017). Protecting and Interpreting Deaf Culture | Glenna Cooper | TEDxTulsaCC [YouTube Video]. In YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=io7z5PftOU4

Zarrelli, N. (2016). How a deaf utopia was uncovered in the 1970s. The Hidden History of Martha's Vineyard Sign Language. The Hidden History of Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language - Atlas Obscura 

Blog 4: Stigma and Discrimination

Question: After reviewing the material on mental health stigma and discrimination, please explain your perspective on these terms. Do you believe that the term "stigma" is often used when the situation involves discrimination? Can you provide an example where discrimination of an individual with a mental illness might be concealed under the guise of "stigma?" If individuals had the same prejudiced thoughts towards individuals of diverse racial backgrounds, would this be labeled as stigma or classified as racism and discrimination? Please explain your opinion with support from the reading.

    "Throughout the course material for this week we went over we got a better understanding of what the words "sigma" and "discrimination" mean. Sigma is a term which has since been used more and accepted when it comes to talking about different stereotypes such as culture, race, gender, religion, and different political topics. Stigma is also such a word which has been used to describe negative attitudes towards people who have mental health issues. In our society mental health issues are not looked upon as much as they should be and because of this we see mental health issues becoming worse. In a reading by National Allince on Mental Illness, the author Abderholden says, "what people with mental illness are facing is not stigma, it’s discrimination." (Abderholden, 2019). What Abderholden says I completely agree with because stigma leads to discrimination and because of this it can leed to peoples mental health becoming worse and could potentially prevent people with mental health issues from going and receiving the help and care that they need. Examples of where discrimination of an individual with a mental illness might be concealed under the guise of stigma would have to do with the different terms we could use for someone who does suffer. People who suffer with mental health issues are just unwell, but there are caseds where people describe people with mental health issues as weird or crazy. 

       Discrimination is used in terms for things such as age, race, and religion. The definition of discrimination is used as a way to treat a person or a group differently in ways which are unfair because of different characteristics they have. If individuals had the same prejudiced thoughts towards individuals of diverse racial backgrounds, I would say that it would be classified as racism and discrimination. That question could be viewed as 50/50 however because when it has to do with stigmas it is assumptions made, but it is used here as racial discrimination because these thoughts have been used which now becomes discriminatory. 

Works Cited

Abderholden, S. (2019, March 7). It’s Not Stigma, It’s Discrimination. NAMI. https://www.nami.org/Blogs/NAMI-Blog/March-2019/It-s-Not-Stigma-It-s-Discrimination

Blog 5: Universally Designed

Question: Please provide one example of an area at Stockton or in your community that is not accessible. Thinking about the principles of universal design, describe how the space you identified as being inaccessible can be "Universally Designed" to create equal access? Include an image of the location.

    "I would use an area at Stockton University, but I am a commuter student and have not lived on campus, so I have no idea of what accessibilities in the housing complexes. In my community however one of the things I would say is the parking is inaccessible. I am from Ocean City where we have hundreds of thousands of people vacation each summer and the biggest issue would have to be our parking, and with that comes handicap parking. Ocean City to begin with does not have enough parking and if you don't own a house or stay at a hotel with parking, finding it is very difficult. On each street there is very limited parking and about 1-2 handicap spots per street, if there is even that. This becomes a problem because you have many handicap people who end up walking over half a mile to the beach with all their beach equipment. It is important that we create a much more accessible and inclusive environment for people with disabilities.

    If I was able to change it and make Ocean City more universally designed, I would start with adding more parking in general and along with that adding at least 6 handicap parking spots per street. This would give handicap people a lot more accessibility. Doing it would be a huge aspect of universal design because it would help as well with safety, and many convenances for people with disabilities. It also would help ensure that anyone and everyone is able to enjoy their trip without any extra added troubles or issues."

Works Cited

TEDx Talks. (2016, October 13). Why We Need Universal Design | Michael Nesmith | TEDxBoulder [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVdPNWMGyZY

ARTiculations. (2018, February 10). Why Is Accessible Design Good For Everyone? | ARTiculations [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBSy7VrGQVU

Blog 6: IDEA Act

Question: The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) brought important changes to education. Explore at least three of the transformations in education brought by the IDEA Act

    "The Individuals with Disabilities Education (IDEA) Act is a law which makes education available to children (who are eligible), who have disabilities so that they will receive special education and other services. It all started back in 1975 when children who had disabilities were not allowed to have schools. It first began as the All Handicapped Children (EHA) Act which said that children should be put into the least restrictive environment in order to allow students who have disabilities to be able to interact with other peers who did not have disabilities. This has revolutionized the field of education forever since it has now changed things for not only students, but for teachers as well.

The EHA went until 1997 when it was changed into IDEA. In shorter terms, IDEA is the nations special education law. In an article I read, one of the rules of IDEA states, "schools have to give parents a voice in their child’s education. At every point in the process, IDEA gives parents specific rights and protections. " (Lee). Which I think is a great idea because since the IDEA allows the children to learn freely that they get consent from their parents before providing the child with anything. In order to support children with disabilities you need funding, and to fund children with disabilities can be challenging and cost a lot. That is why IDEA authorizes formula and discretionary grants. With the help of these grants, they are able to support many of these children's needs and support them with things that they need."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Works Cited

A History of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (2023, January 11). https://sites.ed.gov/idea/IDEA-History#Sources 

Lee, Andrew. What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)? Understood.  https://www.understood.org/en/articles/individuals-with-disabilities-education-act-idea-what-you-need-to-know

Blog 7: Misconceptions

Question: According to this week's required reading, what are the three misconceptions about mental illness that are guiding legislative policy about guns? Do you think it is just or fair to make special gun laws for those who identify as mentally ill or mentally disabled? What is your opinion about including mental health history/evaluation/screenings as part of the application process for a gun license?

    "In this week's blog we are faced with misconceptions that surround mental illnesses and guns. The first misconecption is that mental illness does cause gun violence claiming that those with mental ilnesses are more likely to be involved. We are shown that there is very little evidence when it comes to the idea that those with mental illnesses have a much higher chance of being involved in gun violence. The next one is how "mental illness" is categorized because it is never factored in how different mental illnesses can be. Mental illnesses are very complex, and they are different for person to person. But we are shown that they end up not recognizing the different aspects of each condition. In an artticle we are introudced to a statistic that mental illnesses only makeup 3-5% of gun homicides, but at the same time half of people killed by police happen to be disabled. The last one is the way that gun culture categorizes peolple with mental illnesses. They claim that those who are involved in the shootings or mass murders are those who live a troubled life which is not true in all cases. Which is noticed in our textbook, "we must avoid producing historical stereotypes that stigmatize persons with mental illness" (Davis).  I do believe that it is just or fair for that special gun laws are made for those that are mentally disabled or have mental illnesses. I think that they should have to go through much stricter procedures in order to purchase a firearm. My opinion is that history, evaluations, and screenings during the application process should be necessary in order to purchase a firearm because you want to know who you are letting purchase a firearm and what their history looks like."

Works Cited

Davis, L. J., & Metzl, J. (2023). Let’s Talk About Guns, But Stop Stereotyping the Mentally Ill. In Beginning with disability: A Primer. Routledge.

Ellis, J. Media Missing the Story: Half of All Recent High Profile Police-Related Killings Are People with Disabilities. (2016). Ruderman Family Foundation. https://rudermanfoundation.org/media-missing-the-story-half-of-all-recent-high-profile-police-related-killings-are-people-with-disabilities/ 

Blog 8: Accessibility Tools

Question: After watching "Going to School As A Blind Person," think about some available items today that could be used in a classroom/school today to help a student that was blind. What items do you currently use, other than a phone or tablet, that could be beneficial to all individuals regardless of ability? Try to think outside the box of items that are sold for one purpose, but can be used in other ways to increase accessibility.

    "In the video "Going to School As A Blind Person", Tommy Edison talks about his struggles growing up as a student in school and how his mother fought for him because they wanted to put him into special classes. After he got into school everything, he did from then on was in braille, he used it in his daily classes, and he also said a talking calculator to help him. When he got to middle school, he had a mobility instructor who would show him his way around the school to classes, and to his locker which he taught him to use. When he got to high school he switched out of public school and was faced with many issues. One of them being that the typewriter did not have braille and because of things like this he was the subject of bullying. What I really took away from his talk was that he wanted to send a message that just because someone is blind does not change anything and that they shouldn't be treated any differently than anyone else just because they are disabled. (Going to School As A Blind Person).

    When looking at current available items for blind students in classrooms I think of current screen recorders which provide spoken feedback to students. Also think of braille designs and displays which translate text for those who are blind or the note takers which help those who are blind use a keyboard. Items I think that are outside of the box would be 3D printing technology. I think this helps because it can be used for many things other than helping blind students. For those who are blind I believe it gives them a hands-on experience on understanding different things. I also think of interactive white boards. These whiteboards do not need to just be for those who are blind, as you can use them anywhere and for anything's, whether that is even in meeting for your work. Having a smart board that can help you and also speak and read to you could really help a lot of people."

Works Cited

Edison, T. (2017, September 13). Going To School As A Blind Person. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J07vqgtRvoE

Blog 9: Actors with Disabilities

Question: After reading the material and viewing videos discussing actors with disabilities, such as Trevor Noah's Let's Talk This Out, provide a summary of the perspectives shared regarding the representation and casting of actors with disabilities. Specifically, address whether you believe the role should be given to the most qualified actor or an individual with the disability. Additionally, select a television show featuring a character with a disability. Research whether the role is portrayed by an actor with the disability. If not, assess how accurately the show represents the disability and provide reasoning for your opinion. Be sure to consider the social and financial implications underlying your perspective. 

    "This weeks Blog starts with the video of a Ted Talk about Trevor Noah who talks about his views of casting non-disabled actors in roles which the person is disabled. Trevor Noah first did not care about non-disabled actors playing the role of someone who is disabled up until he spoke to a frustrated disabled actor. It was then when his perspective changed, and he believed then that a role of someone who is disabled should be filled by someone who is disabled. I do agree because I as well don't find it fair that someone who is disabled can't always play a disabled role. This has definitely changed my perspective because I have always been 50/50 about it in terms of how it may be harder to control someone who is disabled on set, but at the same time they deserve the equal opportunity and would be more authentic. 

    This isn't an issue that no one disabled gets roles because I have seen many actors and actresses who are disabled and were in roles of someone who was disabled, even in ones where the person wasn't. One of my most favorite shows is Breaking Bad, and in the show, RJ Mittie plays Walter White JR. who has cerebral palsy, and in real life RJ Mittie does have cerebral palsy. In an article he says, “When it comes to the pressure of wanting to be a positive advocate and be willing to have that ability to inspire…I’m one of many that carry this,”. In the show they portray him as any other person that age doing what all the other kids can do, whether that is driving, or doing any other activities. The main difference between how they portrayed him in the show is that they gave him leg braces and a crutch, which many people with cerebral palsy actually use, but in real life RJ Mittie can walk fine on his own without the need for anything."

Works Cited

YouTube. (2019). Let’s Talk This Out - Bryan Cranston’s Controversial Casting in “The Upside.” YouTube. Retrieved November 26, 2023, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adsnjzLVE7I&list=RDadsnjzLVE7I&index=2. 

IndieWire. (January 21, 2021). 'Breaking Bad' and the Legacy of Disabled Representation in Peak TV. “Breaking Bad” Star RJ Mitte Talks Disability Representation – IndieWire

Blog 10: Healthcare

Question: After reviewing the readings and videos this week, what are some of the challenges individuals with disabilities face when accessing healthcare? What are some things you believe can be changed or modified so that our healthcare system can be more accessible to individuals with disabilities?

    "Throughout the readings this week I learned quite a lot about challenges people face in healthcare. Mainly the lack of support and help that those with disabilities face. One of the videos I watched, Improving Health Care Access for People with Disabilities, covered many people each who had different disabilities and highlighted the difficulty and lack of help they get when it comes to the healthcare system. Examples of this issue could be the lack of tools needed to help those with hearing, speech, and vision impairment issues. Or could be the lack of materials needed to help those with issues which could include the lack of braille materials, communication materials, and such. Another example being transportation and the lack of help for people to get places they need to go. This stops people from going to certain places like facilities where they can receive the help and treatment that they need. This also leads into the fact that not every facility or place for them to receive treatment contains the proper treatment needed. 

    I believe that things such as transportation, materials, support, and accessibility need to be changed and modified. In my opinion, with those things in place I believe health care for those with disabilities, and those even without disabilities will improve significantly. With those few things changed we could see more facilities equip with accessible things such as ramps, and elevators. One thing that has become big in recent years is telehealth, and I feel like improving telehealth accessibility could go a long way because it every telehealth platform should provide proper accessibility such as closed captioning, screen readers, and user-friendly interfaces." 

Work Cited

YouTube. (2016, March 23). Bridging the gap: Improving healthcare access for people with disabilities (short version). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwhT1KFBDV4 

YouTube. (2019, April 22). Improving health care access for people with disabilities. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KKyzZVpWezw  

Blog 11: Ableism

Question: What are the key points about ableism shared by activists Patty Berne, Stacey Milbern and Annie Elainey? How do perceptions of disabled people change when they demand recognition for disability? What are some ableist behaviors that you may have practiced, but never realized they were examples of ableism?

    

    "Patty Berne, Stacey Milbern, and Annie Elainey were all activists who all raised awareness in society on the issue of Ableism. Ableism is the discrimination against people with disabilities. "Berne and Milbern describe the ways that ableism functions as a dehumanizing system that favors able-bodied people at the expense of people with disabilities, producing barriers from internalized ableism and shame, to interpersonal conflicts between non-disabled people and people with disabilities, lack of access to education, employment, and housing, social control imposed through the medical industrial complex and criminalization, and the severe isolation caused by institutionalization and incarceration." (Barnard). 

I believe that perceptions of disabled people can change when they demand recognition for a disability when things like increased awareness and empowerment. This can happen because recognition brings attention to the challenges that those with disabilities face and because of this it leads to more awareness. With empowerment I believe that when they demand recognition it can empower those with disabilities to fight for their rights, challenge stereotypes, and become advocates for accessibility. The different types ableist behaviors I have practiced have been making assumptions about different people with disabilities abilities. Another I have done has been using casually throwing around terms related to disabilities around my friends, which I do not do anymore because I have noticed the damage it can do and how wrong it is because having a disability does not limit anyone from doing anything. I feel like another one that we all can agree on is overhelping or under helping someone with a disability whether that is helping because we assume they need help, or failing to help them when it is needed."

Works Cited

 Berne, P. (2018, March 19). Ableism is the Bane of my Motherfuckin’ Existence. Barnard Center for Research on Women. https://bcrw.barnard.edu/videos/ableism-is-the-bane-of-my-motherfuckin-existence/#:~:text=Berne%20and%20Milbern%20describe%20the,disabilities%2C%20lack%20of%20access%20to 

Barnard. (2018). No Body is Disposable. Barnard Center for Research on Women. https://bcrw.barnard.edu/no-body-is-disposable-series/