Photo courtesy of eltpics via Flickr
According to the U.S. Census, about 56.7 million people in the U.S. have a disability. That is about 19 percent of the population and sounds like a huge amount of people, but many of us will go through life not meeting someone with a disability or not having many interactions with them.
Even though some of us will not have the opportunity to learn how to interact with people with disabilities, that does not mean we should not be taught about disability culture. If we have the opportunity to learn about disability culture then we would likely have less ignorant people, like President Donald Trump who mocked a man with a disability who was just doing his job.
It should not have been surprising for Trump to see a disabled reporter as people with disabilities are a part of all jobs. There are people just like Trump who feel that people with disabilities should not be doing certain jobs or even out in the world at all. That is why I think Montclair State University should offer more courses on the topic of disabilities and maybe possibly adding a disability minor.
Offering such classes could help people in all fields because people with disabilities can and do work everywhere. It is important to understand that no two people who have the same disability live the same life. By thinking all deaf people cannot drive or blind people cannot get around without someone being with them hurts not only them, but also ourselves.
Employers would be missing out on great employees just because they think working with someone with a disability is a problem. By offering a minor and more courses, we can help build the next generation to be one of less discrimination and more inclusion. College is a place to become a well-rounded individual, so it’s important to offer a disability minor to help students lose the stigma around those with disabilities.
