Contents
Communities of Support:
People with the same characteristicts, needs or interests generally
socialise with each other. They share experienses, skills and
resources, and support each other.
Society also groups people together .......
... are grouped together
because of a
shared charasteristic that is not
representative of the normal members of the community that they are a
part of.
... where they are classified as a part of a group by
a
bureaucratic process where individuals apply for support such as
welfare, pension etc
... where they are placed in temparory or permanent
care because
they can not look after themselves, are a danger to themselves, or are
a danger to others in society
... where they are grouped together by government
policy,
organisations and services, and the media to promote their own agendas
and raise their own profile in society
... to rase awareness of a particular condition or
situation that has an impact on their lives within society.
These groups become communities within society, and identify themselves
as a community that is different from other communities within society.
Society attaches a label that describes the main characteristicts of
that community. While a bikie community is different to a football
community there may be some activities and behaviours of both
communities that are simular.
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy:
"A
self-fulfilling prophecy is a prediction that directly or indirectly
causes itself to become true, by the very terms of the prophecy itself,
due to positive feedback between belief and behavior. A positive or
negative prophecy, strongly held belief, or delusion—declared as truth
when it is actually false—may sufficiently influence people so that
their reactions ultimately fulfill the once-false prophecy." (
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-fulfilling_prophecy).
"Any
positive or negative expectation about circumstances, events, or people
that may affect a person's behaviour toward them in a manner that
causes those expectations to be fulfilled." (
http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/self-fulfilling-prophecy.html).
If we look for good in ourselves and others we find good,
If we look for bad in ourselves and others we find bad.
People
sometimes act out the expectations that the others put on them. If
someone is seen as quiet and boring, that person will be excluded from
social activities that provide some opportunities to develop social
skills.
We unconsciously build mental pictures (true or false)
of the world and the others in it based on our own experiences when we
interact with others. The way we see of ourselves and others are based
on those experiences and mostly determines how we treat ourselves and
others. This can lead to a kind of circular thinking and behaviour. For
example, if a teacher is falsely told that Fred is bright and Bob is a
slow learner, Fred will be treated differently to the Bob. The other
students may treat Fred/Bob the same way the teacher treats them. Fred
will more likely feel respected, and therefore have confidence in
himself (valued), and Bob may develop a lack of respect, value, and
confidence in himself and others (devalued). If I have been treated
badly or abused by others, I may lack the confidence to develop
friendships and relationships. Alternatively I may strike out at others
in anger and pain and treat others the way I have been treated.
Spastic was a legitimate medical term that described a condition that a
person suffered from. Other terms that were used within the medical
professional to describe a characteristic of a person or group were
largely used within the medical profession as a shorthand way to
describe the group. Over a period of time these expressions became
accepted and widely used within society. Various accounts of the way
various groups are labelled have often been misinterpreted or skewed to
support a particular idea or agenda of the person writing the account
(see
Conceptions
of idiocy in colonial Massachusetts, Journal of Social History, Summer,
2002 by Parnel Wickham). Other accounts focus on a particular
theme
or situation without putting the account into the proper context. We
are all guilty in this respect and there has been a great deal of
discussion about the relevance and accuracy of historical research and
documentation. The expression
"The eye sees
what it
wants to see" (unknown) is as true now as it was then (See
also
Social
constructionism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia).
Some may say that by providing a valued social role for the person (to
Enhance Social Images and Personal Competencies), we are actually
changing the values of society, and by this process society is more
accepting of the person, and the person will be included in the
activities of the community that the person wishes to be a part of. I
feel that while this may be true within a social context, it is an over
generalisation in that members bring more to a community than their
roles (Social Images and Personal Competencies).
The social labels of
disability:
Social labels (or social stereotypes) are a way to convey to others our
standing within
society. If I proclaim myself as a hippy, for example, I am telling
socity that I reject all things that society stands for. The way I
dress, talk and treat others all characterise the social label that
identifies a "hippy" from other groups in society. These social
characterists also allow me to identify others in society that are
"hippys". The expressions "Pommie", "Negro", "Spastic" etc were all
legitimate lables that were used to described a characteristic of the
person. Over a period of time, these lables took on a different meaning
within society. Just as the expression "Gay" was used to describe an
emotional state, that expression has a whole new meaning today. There
are lots of other expressions that meant one thing origionally, and
have taken on new meanings today. This evolution of language is
propally due to new generations trying to find their own identity in
society (speculation only).
While the phenomenon of social labelling is neither positive or
negatitive, it can be manipulated by various social groups to promote a
particular agenda or support a particular idea or paradigm. This
happens all the time where different political groups try to sway
social opinion to their way of thinking. The asyulm seekers from
oversees are labled as "boat people". Some groups would attach a
negative value and promote then as terrorists, job takers, bludgers and
a burden on society. Others paint them as despreate people that have
nowhere else to go and have suffered enough already. They tell us that
these people are happy to be a part of our society and have a great
deal to contribute.
Labelling is also a way to justify a particular social policy or
practice. This is evedint in the way "Greenies" are portrayed as
against commercial development and destroying peoples lives. Various
governments (local, state and federal) have various programs in place
to provide for the needs of the community, and where there is a protest
about a particular development, their treatment is justified by showing
that their actions will disadvantage us all. The label "Greenie" takes
on a negative value.
A lack of understanding, skills and resources also contribute to labels
taking on a negative value. People with high support needs, the aged,
mentally ill and people with intellectual disabilities, even people
with aids, cancer and dementia are viewed negatively because of a lack
of understanding, skills and resources in society. Because society
cannot support these groups, they are assigned a devalued status.
Just as labeling can be valued or devalued, the roles that are
attributed to the label can be modified or changed to reinforce a
particular characteristic, to support, justify or legitimise our
treatment of a
particular person or group. In all the above examples it can be seen
that if
society wants to portray (label) a patricular person or group
positively, then
the positive charasteristicts are reinforced, and as a result a
positive role is assigned to the person or group. Alternatively, if
society wants to devalue a person or group, the negative
charasticts of the person or group are reinforced, which means that the
role is
devalued. This happens in all parts of society, both on a conscious and
unconscious level. People with high support needs that do not
have the support structures to provide for their needs are often seen
as a burden on society and as a result are assigned lables and roles
that describe their circumstances. A person that has a mental illness,
for example, may be accomodated in a hospital because that is the
setting that is most able to accommodate the person's needs. Society
unconsciously associates the picture of a hospital with all people with
a mental illness and, as a result, that label and the associated roles
are assigned to the person or group.
It is
possible for any person to be devalued for any reason in any community.
Some studies
were done
with school children a few years ago where the class was divided into
groups (
Blue eyes
Brown eyes).
The results clearly showed that people
become disadvantaged quite easily. Just as Muslims were targeted a few
years ago because they may be terrorists, all Muslims became
disadvantaged. The same thing happened to the Jews and any number of
other groups of people. The same thing can happen in any community. If
I wear my P.J's to work (which has happened in America) I am seen as
someone who is different. In some communities a particular
characteristic can be an advantage. While I was traveling around the
Northern Territory I certainly felt like a second class person in the
shops. I spent some time living in an Aboriginal community and it took
a while to become accepted as a part of their community.
SRV (which itself evolved from the concept of Normalisation) is
probably the most influential social paradigm used to provide a better
life for people with disability. The idea of Normalisation (where all
members of society have the same right to a the same way of life as
others within that society) has been around for a long time. It has
only been in the last 10 to 20 years that we have had the incentives,
skills and resources to provide for a more humanistic approach to
meeting needs of disadvantaged people in society. SRV is about social
roles. Society tends to group people into different classifications or
groups according to a particular characteristic of a person that stands
out. Regardless of the persons individual differences. society
generally assigns a particular role to all people that share that
characteristic. This role describes the persons behaviours, and how we
should associate with the person. Roles are also a way to visualise the
person and what we may expect from the person. Some social roles are
positive. Hero, friend, supporter, defender of the faith, aussie
battler, statesman etc all create a positive image of the person.
Accordingly they are treated with respect and considerstion as valued
members of society. Whether they are good people or not, is not as
important as their social role. Other social roles are negative.
Druggie, criminal, nigger, deviant, sick, dole bludger, alcoholic etc
all create a negative picture or impression of the person, and as a
result, the person will be negitavely valued, and treated differently
to others, regardless of any other positive characteristicts the person
may have. SRV shows us that disadvantaged people were devalued by
society, and that by changing the way they are seen (their role), we
change our behaviours and expectations, and add value to their lives by
giving them the opportunity to participate in valued relationships and
activities. Person Centered Planning, the Least Restrictive Principle
and Transitional planning have all evolved from the principles of SRV.
Each model is designed to allow (or facilitate) positive behaviours and
attitudes within society, where the person to be able to participate,
as much as possible, within each community that most suits the person's
needs. These models of care could be thought of as the vechicle, SRV is
the engine that drives each model of care, and government policy and
practice serves as the highways and byways.
