RHS 100- Culture and Disability

Culture (5) points

1. A socially shared set of variables that include affective styles and values regarding personal control, communications, familial patterns, and societal norms

2. social behaviors, institutions, norms, knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, customs, and habits of a group

3. transmitted by a society and/or group

4. Learned behaviors

5. Psychological component

6. Most of the time we learn indirectly

“Ingredients that make up a culture (4)

1. social norms and acceptable ways of behaving (food traditions, religious practices, child-rearing practices

2. Relationships on a family level and a community level

3. Knowledge and problem solving strategies (information necessary to function as a member of group)

4. Communication and language (tone and volume of speech, personal space, socially accepted greetings

Iceberg concept of culture

1. surface culture “above sea level” emotional level is relatively low

   These are things like food, dress, music, language, celebrations

2. Deep culture- unspoken rules, “particularly below sea level” emotional level is very high

   These are things like personal space, courtesy, body language, eye contact and facial expressions,

3. Unconscious Rules- “completely below sea level” emotional level: intense

   These are things like patterns of group decision making, tolerance of physical pain, problem solving roles in relation to age, sex, class, occupation

How media portrays people with disabilities

-It is a source of learning and socialization around disability- studies show it impacts the public perception

-4.2% iof video media depicts disability related themes with Film being 81% and TV is 19%

-3.1% of TV characters have disabilites with 95% of these are played by actors that do NOT have disabilities

-52% of people with disabilities feel the portrayal is inaccurate

Problematic representation

1. Overtly negative portrayals

2. Limited portrayals as a natural part of experience

3. Not using actors with disabilities

4. Inspiration porn- created from stelly young an activist- the idea is people with disabilities are seen as an object of inspiration for people without disabilities

5. Condones sterotypes, stigma, and insensitive language

6. Lacking full human experience

cultural views of disability

may be witnessed through

• Social acceptable ways of behaving (food traditions, religious practices, child rearing practices)

•  Knowledge and Problem solving strategies (infor needed to function as a member of group)

• Relationships both family and community level 

• Communication and language 

• -Laws and polices 

Disabilities is a human rights issue:

 -  Inequalities, denied equal access to healthcare, environment, employment, education, political participation

 - violations of dignity- when they are subjected to violence, abuse, predjudice, or disrespect,

denied autonomy, subjected to involuntary steriliization, they are regarded as legally incompetent because of their disability