Disability, Families, and Lifestyle: Inclusion Challenges

This essay delves into the multifaceted challenges and opportunities faced by disabled individuals within the contexts of family life and education. It begins by outlining the social and medical models of disability, providing a framework for understanding societal perspectives and individual experiences. The essay then explores the barriers to inclusion, such as physical inaccessibility, societal stigmas, and discrimination, across different life stages including childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age, drawing examples from Singapore, the UK and Hong Kong. It examines the impact of these barriers on family dynamics, education, and overall quality of life. Conversely, the essay highlights opportunities for inclusion, such as technological advancements, government initiatives, and support programs. It emphasizes the importance of inclusive policies, community support, and the active role of family members in fostering an environment where disabled individuals can thrive and participate fully in all aspects of life. The essay concludes by underscoring the need for continued efforts to remove barriers and promote justice for disabled people, ensuring they have equal opportunities and the right to live fulfilling lives.

Running head: DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
Disability, Families and Lifestyle
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

1DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
The disabled people face opportunities in the context of family life and educations as well
as they have to face barriers to inclusion in the context of family and education. Disability affects
one in four families; these families have the experience of living with a disabled member at some
point of the life course. Families are the bedrock of the society, it gives moral values of the
young people and it nurtures the children to build the society (Ryan and Runswick 2012). The
thesis statement of the essay is to discuss the barriers to inclusion and the opportunities faced by
disabled people in the context of family and education.
Social Model of Disability is about impairment and this could be lacking apart from the
body and having a defective limb. Disability is a disadvantage of activity that is caused by a
contemporary social organisation that takes no account of people for physical impairment. The
society excludes the disabled people from the main mechanism of life of social activities. As
stated by Cameron (2009), the social model of disability is caused by the way society is looking
up the disability rather than how the individual sees the picture. The social model is linked to
issues of social justice, equity and human rights.
The Medical Model of Disability refers a disability or an illness as the result of a physical
condition that is intrinsic to the persons. This condition may decrease the individual's quality of
life and it causes clear difficulties to the persons (Fulcher 2015). Medical model thinks about
diagnosis and labelling of the impairment. Impairment becomes the focus of attention and it is
about segregation and alternative services. Functionalist perspectives for basic functions of the
family is related to sexual gratification, reproductive, economic and education socialisation.
People with disabilities face barriers in almost every aspect as they cannot access physical
environment that is not accessible.

2DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
In giving birth of a disabled child, detecting the issues of physical or mental disabilities
can be a shock to the parents. At the stage of birth, eugenics practices of prenatal genetic testing
and selective abortion. This problem can lead to serious intellectual, physical and auditory
problems of the child. Family, There are various stigmas, discrimination and prejudice are
associated with people's mind and common people observe disability as personal tragedy. The
family person provides legitimate sexual gratification within the family and children are
produced within the family (Magadi 2010). Structural barriers are associated to policies that call
for screening and abortion. For parents in a family, having a disabled child increases stress and it
impacts on mental and physical health. For parents, it impacts on decision of them about
education, work and training. Parents of the disabled children are facing the issue of reduced
self-esteem and blame. Opportunities are associated to protect children from any discrimination
and to take the actions to the rights of the disabled people. In addition, the children in Singapore
have the right to express free opinion that can affect the child. People observe that disability is
personal shortcoming or deficit and people have a social responsibility to support the
independent lives. Common people have the attitude that disabled people assume that quality of
life for disabled people are very poor and they live an unhealthy life just because of impairments.
In childhood disability, children can face intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cerebral
palsy and Fraile X syndrome. In childhood, the children face the self-identity by the individuals
around them. Siblings’ relationships play an important part and physical inaccessibility of
disabled people also acts as barriers in the inclusion process in the context of education. Young
children face the issue of stereotyping, prejudice and discrimination in the society and school
life. The disabled children take their life as personal tragedy and poor with physical impairments.
In the childhood age, the parents of the disabled child face the issue of parents’ allocation of

3DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
time, healthy and unhealthy children and financial resources. The parents also think about short
and long term contribution on household and sibling health. In the UK, NHS & Community Care
Act 1990 ensures the long-term care for the children and people. In Singapore, Rainbow Centre
has Sibling Support Group and PSG family provides overseas vacations. These conventions aim
to remove barriers in the inclusion process of disabled people in society and family including
attitudinal, cultural, communicational, and physical and mobility barriers. Linda, lives in London
is a young girl of five years old and she has been suffering from cerebral palsy and she is too
afraid to go out of the house. In previous time she used to volunteer her friends. Her mother says
that she reads books more rather than she plays with her friends. Linda might be feeling isolated
from all her friends and she is in need to have a special education system. Parents of the disabled
children can share their values who are struggling with same (Bbc.com 2018). The scholars have
found the impact of culture on the inclusion of disabled people in terms of family. People who
have disabilities are not likely to be employed and disabled children face the issue of violence in
their lives (Cameron 2009).
In youth age, the inadequate funding is a barrier to the special education of disabled
people at elementary, secondary and post-secondary levels. Youth is a period between childhood
and adult stage and physical impairment is mostly seen barrier. The disabled people often do not
get enough funds to pursue education. In youth age, the individuals face the barriers of
communication and they use small prints, Braille, videos and oral communication as well. People
have negative attitudes towards disability and services, policies. There are several barriers to the
inclusion process of disabled people in terms of education. Social barriers are related to the
people are growing, born, learn and live with the disabled conditions (Priestley 2003). The
education process does not provide attention to the individualized need of disabled people

4DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
(Fulcher 2015). Social barriers of sibling rivalry are seen and an economic factor of poverty is
another issue in youth age. For instance, Toni, a 21-year-old individual lived in Singapore and he
used to go to school like average children do. He could not walk properly due to his crippled
legs. Most of the school children made fun of him and he even faced bullying for his physical
disabilities and it is the sign of mandatory isolation, institutionalisation (Projectinclude.org
2018). However, in modern days there are opportunities for disabled people in youth age in the
context of education. There are advanced tools (e-learning) which are developed to address
specific educational needs of disabled people (Seale 2013). Opportunities in youth age are
education provided to them as it is important in youth age; employment and financial
independence are given to them. In addition, they can express through social media and can
spend time in fashion and leisure. Disabled youth are getting help from technology like Robotic
for cerebral palsy.
In adulthood, the families that experience challenges in giving care to the disabled person
have to face degenerative conditions. Intersectionality considers many aspects of humanity like
race, class and sexual orientation of the individuals and this concept does not separate the people
from each other but makes the people complexly interwoven (Fulcher 2015). In adult age, the
people face the physical and cognitive functioning and social model proclaims that they are
independent adults. Adults’ people face the stigma and stereotyping issue. UNCRPD provides
the right to education and citizenship rights. In order to stop the intersectionality, the people must
look for different perspectives and they must find the common ground. Jason lived in Singapore
and he spent an active life. He used to go to gym, run and cycle in a regular basis. At the age of
31, he noticed that his muscle seemed to go weaker and his feet were getting weaker. People
started laughing at her and he felt isolated. MRI report told that he developed multiple sclerosis.

5DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
In adulthood, it can broaden horizons of family life, increase the awareness of the family
members and it can encourage the connection to community group. Opportunities that the
disabled adults can have are technologies like prenatal screening. Social support is another thing
that has started like Trouble Family Programme. As stated by Burke (2004), social barriers create
problem to enter into the culture of the residence or community, people behave rudely to the
newcomers in the society. If the newcomers have a physical or mental disability, existing people
isolate the disabled people.
For old age, Singapore has started Social Security Disability Programme, where aged
people can use Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) and adoption of modern
technology in education system provide opportunities to disabled people in the process of
inclusion in the context of assistance in daily life. In old age, the people face the issue of social
barriers like double discrimination, age and disability. In addition, lack of sufficient money to
support the disabled child and the people have lack of adequate skills. There are relevant
assistive technologies associated with disabilities (adaptive, assistive and rehabilitees). Peter
lives in Hong Kong and he has been suffering from acute dementia and he cannot walk properly.
He is 76 years of old and he gets angry without any reason. Physical frailty demands that he
needs the care of family persons. Home-based support is there is Hong Kong; however, his
family does not provide support to him. Having a disabled old people in the family can enhance
the responsibility of the family persons and it enhances the cohesion of the family members
(Bbc.com 2018). It is needed to make sure that everyone has the same opportunities to join in
each aspect of life to their abilities in older years. The family persons are having the
opportunities like ‘Elders Shield Insurance Coverage and Senior’s Mobility and Enabling Fund.
Interim Disability Assistance Programme for Elderly people is another support system. Older

6DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
people need to take advantage of and benefits of old-age home to live a better life. The UNESCO
also supports the right to education of the disabled people thus providing them with opportunities
to pursue education.
In Singapore, the government has started Enabling Masterplans programme, it is a five-
year programme that can guide Singapore to be an inclusive and caring society for the disabled
people. This emphasizes the important role of family members in the inclusion process of
disabled people. In this plan, government and community work together to address the challenge
faced by disabled people. In addition, in Singapore, The Disabled People’s Association (DPA)
works as the voice of disabled people and this organisation helps in achieving the full
participation and equality in society. On the other side, in the UK, the NHS &Community Care
Act 1990 focuses on the collaboration of cross-agency and individual assessment of the
requirements of disabled individuals and their family members. The assessment of the impact of
disability on family members was encouraged by the Disabled Persons Act of 1986 in the UK.
The Recognition and Services Act of 1995, the Caregivers make obligatory rules for authorities
of social service to make provisions for young caregivers of disabled people.
The disabled children face discrimination whether they are born in a developed country
like the United Kingdom or a less developing country like Bangladesh. In Singapore, the
disabled children face several barriers to inclusion. The children in Singapore are restricted from
being educated only because there is no facility of the toilet within the premises of their school.
The disabled girls have been facing the issues of increasing tendency of rape. The process of
inclusion of disabled children in the future society should be perceived as an important
investment and the process of inclusion fosters justice in the social system. The inclusion process

7DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
of disabled people in the society is not a mere goodwill or charity but it is an implementation of
Human Rights recognised universally.

8DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
Reference List
BBC News. 2018. Disabled people 'left behind in society'. Available at:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39458672 [Accessed 31 Jan. 2018].
Beresford, B. and Rhodes, D. 2008 Housing and disabled children, Round-up: Reviewing the
Evidence, Joseph Rowntree Foundation: York.
Booth, T. and Booth, W. and McConnell, D. 2005 ‘The prevalence and outcomes of care
proceedings involving parents with learning difficulties in the family courts’, Journal of Applied
Research in Intellectual Disabilities, 18, pp. 7-17.
Burke, P., 2004. Brothers and sisters of disabled children. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Cameron, C. 2009 ‘Tragic but brave or just crips with chips? Songs and their lyrics in the
Disability Arts Movement in Britain’. Popular Music. (28)3 pp. 381-396
Eley, S., 2004. ‘If they don't recognize it, you've got to deal with it yourself’: gender, young
caring and educational support. Gender and Education, 16(1), pp.65-75.
Featherstone, M. 2010 ‘Body, image and affect in consumer society’, Body & Society, 16(1):
pp.193-221.
Featherstone, M., Hepworth, M. and Turner, B.S. eds., 1991. The body: Social process and
cultural theory (Vol. 7). London: Sage.
Fulcher, G., 2015. Disabling policies?: A comparative approach to education policy and
disability. Abingdon: Routledge.

9DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
Goodley, D. and Van Hove, G. 2005. Another Disability Studies Reader?: People With Learning
Disabilities & Disabling. World GarantUitgevers.
Magadi, M. 2010 Risk Factors for Severe Child Poverty in the UK, Journal of Social Policy 39
(2), pp.297-316.
Mitchell, W. 2007The role of grandparents in intergenerational support for families with
disabled children: a review of the literature, Child and Family Social Work, 12 (1), pp.94-101.
Moore, M. Sixsmith, J. and Knowles, K. (Eds) (1996) Children’s Reflections on Family Life.
London: Falmer.
Priestley, M. 2003 Disability A Life Course Approach London, Polity Press.
Prilleltensky, O. 2004 Motherhood and Disability Children and Choices. Basingstoke:
Project Include. 2018. Project Include - Case study - Disabled people. Available at:
http://projectinclude.org/disabled_people [Accessed 31 Jan. 2018].
Read, J. 2000. Disability, the Family and Society. Buckingham: Open University Press
Riddell, S. and Watson, N., 2014. Disability, culture and identity. Routledge.
Ryan, S. and Runswick-Cole, K. 2012 ‘Repositioning Mothers: mothers, disabled children and
disability studies’, Disability & Society, 23 (3), pp.199-210.
Seale, J.K., 2013. E-learning and disability in higher education: accessibility research and
practice. Abingdon: Routledge.
Shakespeare, T., 2013. Disability rights and wrongs revisited. Abingdon: Routledge.

10DISABILITY, FAMILIES AND LIFESTYLE
Subramaniam, M., 2016. Disability in Singapore’s Elderly Population. Ann Acad Med
Singapore, 45, pp.284-96.
Swain. J, French, S. Barnes. C, Thomas, C. (eds.) 2004, (Disabling Barriers – Enabling
Environments. London: Sage Publications Ltd.