(C) Iowa Capital Dispatch
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More awareness, accommodation foster success for Iowans with disabilities • Iowa Capital Dispatch [1]
['Michael Bugeja', 'More From Author', 'March']
Date: 2024-03-16
People with disabilities in Iowa and elsewhere face special challenges that businesses and schools can help ease and accommodate.
March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. It one of several annual events highlighting disability awareness. Another is World Disability Day, hosted by the United Nations and celebrated every year since 1992, which encourages business leaders to recognize the contributions of people with disabilities.
World Disability Day in particular recognizes neurodiversity, “one of the most common invisible disabilities,” involving people who may have been diagnosed with ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Tourette’s Syndrome and other natural brain variations that influence how they see the world and operate within it.
Many of my students at Iowa State University have these and other symptoms, especially anxiety. A few years ago I added a neurodiversity statement to my syllabus. The Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching included it in its “Mindful and Learner-Centered Syllabus Toolkit.”
The statement reads, in part, that I am aware of the aforementioned symptoms and am “dedicated to accommodating you in a proactive manner that helps you in this class.”
People with mental and physical disabilities have been bullied because of those symptoms, which include difficulty with social interaction, communication, focus and concentration. They may also have trouble following instructions and organizing thoughts, skills associated with classroom learning.
Disabled people have faced challenges from ancient times to the current day.
In ancient Sparta, newborn babies with deformities and physical disabilities were inspected by an elder who decided whether the infant would live or die. Conversely, the city-state of Athens in the 5th and 4th centuries B.C. allowed disabled people to work and even provided them with a small stipend. Nevertheless, relatives of mentally disabled people were told not to allow them to be seen in public.
The Greeks believed in the unification of body and soul; as such, any disability was said to reflect a spiritual defect.
To this day, bullies target the spirit of disabled people, trying to erode their confidence. Such acts can lapse into harassment, defined as:
Unwelcome conduct, such as verbal abuse, name calling, epithets, or slurs.
Graphic or written statements.
Physical assault.
Other conduct that may be physically threatening, harmful, or humiliating.
Many disabled people have been able to overcome such treatment.
One of Rome’s most famous emperors, Tiberius Claudius Nero Germanicus, was bullied throughout his childhood because he stuttered and walked with a limp. According to historians, “his family humiliated and alienated him as a young man, with his own mother calling him a ‘monstrosity.’”
In that intolerant environment, Claudius ascended to the throne after his nephew Caligula, one of the most vicious tyrants in Roman history, was murdered by the Praetorian Guard.
The Roman Senate and Guard believed Claudius, being disabled, would be a puppet ruler. Instead, he surprised everyone with his acumen, restraint and strategic decisiveness. He expanded Rome’s empire to Britain, Africa and the Middle East; passed laws to protect enslaved workers; and gave citizens more rights.
People with disabilities have been known to rise to the top of their profession.
The late Stephen Hawking, one of the world’s most brilliant scientists, battled Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). He often spoke about his own struggles and how people with disabilities can overcome hurdles.
In an interview with the New York Times, Hawking said, “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don’t be disabled in spirit, as well as physically.”
According to the World Bank, 15% of the world’s population has some form of disability. “Persons with disabilities are more likely to experience adverse socioeconomic outcomes such as less education, poorer health outcomes, lower levels of employment, and higher poverty rates.”
Forbes reports that disabled people are an untapped talent resource. The publication debunks several myths about them, including higher absenteeism and difficulties in training, teamwork and productivity.
Disabled people are able to overcome perceived weaknesses when companies made prudent low- or no-cost accommodations. Employers who question the abilities of people with disabilities are “out of synch with reality.”
Accommodation is one of the keys for success.
Iowa’s universities provide accommodation for students with disabilities. Resources are available at the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and University of Northern Iowa.
Despite resources, some teachers disregard disabilities. One such case concerned an Oxnard College physiology professor who berated a student with impaired hearing for her unresponsiveness during an online class. The incident went viral on social media.
Such incidents happen in K-12 classes as well as university ones. A study titled “Bullying and Disability” notes that teachers who bully students take advantage of a power imbalance, “as victims have little recourse in appealing to authorities.”
The Americans with Disabilities Act prohibits harassment and discrimination.
In addition to knowledge of rights, self-advocacy is important, knowing how to speak up for yourself, where to get help and whom to ask if you have questions.
The Iowa Department of Education maintains a website listing various resources, including, among others, assistive technology, autism spectrum disorder, blind and visually impaired, and deaf and hard of hearing education.
The Iowa Department of Human Rights has an office for people with disabilities. Staff members promote employment for people with disabilities and provide information, referrals, assessment and guidance, training and advocacy services.
Iowa Compass provides additional information for Iowans with disabilities, their families and service providers.
Any disabled person who feels discriminated against should contact the Iowa Civil Rights Commission. The ICRC helps resolve individual complaints and maintains a website with instructions on how to details of a specific case. You can also phone toll-free at 800-457-4416.
People with disabilities are our friends, colleagues and relatives. They deserve love, support, accommodation and more as they chart their own pathways to success.
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