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What is Oppression? Oppression is a lack of opportunities and resources available to reach one’s full potential. Oppression is discrimination and being treated poorly. Oppression is being viewed differently than the truthful reality of who one is. Oppression is being made to feel inferior. Oppression is being exploited or ignored.
According to Joni Eareckson Tada and Steve Jenson in Barrier-Free Friendships: Bridging the Distance Between You and Friends with Disabilities (1997):
. . . people with disabilities often get set aside. In some cases they have become an oppressed minority. They have had to adjust to a world system that is not designed with them in mind. Laws, cultural norms, business transactions, and underlying attitudes can make them feel like second class citizens. (p. 22)
And:
As a group, disabled people have experienced discrimination and have had to work hard to get the most essential laws passed to protect them from indifference. (p. 38)
The disabled often face high unemployment rates, even though there are many who are highly capable. The disability, depending on the circumstances, may at times cause a strain on family relationships and friendships. Public transportation may not always be the most reliable. The disabled are often negatively labeled and grouped in various ways, such as being weak, dependent, different:
Disabled people are not handicaps or poor unfortunates. What is unfortunate is that these words are often used to describe people who live happy and meaningful lives. A person who is handicapped is not necessarily a victim. (Eareckson Tada & Jenson, 1997, p.76)
The truth is that we all as human beings have “disabilities” – we all have weaknesses and face challenges in life. We all want to be loved and respected and valued and accepted for who we are.
Part of the problem when it comes to disabilities is simply lack of awareness, fear, and social awkwardness. Eareckson Tada and Jenson (1997) say that:
According to a Harris poll done in 1991, 57 percent of people with disabilities felt uncomfortable with disabled people. Such discomfort can stem from a person’s reaction to the appearance of the disabled person—a wheelchair, different facial features, or a missing limb. Or a disabled person’s behavior or speech pattern might elicit discomfort. Do you remember the first time you visited the hospital or the nursing home? If you’re like most people, it gave you a queasy feeling, and you weren’t sure you wanted to be there. The environment was different. You didn’t know what to expect.
Discomfort with people with disabilities might also be accompanied by fear. In the same way Harris survey, 47 percent polled felt afraid of disabled people. What are they afraid of? Some might be afraid of being embarrassed, I suppose. I have met so many nervous people who simply didn’t know how to say hello. They thought they would say or do something foolish. . . . How would you feel if you created discomfort or fear in people? Would you be excited about initiating friendships? Probably not. You would wonder if the person sitting next to you at the Laundromat was looking for an excuse to get away from you as quickly as possible. Or you might assume that even if someone was cordial enough to talk with you, he or she really wanted to do something else. That is why I encourage you to be the one to take the initiative, showing that you aren’t afraid or uncomfortable. (p. 27-28)
I know that some of those things have been true of me. As a naturally shyer person, I have slowly grown more comfortable and confident in interacting with others and less afraid of making mistakes or looking like an idiot. Not that I do not at times still struggle. How did I grow? I grew by knowing who God made me to be and that I am loved and accepted no matter what. I have unshakable security in that. I may have ups and downs, but I can keep coming back to that truth. I have also grown by practice, by making mistakes, and by learning as I went along. When it comes to people with disabilities, there may be fewer opportunities to practice and less overall knowledge and awareness to help in overcoming that social awkwardness. Just in the course of this class, by studying aging populations and various disabilities, I am beginning to feel more confident. So I believe that if those with disabilities are more visible in our culture and society that we would generally have less unfounded fears.
As with anyone, it is okay to ask a disabled person if he or she could use your help, and if so, how you can help. But also to accept that while some people will want your help, others may turn down your offer, and that is okay. The best thing to do is to try, to take the time to get to know people, to ask questions, to be willing to learn. Every single person on earth is unique.
As with anywhere, people with disabilities can face oppression in libraries. Oppression may be facing obstacles in being able to access information in a format they can use, such as for someone who is a visually impaired college student trying to do research for class.
Oppression may come in the form of a lack of understanding or even a lack of willingness to learn how to help. Someone may not know what to do and/or be unwilling to assist in seeking out an answer or to help connect someone to available resources. Libraries, and society as a whole, could benefit from a greater understanding of those with disabilities and from learning about ways to make resources more accessible for everyone.
Personally, I am excited to learn more about accessible and adaptable technologies, such as the ones mentioned at the Michigan Bureau of Services for Blind Persons. People who are unable to use standard print material due to a visual or physical disability or a documented learning disability can have free access to the Braille and Talking Book Library, with audio and/or braille books delivered directly to their homes. Also, the Wyoming Branch of the Kent District Library is one sub-regional library for the Braille and Talking Book Library with accessible technologies available at that branch. More and more remarkable resources are becoming available, but people may not have yet heard about them, and the word needs to continue to spread. Perhaps more libraries could offer access to accessible technologies and also refer people to valuable resources. I know that I have so much to learn still, and I am excited to continue exploring.
Bibliography:
Eareckson Tada, J. & Jensen, S. (1997). Barrier-Free Friendships: Bridging the Distance Between You and Friends with Disabilities. Grand Rapids: Zondervan.