The Disability And Aging Sociology Essay

Disability is not something individuals have. What individuals have are impairments. They may be physical, sensory, neurological, psychiatric, intellectual or other impairments. Disability is the process which happens when one group of people create barriers by designing a world only for their way of living, taking no account of the impairments other people have.

New Zealand Disability Strategy, 2001. State Services Commission. Enabling Ability: Meeting the employment requirements of people with disabilities in the Public Service. http://www.ssc.govt.nz/node/1671.

Disability is sometimes thought of as a personal problems, as something that someone ‘has’. But this is not how many of those directly involved see it. For them, disability is a social issue and they say that they experience disability as a discrimination that keeps them out of schools, out of the workforce and out of the mainstream of community life.

Cahill, M. (1991), Exploring the Experience of Disability, Wellington: Health Services Equal Employment Opportunities Development Unit.

Oliver M. (1992), Intellectual masturbation: A rejoinder to Sonder and Booth’, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 7 (1), 20-28.

Disability, Family, Whanau and Society. Keith Ballard. Dunmore Press Limited. New Zealand, 1994.

In your own words compare those definitions and identify the similarities and differeces between them,

Definition 1 describes disability as an experience that is needed to be discovered by the society. Disability is mostly suppressed due to the negative outlook of most of the people. It is due to the fact that the people are not aware of the nature of disability. Thus, it is something that needs to be recognised and accepted in the society. On the other hand, definition 2 states the difference between the disability and impairment. It also explains that disability is not something that an individual possess, it is rather process when the people creates a barrier towards people with impairment. Disability occurs when the people with impairments are being dicriminated by not having equal priviledges within the society. Lastly, definition 3 describes that disability is a characteristic that an individual have and it is viewed as a personal problem. It is also described as a social problem that keeps a person isolated from the community. The main similarity between the three definitions is that disability is not fully accepted by the society. It is seen as an experience that is being discriminated by the people. The difference between the first definition between the second and third definition is that definition 1 explains that disability is something that the community must be aware of and it should be advocated, while the last two definition describes that society has an idea about disability but views it in a negative way.

Task 1.2 Comparing three definitions of aging

List three definitions of aging.

“The ageing process is of course a biological reality which has its own dynamic, largely beyond human control. However, it is also subject to the constructions by which each society makes sense of old age. In the developed world, chronological time plays a paramount role. The age of 60 or 65, roughly equivalent to retirement ages in most developed countries, is said to be the beginning of old age. In many parts of the developing world, chronological time has little or no importance in the meaning of old age. Other socially constructed meanings of age are more significant such as the roles assigned to older people; in some cases it is the loss of roles accompanying physical decline which is significant in defining old age. Thus, in contrast to the chronological milestones which mark life stages in the developed world, old age in many developing countries is seen to begin at the point when active contribution is no longer possible.” (Gorman, 2000)

Gorman M. Development and the rights of older people. In: Randel J, et al., eds. The ageing and development report: poverty, independence and the world’s older people. London, Earthscan Publications Ltd.,1999:3-21.

“Ageing is a pervasive phenomenon in that it affects everyone, not only the older parts of the population, and global in that it affects all regions of the world. As a result, ageing has important implications for inter-generational, intra-generational and also international equity. It has significant consequences for the economy, society and politics. Ageing is very likfely to be enduring and irreversible. We are unlikely to return to a situation where people are dying earlier and having more children. It is an ongoing phenomenon, the limits of which are not yet known.”

Ageing Societies A Comparative Introduction. Virpi Timonen. Social Context of Aging. P.7-8. McGraw Hill Companies Open University Press. United Kingdom. 2008.

“Ageing can be viewed at the level of individuals where it consists of people on average living longer than members of earlier generations (individual ageing). The survival of most people into increasingly older age is historically a very recent development, and one that was in most countries started by a decline in the are in which babies and children were dying at an early age. Ageing is a success, a great achievement, and should be treated first and foremost as a positive phenomenon.” People live longer, and in large parts of the world old age is healthier, wealthier and arguably even happier than in the past.

Ageing Societies A Comparative Introduction. Virpi Timonen. Social Context of Aging. p. 5, p.163. McGraw Hill Companies Open University Press. United Kingdom. 2008.

In your own words compare those definitions and identify the similarities and differeces between them,

Definition 1 describes ageing as a natural biological process that can never be prevented by human. The meaning of ageing also depends on how a society views it. An old age can be described based on chronological time which means that when person reaches a 60 or 65, which is equivalent to retirement age in most developed countries, it is considered to be the beginning of old age. In many parts of developing countries, old age does not depend on the age of a person but it is related to their roles within the community and it’s accompanying physical decline which is indicative of old age. While definition 2 depicts ageing as a ongoing phenomenon that affects everyone in the society and is not only particularly referring to the old age group within a society. It is also considered as enduring and irreversible which it’s boundaries are not yet known. On the other hand, the last defintion viewed ageing as a level in which a group of people are living longer than the earlieer generation and described it as an individual ageing. It also pertains that ageing is phenomenon and it is a success as well as a great achievement which has a positive impact in many countries. The three definitions are similar in the sense that ageing is viewed as a process in which human beings are not in control of. It is a phenomenon that occurs in our lives and that it has an impact in all parts of the world. The main difference is that in definition 1 and 3, ageing depends on how the society views it based on a person’s age, their roles and the physical qualities that they have. But on the second definition, it does not specifically relates ageing to chronological time but it is something that affects everyone within the community.

Task 1.3 Comparing theories of disability and aging

Choose one disability and one aging theory and briefly explain the theory.

Disability: Medical Model

This models views people with disability based on their illness and their medical condition. Disability is seen as a problem of the person which are due to disease, health condition and trauma. The people who have disability are required to have medical care provided by health care professionals. This promotes the outlook that a person with disability is dependent and focuses on the diagnosis of a person and the social roles which is limited to being a patient and disabled. This model also deals with the significance of intervention, management, treatment as well as rehabilitation. In addition, the people with disability are put in an institution and are being isolated from the society. It influences the notion that people with disabilty are passive, dependent, powerless and does not have any strengths and weakness.

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Aging: Psychosocial Theory- Disengangement Theory

Psychosocial theory states that as a person grows older, behavioral and social interaction changes and the activities that they deal with also changes. Disengangement theory is a type of psychosocial theory which states that ageing leads to an exit from many roles and responsibilities at the individual, psychological and societal level. It implies that when older adults who recognizes the need to disengage for the good of society are able to age successfully. The younger geenration take over the demanding and influential positions and roles from older people, while the older people can narrow their activity to more manageable levels in preparation for the decline in their physical and mental function as well as death.

Select four examples of disability and describe the implications of each example of each theory of disability and aging using your own words.

Disability: Medical Model

1. Age

2.Deprivation

3.Sexuality

4.Race

Aging: Psychosocial Theory- Disengangement Theory

1.Age

2.Deprivation

3. Gender

4. Sexuality