Recommended Reading
Culture and Disability. Interdependence and autonomy
The international Year of Disabled Persons (1981), followed by the United Nations Decade for the Disabled (1983), put disability into a global context and posed the question of how disability may be seen in a multicultural world.
Since then empirical research has been carried out by psychologists and sociologists to further theoretical development in the field.
The individual’s identity as a person with a disability can be affected by their culture.
Parents hold biomedical and socio-cultural views, reflecting duality in beliefs, which has implications for clinical practice, particularly for multicultural societies’ (Oliver,1998).
Cultural differences effects
Who provides care
How the family makes decisions
Support received from family, friends and community
Family willingness to accept services from outside the family
Disability in cross-cultural perspective
(medical anthropologist) Nora Groce (1999) suggests that cultures view disability in three ways:
by its cause,
by its effect on valued attributes,
and by the status of the disabled person as an adult.
List of different cultures and their views on disability
Western – value individualism and uniqueness.
Hmong – believe that the sin of an ancestor has caused the disability.
Russian –homeopathic regimes are preferred.
African Americans – many African Americans rely on community supports, particularly the church in dealing with disabilities.
In northern Mexico and Botswana it is reported that the birth of a child with a disability is evidence of God’s trust in a parent’s ability to care for that child.
Interdependency and autonomy: Young children with disabilities.
One of the recurring themes in the European conceptualisation of disability is that of autonomy.
Autonomy – what is autonomy for children with disabilities. Parents want to promote autonomy. Child's need for autonomy.
Dependence – depending on severity of disability a child needs to be looked after.
Interdependency – the child needs to develop and nurture their autonomy, while the parents still need to take responsibility for the child. The question is, when do the parents intervene?
Theorists view of self
Theorists view the development of self as a process of the separation of the person from the social and physical environment.
Most views of childhood development in our society contend that in order to develop into a healthy adult a child must have experiences that allow for the growth of autonomy (Wolfe, 1978).
Conclusion
It must be noted that economic and social factors will impact on interdependence and autonomy.
Western conceptions of disability are formed in the context of a centralist state that impose a universal code through legislation. It is this legislation that informs the local authorities as to what services are provided.
Main conclusion
Cultural psychology is important for our understanding of other cultures. We have to always be aware not to bring our assumptions about disabilities to the study of other cultures.
We need to look critically at how knowledge is acquired and by whom.
People must be viewed in their cultural context.
Respect those beliefs.
Groce, N.E. (1999) Disability in Cross-Cultural Perspective: Rethinking Disability. The Lancet. Vol.354. pp. 756-757.
Higgins, C. (2001) Parental Beliefs on Childhood Disability: Insights Culture, Child Development and Intervention. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education. Vol.41. no.1. pp. 41-52
Oliver, M. (1998) Theories in Health Care and Research: Theories of Disability in Health Practice and Research. [online]
http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov accessed on 16.03.08.
Whyte, S. and Ingstad, B. (1995) Disability and Culture. USA: University of California.
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