Disabled Clients Are Fellow Citizens? Essay -- essays research papers

Disabled clients are fellow citizens? Developments in the Disabled Peoples Movement have brought disability to the fore as a civil rights issue in Britain. Growing numbers of politically active disabled people have generated an awareness of how their rights as citizens are denied by discrimination and oppression. Out of this has emerged the concept of `independent living'. A philosophy encompassing the full range of human and civil rights necessary for disabled people to be equal members of society. Underpinning this are four key beliefs: that all human life is of value; that anyone, whatever their impairment, is capable of exerting choices; that people who are disabled by society's reaction to physical, intellectual and sensory impairment and to emotional distress have the right to exert control over their lives; that disabled people have the right to participate fully in society (Morris, 1993:21) The focus of this essay is the potential conflict between this philosophy and the policies and practices of social work. In particular, contrasting interpretations of the client/social work relationship will be examined with regard to their capacity to foster these ideals. There is ample evidence that disabled people are poorly housed, less well educated and generally receive less in the way of life-enhancing opportunities when compared to their non-impaired peers (Finklestein (1991). For example, they are four times as likely as non-impaired people to be unemployed, while those who do work receive wages on average 20% lower (RADAR, 1994). Most disabled people, therefore, rely on benefits. Furthermore, those benefits fail to allow for the extra expenses incurred as a result of disability (Cohen, 1996; Thompson, 1996). Thus it is poverty and poor quality of life resulting from discrimination which creates the need for social work intervention. Becoming a client, Davies (1981) suggests, is seen as a `sign of having given up' and as `a mark not only of failure but of shame' (p. 35). This not only further marginalises disabled people from mainstream society, i.e. separates those who are "clients" from those who are not. It also, according to Barton (1993), maintains a.. Cul... ...nd peach, H (eds) (1989):"Disablement in The Community"; Oxford University, Oxford. Payne, M (1991):"Modern Social Work Theory: A Critical Introduction"; Macmillan, London. Smalley, R (1970):"The Functional Approach To Casework Practice"; in Roberts, R., and Nee, R (eds) (1970):"Theories of Social Casework"; University of Chicago Press, London. Thompson, N (1993):"Anti-Discriminatory Practice"; Macmillan, London. Journals. Barton, L (1993):"The Struggle For Citizenship:The Case of Disabled People"; in Disability, Handicap and Society, Vol. 8(3), p 235-248. Cohen, R (1996):"The Poverty Trap"; in Community Care, p 26-27, 1-7 August. George, M (1996):"Figure it Out"; in Community Care, pullout feature, August 1-7. Morris, J (1996):"Where to Now?"; in Community Care, p 25, Sept 26-Oct 2. Oliver, M (1989a) Book Review of Hunter (1988) in Disability, Handicap and Society, Vol. 4(1). Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (1994):"Unemployment" in Donellan, C (ed) (1994). Thompson, A (1996):"The Fight For Rights"; in Community Care, P 14-15, 18-24 July.