Matthew Dolan
Module 2 Week 3
Option Analysis
The value of diversity within the Liberal Arts, and liberal arts majors for that matter, is
extremely important. It is imperative that we include various groups of religion, ethnicity, race,
gender etcetera within our conscience, in order to obtain the goals set forth through our education
that will help us in the real world. Diversity allows and prepares us for an environment of many
perspectives and values. We understand that diversity shapes each individual and therefore
understanding this aspect of education allows us to more easily think and critique socially. We
are in turn more suitable to carry out responsibilities that affect society as a whole.
I decided on analyzing Carol Levine’s Acceptance, Avoidance, and Ambiguity:
Conflicting Social Values about Childhood Disability. The author defines values as “the social
and political choices and preferences that determine how people act as individuals or as a
society”. This piece centralizes around values, moral decision making, isolation, and a fight for
normality, surrounding 12 families that all have a member dependent upon ventilators in their
home. The author analyzes how these issues are served and dealt with amongst each family,
their extended family, and society around them.
The first issue the author delves into is the isolation and stigmas that family members and
disabled children face. The piece argues that people with disabilities are at a clear disadvantage
in society. It even goes as far as to say that in other countries children with disabilities may be
more likely to be punished or abused. Isolation comes along with these circumstances. Family
members and children alike may feel isolated from the rest of the world because people may
simply be “unaware” of what their daily life is like. The author speaks of one mother who feels
isolated from the medical care providers of all people. It is easy to think we understand that
people feel isolated for being stared at for example, or because they are constantly rolling around
a tank of oxygen. To feel isolated from medical providers because their issues are not being met
or provided for is a whole different aspect. We must accept handicapped people the same as we
do people of the opposite sex. The way one breathes or the way someone transports themself is
no different than being black or white. I wonder if this is a moral ignorance or moral blockage. I
feel society is often ignorant to diversity, but large medical providing companies should be
aware of these issues. Either they are unwilling to pay additional costs and block out these
issues, or they are simply ignorant to their existence.
Striving for normality is another dilemma these people face. It is argued in this essay that
these disabilities are a social disorder rather than a medical disorder. “Bodily impairment
derives from a social world which privileges some bodies over others, some minds over others,
and in doing so, constructs a world which allows human capacities to flourish in some but not in
others”. It is scary to acknowledge that people in these scenarios, and psychologists alike, argue
that it is society holding these children back, not the machine that keeps them alive. This
striving for normality involves the attitudes people have about children, or people for that matter,
who rely on machines for support.
Many children in the essay were said to have either happy or neutral feelings about their
dependencies. Some have grown to accept it, while others are so grateful that the machine keeps
them alive. The perception from society is truly the obstacle, not their own doubts or
insecurities. People assuming they may lack intelligence or the ability to speak are the
challenges they face. It is disheartening but true. I am guilty of paying less attention to someone
with a hearing aid than to someone hooked up to a breathing machine. With their respective
dependencies one condition could be no more serious than the other; however that is not how
most people perceive it.
This essay was extremely eye opening. Social tendencies and bias’ can play serious
negative roles in the lives of many children as we were shown through the lives of these disabled
children. If I asked most of my friends what their definition of diversity was I could guarantee
that most would indulge in words that began with race and gender. Would anyone include
disability into a definition of societal diversity? Clearly this is an important aspect of the word
that society ignores. Understanding diversity more easily allows us to accomplish social
responsibilities that we may encounter in personal and work experiences. This essay has shown
that some of these responsibilities may be ignored, and that we must expand our notion of a
diverse society.