Are we all identical to each other?

Ofcourse, No!

We are all born with some differences and that is what makes us different from others. Every individual has different types of talents and skills. It is often this very thing which makes this world a unique place to live in. Dealing with people coming from different walks of life is equally amazing.

Even the repetition of the same food type in the meals bores us, just in case imagine the boredom that would have been caused due to the presence of monotony everywhere. Monotony or isolation kills the social being within ourselves. Sociation with varied personalities lead to some new realizations for us. Anyway, the presence of differences in society should be celebrated rather than perceived as inequalities.

What are Social Inequalities?

The inequality comes from the deprivation of different kinds of resources. As perceived in the economic sense, economic inequality happens when the economic capital is disproportionately managed in the economy. In the first place, economic capital generates cultural capital which includes the educational achievememts. Second, the cultural capital leads to the maintenance of social capital, the social status of a person. Often these networks overlap with each other. For example, a person from a well-to-do family can afford some good educational qualifications and thereby can earn some good social capital and vice-versa.

The presence of inequality is structured in the society so well that there is now seen a pattern of unequal access to social resources. This pattern is commony known as 'Social Inequality'.

Social inequality has very nominal relation with the biological differences between persons. Rather, these differences are born in the structure of society. The system which attempts to explain the division of society on the basis of differences is called, 'Social Stratification,' which refers the ranking of people in a society on the basis of hierarchy. This hierarchy then defines the identity of the person in the social structure, their relations with others and access to resources, so on and so forth.

Social stratification, hence, is a societal phenomenon which has little to do with individual differences. Social stratification is perpetuated in different generations. The status of a person is largely ascribed. That is, the children assume the social position of parents on account of the principles of inheritance. Even if the person wants to change his identity, the society still continues to identify people with the same identity-markers. Hence, social identities are hard to shake off. The ascribed social status is further enforced by the practice of endogamy. Marriage within the same caste prevents any sort of mixing with members of other castes. Conversion is easier said than done. For a system to exist over a long period of time, it must be supported by a ideological framework. Unless and until, the system is perceived as fair and inevitable, it can't maintain it's position. For example, the theory of purity and pollution in the Hindu caste system was upholded by Hindu Shastras and scriptures.

There are certain bases for social inequalities which are as follows:

a) Prejudices:- The pre-conceived opinions held by members of one group towards another. The word itself has a literal meaning, 'pre-judgement'. Judging someone is already wrong. And forming an assumption about somebody without knowing the actual truth can lead to the birth of misunderstandings which ultimately throttles a social relationship. A prejudiced person's opinions are based on hearsay rather than the actual truth. Truth is more individual than factual. Everybody has a different story of truth altogether. For everybody, their perception of reality is entirely different. People get so much strongly rooted with these opinions that they don't even want to accept new information.

b) Stereotypes:- Prejudices often root themselves in 'stereotypes'. The development of a particular pattern of thinking leaving no room for diverse interpretations. Stereotypes fix the whole groups into single, homogenous categories. They simply refuse to recognize the variation across individuals and across contexts or across time.

c) Discrimination:- The coldness in behavior of a particular group is witnessed in behavioural norms when a particular group or community openly lodges into a hot battle with the other community members. Discrimination can be seen as practices that disqualifies a certain set of things to a particular community. It is often the open display where a particular social group is entirely segregated from the other. Discriminatory practices are very hard to identify as it may or may not be openly stated. Groups discriminating others justify their behaviour on moral grounds rather than on strands of prejudice. Discrimination practiced on dire levels is what is termed as, 'Social Exclusion'.

What is Social Exclusion?

It refers to the ways in which individuals may become cut off from the mainstream. It also refers to a list of factors that prevent the prevent a particular group from sociating with the larger society. An individual is never self-sufficient. It always has to seek out the assistance of others for something or the other. Emile Durkheim remarked, 'Interdependence is the cause for development of solidarity in social relationships.'

The exclusion of a particular group is never accidental. It is the outcome of the faulty structural aspect of the society. Social exclusion is entirely involuntary, that is, it is practiced regardless of the wishes of those who are excluded. The logic of the social exclusion is often laid on the excluded group itself - saying that the latter itself doesn't wants to join the larger society.

Prolonged exclusion, discrimination or insulting behaviour often leads to a reaction on the excluded that the latter stops trying attempts to seek out inclusion in the society again. For example, the Dalits after being downtrodden by Brahmins left the ritualistic framework of Hindu religion only to evolve in a new trend of devotional worship called, 'Bhakti Tradition'.

The Indian history has witnessed a variety of movements to challenge the various types of discrimination prevalent in the society. Still, prejudices continue to remain in place and often keep on appearing from time to time. Mere legislation on the subject will not help in solving the problem. A constant social campaign to launch sensitivity and awareness among people is what is required to break this chain. Actually, the society after treading for so long on a crooked path has come to realise this one as the right one. But in reality, somebody has to change this pattern to make people realise that they have been mistaken. But atleast, somebody has to light a candle of change which can help in illuminating thousands of houses and can help to bring reform in this society.

Having discussed the basic tenets associated with patterns of social inequality and exclusion, I'll be heading forward to discuss in this article the, 'Struggles of the Disabled'. Highlighting the important heads in this area, we will continue to discuss many more things in regard to their identity, causes for the discrimination and exclusion against them, scholarahips on the disabled people, perceptions in regard to the disability and steps that can be taken to alleviate their sufferings.

What are some common public perceptions to the concept of 'disability' all over the world:

• Disability is understood as a biological term.
• Whenever a disabled person is confronted with problems, it is assumed that his or her problems are because of the after-effects of impairment.
• The disabled person is seen as a victim. They really don't want sympathy of people but just want to be perceived as normal people.
• Sometimes the disabled person is supposed to be linked with the self-perception of the disabled. The society is very cruel when it comes to drawing remarks.
• The very idea of disability suggests that they are in need of help.

The labels such as, 'disability', 'handicap', 'crippled', 'blind' and 'deaf' are used synonymously. Often these terms are hurled at people as insults. Our culture emphasises on the 'perfect body norm'. Any deviation from this normal are relegated with abnormality, defect and distortion. Labels such as 'bechara' are used only to increase the victim status of the disabled person.

Some cultures regard that if a person is disabled, it is intertwined with fate. Destiny is seen as the culprit while the disabled people are the victims. Some societies relate that a person is physically disabled as he or she is reaping the results of his actions called 'Karma'. Long story short, disability is characterised as an individual phenomenon.

Any images of disabled people are portrayed in a negative fashion.

Terms such as 'mentally challenged', 'visually impaired' and 'physically impaired' came to replace the more negative terms as 'retarded', 'crippled' or 'lame'.

The disabled people continue to remain disabled not because of the biological constraints but because of the faulty social structure which has lasted over a long period of time.

Brisenden, a scholar on 'disability' quotes,

'We are disabled by buildings that are not designed to admit us, and this in turn leads to a range of further disablements regarding our education, our chances of gaining employment, our social lives and so on. The disablement lies in the construction of society, not in the physical condition of the individual.'

Disability besides relating with a social dimension is also understood as the cause of poverty in the economic framework. There is a close relationship between disability and poverty. Disabled people are deprived of employment opportunities thereby earning no income. The continued pattern of the same results to chronic poverty levels. Incidences of disability are more common among rural people as they are not able to afford immunisation programmes. Furthermore, disability aggravates poverty by increasing isolation and economic strain.

The struggles for the disabled unfortunately has come from the disabled people themselves. With renewed efforts, awareness is building in society to rethink 'disability'.

The perception regarding the disabled people can be modified by amending the educational model. It is important to note that the perfect body students will only help themselves in understanding about the plight of the disabled people when they will share the same educational space with them. Streams have been divided into two separate areas- one for disabled people and one for anyone's else. Thus, recognition of disability is absent from the wider educational discourse.

Even if the legislation tries to make education available to every disabled child, parents of disabled children do not see this as instrumental as they know the cruel aspect of the society. They are worried at the prospect of the mental, emotional and

psychological abuses that will be hurled at them while they will share the same space with the perfect body students. In such situations, parents think it better to discontinue their child's studies.

The buildings have been designed in a manner that it doesn't caters to the requirements of the disabled people. Such as the courts, hospitals or schools are largely 'disabled-unfriendly'. All entrances to the main complex are preceded by staircases and none of them has a ramp. Even to access the limited elevator facility, one has to climb several steps. Generally, it is seen that disabled, injured or old people that they are being carried up to the stairs by their companions, friends or family members.

Disability Studies:

The differently abled are not 'disabled' because they are mentally or physically impaired but they are so as the construct of the society is in a manner that they are deprived of their needs. In all historical societies, there have been people who are disabled. Discrimination with them also has a long history but the recognition of their special rights is a recent development. The disability civil rights movement has gained prominence in the late 20th century. Earlier scholarships on disability used to perceive it from the medical models which located the types of impairment in bodies. This was a narrow branch of study which could not highlight the significant causes of disability. The new scholarship on the matters of disability has assumed a social model which now perceives the entire world as disabling people. The social model includes both the architectural and attitudinal barriers to the cause of disablement. Disabilities are now not only perceived in physical disorders but to include the study of the mental and chronic disabled patients.

It is said that, 'better off dead than disabled.' The scholars have come to criticise this saying by referring that disability doesn't diminishes the quality of life. Instead, the health care managers should seek out ways for helping the disabled people. Even in cases, where the disabled people are on the verge of end-life treatment, caregivers must affirm the faith of humanity in these patients.

In the American and European countries, the immigrants from Asian and African countries are often perceived as 'disabled people' and they are considered to be responsible for the impoverishment of the already marginalised sections. In the Indian context, Anita Ghai argues that this invisibility of the disabled can be compared to the Invisible Man of Ralph Ellison. Ellison's novel of that name is a famous indictment of racism against African-Americans in USA.

Below is an extract from Ellison's novel that will help you to understand the plight of the racial discrimination victims likened with the disabled people.

'I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me. Like the bodiless heads you see sometimes in the circus sideshows, it is as though I have been surrounded by mirrors of hard distorting glass. When they approach me they see only my surroundings, themselves, figments of their imagination. Indeed everything and anything except from me.

Some scholars elaborate on the tension between wanting their disabilities to be normalized and how educators might adopt different techniques for giving them the access to learning.

Disability has now come to be identified as a racial characteristic. Disability has now come to be aligned with the race. Bringing the anthropological and cultural concerns, disability has come to be perceived as both environmental and cultural. People must try experiencing the realities of living in a world that is not made for the disabled. It has highly been criticised that disability is viewed entirely as an individual phenomenon thereby overlooking the hypocrite standards of society.

What is actually needed is a cross-disciplinary collaboration in cases such as the chronic disabled patients who are heavily dependent on the medical model. The disability studies should be understood in the circumference of medical studies for better results. Some argue that disability is nothing but a 'new realism of the body' which calls for an evaluation of the bodily effects of disability.

Thus, 'disability studies' is an academic discipline that examines the meaning, nature and consequences of disability.

Programmes for the Disabled in India:

1. A nation-wide campaign should be launched to gain access for equal opportunity for disabled person across the country. They must be given an opportunity to live independently and should be involved in an inclusive participation. The campaign also targets at enhancing the accessibility of built environment, transport system and information communication system.
2. Financial assistance is provided to the NGO's for providing assistance to persons with disabilities like the opening of vocational courses and community-based rehabilitation.
3. There are schemes which help the disabled persons with the scientifically manufactured aids and appliances.
4. d) There are schemes which provide national fellowship to students with disabilities. Providing them the access to higher education.

Conclusion:

The discussion on the plight of the disabled people can just go on and go on. It's because that their history of struggles is much more greater than the steps that are taken to ameliorate their situation. Anyway, who has come far down reading this must understand that for the 'rehabilitation' of the disabled people, we as people need to change the 'visibility'. It's high time when we should realise that the issues of disability are largely because of the faulty social construct than the biological or the physical impairement. We should realise that every person either with a disability or not is an individual first. And every individual has the right to self-respect and esteem. We need to learn to establish a harmonious atmosphere in the society. We need to learn to learn,

'Heaven did not set men below men or men above men. These are all just mental constructs. Every individual has some special talents that can be used for making the world a better place to live in.'

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