Introduction
The social life of humankind is undoubtedly the most saturated, diverse, and conscious in comparison with other creatures living on the planet Earth. Unlike plants and animals, humans have a self-consciousness that allows them to manage their own lives and think critically. This superb acquisition gives the individual the opportunity to fully develop, grow, and move. In this regard, even more offensive seems the possibility of the existence of a phenomenon of disability, compatible with life. As a result of the action of genetic or physical factors, the human body is damaged so that it remains alive but significantly limited in capabilities. Wheelchair users, blind and deaf-mute people, and patients with Down’s syndrome are unfairly deprived of most biological and technological advances, sometimes without even being guilty of it. Therefore, in a hypothetical scenario where a rescued Alien proposes to neutralize any of Earth’s problems, the choice of disability would be fully justified and appropriate. This essay describes in detail the factors that determine the intention of this problem and the consequences for the social and active life of such patients.
The Relevance of the Problem
One of the most grandiose skills of human consciousness is the ability to manage their own life and think critically consciously. All human progress is based on this foundation: all achieved material and spiritual results have become possible only thanks to consciousness. However, not all people can use these skills. This can be expressed both in the literal impossibility of satisfying one’s own physiological needs — whether it be food intake, hygiene, or movement — and the inability to realize one’s creative potential. In any case, the sick person is unfairly deprived of some of the skills.
It should be recognized that the problem of disability is caused by numerous signs, which is only an additional aggravating factor for the intensification of this problem. According to Disability Statistics, currently, about 10% of the world’s population lives with physical disabilities. In general, this means that one in ten people has difficulty performing basic skills of movement, vision, hearing, or speech. Therefore, such patients are unable to maintain the conversation, move freely around the city, listen to music, and hear speech, paint, write, exercise or perform any other activity that makes people happy. Indeed, this phenomenon seems to be unfair because it affects the personal, biological rights of the person, depriving them of the full functionality of the body. Moreover, most often, the development of this problem is not related to the patient’s fault but is caused by hereditary or random mechanisms.
This paragraph provides only some of the many scenarios that describe the injustices that cause a person’s disability. For example, a pedestrian crossing a road in a designated place and accidentally hit by a car may lose the ability to walk and move their limbs. Another option may be an unsuccessful surgery, as a result of which, as a rule, due to a medical error, the patient will suffer serious injuries. Although the patient has agreed to the medical intervention, there are no such regulations that allow the patient to harm their health. Finally, a person may have received health disorders during embryonic development, when either through the efforts of the mother or accidentally inhibited the functional development of organs and body. Then the patient becomes disabled from birth and has to live with such disorders all their life. Summarizing the proposed scenarios, in this case, it is possible to argue that the fault for such events was the case, which cannot be justified.
Even more unfair may seem the genetic mechanisms that determine the underdevelopment of a child. The most common hereditary mutational disease is Down’s syndrome, as a result of which the patient falls behind in physical and cognitive development (Thomas). According to Mundakel, every year, the number of babies born with trisomy of 21 chromosome pairs is one patient per 8000 newborns. Although many examples of successful integration of such people into social life are known, these processes are still associated with serious and unjustified difficulties.
Problems with Socialization
The whole range of social problems of people with disabilities, expressed through mechanisms of natural integration into public life, can be divided into several categories. Of primary importance is the inability of such patients to fully interact with urban space and use those infrastructure facilities that are used by the rest of society. Although some hospitals, government facilities, and residential homes are equipped with wheelchair lift ramps, Braille signs, and route lighting, most organizations remain unsuitable for visits. This is especially true when it comes to institutions of the educational and cultural sphere, which are necessary for the socialization of a person. Deprived of the physical ability to attend schools, colleges, universities, theaters, and museums, people with disabilities are forced to deny their development.
The second category of social problems is the population’s segregation, provoked by various financial, intellectual, and creative reasons. The big challenge is the significant wage differentiation between disabled and healthy people: according to Golden, disabled workers receive 37% fewer wages. Moreover, Persons with a Disability argued that employment for people with disabilities is about 3.5 times lower than for others. In other words, people with disabilities find themselves in a difficult financial position and cannot afford many social activities.
Finally, an equally important social factor that impairs the quality of life of such citizens is the attitude of their members. People with disabilities all too often feel pressure from a healthy population dictating their own life rules (Bullying and Youth). This is expressed not only with low employment or inaccessibility of infrastructure elements but also with the reluctance of people to provide respectful, adequate support to the sick. In society, there is no culture of helping people with disabilities, and there are often cases of destructive attitudes towards them. Public humiliation and abuse have become common practices in society. The sad consequence of such an attitude can be depressive and suicidal states of the patient’s personality. Although, of course, many public organizations create support funds for such people, it is still not enough to radically change the vector of collective behavior.
Theoretical View
Although people with disabilities continue to experience interactive problems every day, the theoretical search for causes and consequences is a necessary step in the strategy to address this problem. Moreover, even if one imagines that the Alien will be able to solve this problem by giving all patients the missing functionality, there is no guarantee that shortly, such mutations and damages will not occur again. In this regard, the use of Karl Marx’s conflict theory is an appropriate application that covers the entirety of the problem, not just its components.
The central postulate of the theory of conflict is the idea that public resources, whether tangible or intangible, are distributed unevenly among different segments of the population. In the context of the disability problem, it turns out that healthy people receive more social opportunities and guarantees than those who biologically are not able (Barnier). According to this theory, the intensity of social conflicts is directly related to the level of inequity in the distribution of scarce resources within society. In other words, a crisis in the relationship between healthy people and people with disabilities is associated with a deep disconnect in the availability of social benefits.
At the same time, the justification for violent measures, including inappropriate attitudes, can be created by a lack of alignment of interests between dominant and oppressed social groups. What patients need is already in place for the healthy, so the gap between them is inevitable. According to Marx, unloading the tension of social relations can be connected with a high level of organization of suppressed social groups and their awareness of their interests, goals, and values. For this reason, the development of support and assistance to disabled people by the foundation is a prerequisite for the positive dynamics of society.
Conclusion
Summarizing the above, it should be recognized that the problem of disability is an important factor ensuring the social inequality of citizens. As a rule, the development of disability is not related to the personal desire of the individual, so the emergence of incapacity is an unfair and unjustified natural phenomenon. It has been shown that people with disabilities have several significant problems with socialization and accessibility and regularly experience discriminatory policies from the rest of society. Therefore, if an Alien could permanently eliminate any of the human problems, the choice of disability and incapacity caused by all possible factors would be fully justified.
Works Cited
Barnier, Brian. “Conflict Theory.” Investopedia, 2020.
“Bullying and Youth with Disabilities and Special Health Needs.” Stop Bullying, 2020.
“Disability Statistics: Information, Charts, Graphs and Tables.” Disabled World, 2020.
Golden, Ryan. “Why do pay gaps persist for US workers with disabilities.” HRDive, 2020.
Mundakel, Gratias Tom. “What is the prevalence of Down syndrome.” Medscape, 2020.
Thomas, Jen. “Down Syndrome: Facts, Statistics, and You.” Healthline, 2019.
“Persons with a Disability: Labor Force Characteristics Summary.” US Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2020.