How The Law Protects Children with Disabilities

The first terms to be defined are disabled and disability.

This is a term that can be defined or perceived in very many ways. After researching a number of definitions, the following was selected; “The combination of a physical or intellectual impairment of an individual and the social attitudes and environment that prevents a person from living a full, normal life or from performing his/her normal job.” (http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/disability.)

This definition was particularly appropriate, because it acknowledges that a disability is not only about the person, but the environment surrounding them and the ways that they are perceived within society. The study Guide offers a similar definition, defining it as; “….physical, emotional or cognitive factors that affect children and young people’s Potential development and/ or quality of life.” (Study Guide, p.109) The second term to be defined is ‘social inclusion’. This refers to a set of values that recognize an individual’s right to be included in mainstream society, regardless of gender, race, disability, economic background, etcetera. (Study Guide, p.111) The terminology that is used to describe children and young people with disabilities is important because of the way that they are perceived depending on the way they are referred to, as this can have negative, derogatory and detrimental effects on the young person and their inclusion in society. For example, to say a person is disabled puts the importance of the disability before the person. To say that a person has a disability implies that the disability is only a part of that individual, not the whole or most important aspect. Also, often, young people can be categorized by the type of disability that they have, such as Asperger’s Syndrome, Down’s syndrome etc. To categorize a person in such a way can induce stereotypical images that are connected with a particular condition, thus affecting a person’s perception of the person with a disability and also the way they treat them. In contrast to the two previous points, Deaf children often prefer to be referred to as Deaf children rather than children who have a hearing impairment. This is because approximately ten per cent of these children have a parent who is also Deaf, they may go to school with other children who are Deaf and socialize with others who are Deaf. The link here is that they communicate in their own language (sign language) as other cultures communicate in their own language. Therefore, they see their deafness as part of their culture and as being intrinsic to them as an individual. (Lewis and Kellett, 2004). Legal frameworks are put in place to provide protection for young people.