Disabilities

Disabilities

            Over the past few days I have been noticing how some of the places I go are handicap accessible and how others are not.  To start off, the gym I workout at has front parking and a handicap ramp onto the sidewalk.  Besides that there is not much to accommodate for handicap.  The doors into the building and then into the gym are not automatic and are a pain to open without anything.  The gym has some machines someone might be able to use with help.  So for the most part it does fairly well with accommodating.

            My old high school where I am observing does a good job.  The new high school is not but a couple years old so it is up to date with a lot.  Now the old high school is a different story.  At the high school now there are automatic doors with the handicap push to open buttons.  There is an elevator to allow someone to get to the second floor without having an issue.  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) National Network have requirements for parking lot requirements on how many handicap spaces are needed.  For example, “A parking lot with 400 total spaces needs eight accessible spaces, and two of those eight spaces must be van-accessible” ("Accessible parking," 2012). 

            Along with the parking lot spaces there is a certain requirements for the doors.  “At least one primary entrance to each building shall be accessible to and usable by individuals in wheelchairs or with other handicaps. Doorways shall be a minimum of 32 inches (clear opening). The floor in the inside and outside of each doorway shall be level for a distance of five feet from the door in the direction the door swings. There shall be no sharp inclines or abrupt changes in level (more than 1⁄2 inches) at the sill” ("Handicapped accessibility specifications," 1991).  Since 1990 the ADA has been around and over the years been developing guidelines.  It was not until “March 15, 2011, the Department of Justice adopted the ADA 2010 Standards for Accessible Design” ("The ada and," 2011).

            I think since the ADA has come up with these that it is making handicap people feel more comfortable about going places.  I know for some, if there were not handicap accessibility then they probably would not come around.  I still think there is a lot to improve on when it comes to disabilities, but for the most part people are trying to be better with it.

Gender Identity

Everyone has his or her own appearance and personality.  You identify yourself by who you are and things you like.  For me, my identity would be towards the masculine side.  I am this way by how I was raised, and the people I am around.  I think people you are around a lot are the ones that influence you.  Most people I am around are older and that is how it has been my whole life.  Having older friends made me act older and made me feel like I was older.  My actions showed I was around older people more because I did things older people would do.

            I think my dad has had the biggest influence on my identity, along with friends and other things.  Growing up I lived on a farm and was always having to work along with my athletic events.  I know my identity has changed over the years especially since I have been out of high school.   The friends I hang out with have some of the same identities I have.  Most of us are all country and share the same interest.

            When it comes to how other people act or dress does not affect me at all.  I might look at them and wonder, but nothing is ever said.  If someone wants to act or dress like that then that is his or her business.  If it does not involve me, I really could care less and that is their personality and who am I to judge them.  I feel that men are the ones that suffer the most because men are a lot meaner and tougher on things like that.  Most men do not want to be around or apart of anything like that.  They feel uncomfortable in situations and at times would become aggressive. 

Genderless Baby

Being a parent, you always want what is best for your child.  Whether it is in school, sports, friends, or work.  Parents are there to help you along when you need it.  The issue with having a genderless child for me seems to do more harm than good.  I believe it is up to the child to decide how he or she will present himself or herself.  If parents do not let their child grow up without being told things, how are they to decide for themselves and personality?  Society today is much different than it was years ago.  You see a lot more and people trying new things.

            I do not agree with running a child life in a way you might want them to go.  Children are to grow up and makes decisions on their own about how they want to be.  Being told what to do or how to do it, will in my opinion, cause issues as they become older.  For instance, kids who grew up under strict guidelines most of the time were the wild one in college.  I believe the same thing applies here with being genderless.

            For me, being a parent I would want my child either to grow up as boy or as a girl.  In some cases depending on the territory girls grow up as if they were a boy and some boys grow up a little differently.  As the child begins to grow he or she will go into puberty and become more one sided.  There is a reason why people do not raise a genderless baby because the one that treats their child that way are more prone to get pick on in school and have physiological problems in the future.  I do not agree with parents who do this to a child, but I am not one to say what is right and what is wrong in today’s society.

Privilege

To me privilege is having special treatment done to you that others might not get.  You have more opportunities than everyone else does.  Some privileges I have enjoyed over the years were being a football player, Eagle Scout, and others.  Being a football player in high school we were able to have privileges on and off the field.  Especially on Fridays most teachers would let us relax and get ready for the game.  During season we were able to get away with more but at the same time, the teachers would report to our coach each week about our performance.  If we did not meet the requirements of the team, we ran or sat out the first half of the game. 

Most all athletes get special treatment but football players always had more because of how we were a football town.  During the summer if we made a certain amount of workouts we had the privilege of a steak dinner during camp and had our names put on the back of the jersey.  For those who did not make it did not get their names on the jersey and had to eat regular dinner.

            I understand that having privileges gives students the chance to push themselves to rewards.  Most people want to have privileges to make things a lot easier for themselves.  In the classroom as a teacher, you want to be equal towards all students but at the same time you need to be able to push students to achieve more.  I know if there were a reward, I always would work harder to receive that.  As teachers, you should try to make everything as equal as possible, but all students be treated equal and have a fair chance of obtaining privileges in the classroom.

            My senior year we had the privilege to having our own section of the lunchroom closed off just for seniors.  We had TVs and couches to make it more relaxing.  It was very nice and gave all of us something to look forward to for lunch.  Both guys and girls really enjoyed the new privilege and we never really had any problems out of it.  The guys would always watch sports and the girls would watch different things.