In this weeks weeks input we focused on how people with disabilities have and are being treated in society.  I thoroughly enjoyed this session because it was interesting to get some insight in to how some people feel they are treated in today’s society. We looked at the Equality Act (2010) to determine a definition of disability. I noticed from this that the definition can be open to interpretation and is not air-tight.

Looking at attitudes towards disability was very interesting and shocking at the same time. I did not realise that in some cases disabled people have been killed due to various reasons, some examples being religion and state policy. I researched further into the ancient Roman culture and found out that most infants were abandoned outside and left to die which was very shocking to me.

The Disability Rights Movement has showed a massive change in attitudes towards disability. In their opinion, we should not focus on the impairment but the environmental barriers they face in day-to-day life. This linked to ‘Universal design’ which refers to designing building that everyone can use. I think that this is a brilliant idea and hopefully in the future every single building or structure will be disabled friendly.

I have really enjoyed today’s session because it has made me realise that there should be more awareness about seeing the person before the disability. Although a person may be physically disabled, the can be incredibly capable mentally, for example Stephen Hawkins. I am looking forward to next weeks input to look into Lifestyle choices and Consequences .