LIVING WITH A

DISABILITY
Mayuko Yamamoto

BRIDGEWATER STATE UNIVERSITY

Abstract

This paper will talk about the different aspects of clients living with a disability. This paper is

written in hopes of being able to better understand those who live with a disability by learning

about their history, strengths, challenges, resources, and culture of those living with a disability.

It is also discussed about what are different therapeutic approaches and models that have been

used with this population.

Introduction
The community of those who live with a disability is vast and there are so many different

people who are umbrellaed under the term disability. Each subgroup has their own unique needs

and challenges that they may face in their daily life. There are historical events that have formed

the identity of some of the subgroups and there are events that have helped all the subgroups

within the community. In this paper, questions of norms, historical events, support, therapeutic

approaches, and the strengths that is had by those who live with a disability.

1)

Every group or community has different norms and values through the experiences they

encounter through their life. One experience that many individuals who live with a disability face

is the prospect of how others view them, specifically how others view their disability. Those who

are living with a disability face the situation where others view their disability before any other

aspect of the individual. Sue & Sue (2016) mentions how one of the most important aspects

about working with a client who lives with a disability is to see the person before their disability.

This can affect the counseling process since if the counselor is focused solely on the disability.

Pinpointing that the problem or situation at hand could be because the client is living with their

disability and that it is because of their disability that the client is having the situation or

problem. This can make having a client-counselor difficult since depending on the client’s view

on their own disability, they may find comments about their disability being the problem

offensive. People who live with a disability however, may not view themselves as having a

disability or viewing the disability as a negative in their life. For example, those who are deaf or

hearing impaired, view deafness as more of a culture rather than a disability that hinders them

(Sue & Sue, 2016).

Those who are able bodied may see individuals with a disability as ‘inferior’ in some

ways because they have a disability or they view them with sympathy for having a disability.

Something that can be dangerous as mentioned by Sue & Sue (2016) is how when those who are

living with a disability shows signs of depression or suicidal thoughts, it is perceived as normal

because of their disability. As counselors, in situations when a client is feeling alone with their

depression and suicidal thoughts, depending on the client it is important to make them aware of

the normalcy of these feelings. It should not, however, be seen as a normal occurrence when

some living with a disability is depressed or have suicidal thoughts and assume that it is because

of their disability. This can round back to how people view the person’s disability first before the

individual and that can limit ones interaction with the client. It can be seen as normal for the

client to be depressed or have suicidal thoughts because of the disability they live with however,

the danger in a counseling process is that it can be completely overwriting the experience that the

client is going through. By pinning the depression and suicidal ideations on the disability, gives

no room for the client to be able to express themselves or explore the other identities that they

have. They have other identities and different issues that they face tied to the other identities

which could be contributing to the depression or suicidal ideation, but with their identity with

their disability becoming the main point of the sessions or the counselor’s view, it can be

detrimental in the client’s long term progress. It can also be detrimental to the counseling

relationship since the client may not truth the counselor because of the emphasis they may be

unknowingly placing on the client’s disability.

A situation that clients with a disability face is the challenge of living in a society that

caters to able-bodied people. Some simple situations that come to mind are accessible buildings.

A question that is asked by Sue, Gallardo & Neville (2014) is whether or not a counselor’s office
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

or any office is accessible? How often do able-bodied people think about how accessible a

building, office, school, restroom etc. is? This is something that clients with a disability think

and deal with in their daily life. There would be no beginning to a counseling process if the client

is not even able to access the room or building that a counselor’s office may be located in. If

there is a client who is deaf and is wanting to call to make an appointment, would they be able to

video call and have an interpreter if needed? There are options now where an individual is able

to video call in and have a session without having to leave their homes however, this can further

reinforce how the society is not made for those living with a disability and the client may see this

as a moment where they are not able to do something ‘as simple’ as going to a session or being

able to communicate effectively with someone who is not living with a disability.

1) History

Each population of people have a rich history that tells stories of those who have fought to

have the rights people have today. Within the community of people living with a disability, there

have been moments of hardships and triumphs that have helped progress the community forward

and some that have hurt the community as well. There are many examples of historical moments

that have happened with this community and it is hard to say which ones have had the most

impact since each event in some way have had an impact to the community which can help those

who are looking on to better understand those living with a disability. One major event that has

happened is the election of President Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 who was paralyzed from the

waist down because of polio (Timeline, 2007). After President Roosevelt was elected, he

founded the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis which was a foundation to help combat

polio and those who were suffering from the disease (Rose, 2010).
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

Another event that is less uplifting is an event that happened in 1982 which is when

‘Baby Doe’ was allowed to die because of the suggestions doctors made to the parents. Baby

Doe was born on April 9th and they were born with Down syndrome as well as an

underdeveloped esophagus. After the baby was born, the doctors suggested to parents that they

should not let their baby have surgery and let them pass away (Rose, 2010). This led to a huge

outrage of the doctor’s suggestion since once this case was brought to light, a surgeon by the

name of General C. Everett Koop, was outraged to hear about this case. Koop says that there was

a 100% likely hood of the surgery going well and for the success of Baby Doe and the fact that

the doctors advised the parents not to do so can ‘only be seen’ as the fact that the baby was born

with Down Syndrome. This kind of incident led to the support and the push for laws such as the

Americans with Disabilities Act to be able to prevent the abuse that those who live with a

disability go through because of their disability (White, 2011).

The passing of the Americans with Disabilities act (ADA) is also another momentous

event in history which happened in 1990 (Rose, 2010). This law was placed to stop the

segregation and discrimination that those living with a disability faced in their life from access

to: buildings, resources, medical attention etc. (Kaufman, 2015). The most important event that

helped in pushing this law into action was the Capitol crawl in 1990 which was when those who

have a disability went to the Washington and crawled up the capitol to show what barriers they

face in their lives (Kaufman, 2010). Those who used crutches and were wheelchair bound

decided to crawl up the capitol stairs and for some it was a moment to show the world what those

who live with a disability go through on a day to day basis. Michael Winter was a man who was

behind Jennifer Keelan, the 8 year old girl with cerebral palsy who was iconic in this movement.

Winter says how he wanted to show the world what he has to go through as someone who uses a
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

wheelchair and be able to share his day to day stories of being discriminated in society because

of his wheelchair (Kaufman, 2010). The history of what those who live with a disability faced

was also placed into the school curriculum in 2006 so new generations of youth can learn about

their struggles and triumphs (Rose, 2010).

Finally, an event that happened in 2006 where the students of Gallaudet University

protested to remove the new president who was a person of hearing (Rose, 2010). When I. King

Jordan who supported the Crawl to the Capitol was going to resign, the board of the school were

finding a replacement for him. The students, faculty, and staff were adamant about the new

president being someone who is deaf and not of hearing. The previous presidents the school has

had were many graduates from the school and one whose spouse was also deaf and they had

grown up using ASL from a young age to communicate with their deaf mother (History of DPN,

n.d.). There were three finalists for the position, two who were deaf and one who was hearing,

and with these odds, students, staff, and faculty were confident that they would have a president

who was deaf. However, the board decided to go with Elizabeth A. Zinser who was the candidate

who is hearing. The students, faculty and staff were all outraged and protested the new president

and shut down the school and would not go back until the board had changed their decision.

Elizabeth had not used ASL long enough and did not grow up with it and people believed that

she lacks the familiarity of the deaf community. In the end the students, faculty and staff won

and they were able to get a president who was deaf (History of DPN, n.d.).

2)

Each historical event learned can help in giving those who are not living with a disability

a glimpse into the community. The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt is a huge moment since it

can be seen as a moment where those who are living with a disability have a representation as
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

well as someone who understands what it is like to live with a disability and the hope that

Roosevelt will help the community of people living with a disability. This is a moment can be

seen as a positive or negative moment. As mentioned before, Franklin D. Roosevelt was

paralyzed from the waist down because he had polio. A positive is he is someone who can

represent the community and make their needs more visible however, Sue & Sue (2016) mention

how it is important not to compare clients with those who are well known since it can create

unfair expectations from the clients.

Baby Doe’s case is an area that can often be overlooked in the grand scheme of the

situation. In school debates about abortions sometimes bring up the situation where someone

may ask if a person knew their child will be born with a disability, would they decide to abort the

child or not? This gives a huge glimpse into how people view those with a disability and how

negative of a stigma that it holds. This case shows how others view the lives of those who live

with a disability can be insignificant and lower than those who are able bodied, that they are

‘disposable.’ As mentioned before, able-bodied individuals may think that depression and

suicidal ideation is normal for those who live with a disability, but this case of Baby Doe may

encourage those with a disability to believe that people still think the way the doctors did in this

case. That people may choose to not have a child with a disability and that it is still a question

that may be asked during an abortion debate now in schools. It would be the same as someone

asking whether a person would have an abortion because their child would be born with a

different skin color than their parents.

A more uplifting and empowering moment is the capitol crawl and the passing of the

ADA which shows the resilience and fighting power of this community who refused to be

unseen. This moment can help show clients the power and the struggle those before them have
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

gone through, or even those who participated in this movement the strength it took to be able to

go through this moment in history. It can help the client in the counseling process about how

much power that they are able to wield and that their disability is not something that can be

holding them back. How, by law now, they have many rights that are backed by the laws of the

ADA. The same can be said about the protest that happened at Gallaudet where the students,

faculty and staff banded together to be able to have someone who runs their school who would

understand their culture better. These are great examples of when people banded together to fight

for rights that they needed and for the world to be able to see a glimpse of the challenges that

those living with a disability experience on a daily.

3)

In the US those who live with a disability make up 26% of the population which is one in

four adults (Disability impacts all of us, 2018). When breaking it down for subgroups within this

community for the national scale: those who live with a mobility disability which includes

serious difficulty in walking or climbing stairs, they make up 13.7%. Cognitive disability which

includes serious difficulty in concentrating, remembering, or making decisions makes up 10.8%.

Independent living which is the difficulty in doing errands alone make up 6.8%. Those who are

deaf or have serious difficulty in hearing make up 5.9%. Those who have a vision disability:

blindness or any serious difficulty in seeing make up 4.6%. Finally, those who have a difficult

time in self-care which include dressing or bathing make up 3.7% (Disability impacts all of us,

2018). Nationally, those who do not have health care between the ages of 18-44 is one in every

three. Those who have unmet healthcare needs because of the cost of healthcare within the past

year is one in three between the ages of 18-44. Finally, one in every four do not have a routine

checkup in the past year (Disability impacts all of us, 2018). In Massachusetts specifically there
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

22.5% of adults who live with a disability (CDC, 2018). Within the specific sub categories: a

mobility disability make up 12.6%, cognitive disability make up 12.3%, independent living make

up 7.2%, those with a vision disability make up 3.9%, and self-care make up 3.5% (CDC, 2018).

For employment there are some difference between those who are able bodied and those

who live with a disability. According to the department of labor (2018) in the nation there were

79.2% of those living with a disability not in the labor force, 1.7% who were unemployed, and

19.1% who were employed. Compared to those who do not live with a disability, there are 31.6%

who were not in the labor force, 2.6% who are unemployed, and 65.9% who were employed

(DOL, 2018). For Massachusetts, there were 38.6% of those with a disability who were

employed. Compared to those who live without a disability who 80.0% are employed (MRC,

2016).

For education there is still big gaps in numbers for those who are living with a disability

versus those who are able-bodied. According to the Department of Labor (DOL, 2018) those

who live with a disability there were 9.8% who had less than a high school diploma, 15.6% with

a high school diploma but no college, 21.8% who had some college or an associate degree, and

28.5% who had a Bachelor’s degree or higher (DOL, 2018). Compared to those who are able-

bodied where 54.0% ad less than a high school diploma, 63.0% who had a high school diploma

but no college, 69.7% who had some college or an associate’s degree, and 75.5% who have a

Bachelor’s degree and higher (DOL, 2018). For Massachusetts education those who graduate

high school are 72.8% of students and those who enroll into college make up 49.1%.For students

who do not live with a disability 91.9% completed high school, 73.3% enroll into college and

88.8% complete their college degree (NESSC, 2018).

Through these statistics there are clear discrepancies between those who live with a

disability versus those who do not. There are several places that are of concern which is the

employment prospects and the education aspect of these numbers. The statistics show a

significant difference in the number of those who are employed versus those who are not

between someone who has a disability and someone who does not. The fact that in a national

stand point there are only 19.1% who are employed and live with a disability is shocking

compared to the 65.9% of those who do not have a disability (DOL, 2018). Of course there could

be a reason behind these numbers however, the fact that there is a huge gap is telling of how

many jobs are offered that someone who lives with a disability is able to access or whether there

is discrimination happening in some areas. Also the fact that there is one out of four adults who

do not have healthcare is another problem (CDC, 2018). There may be medications that people

may need and they are not able to afford to receive them because they may not be able to afford

it because of the lack of health insurance. Jobs are able to provide health insurance in most cases

and so the underemployment could also be an aspect where it is contributing to the low

percentage of those who have health insurance. The lower percentages for education is also

disheartening since it shows that there may not be enough support that is being provided to

students who live with a disability. With the lack of support it may explain the lower percentages

for the students.

4)

There are different areas of support that can be given for those who are living with a

disability. There are organizations that exist that can help those who are looking for employment.

Such as the Brockton Area Multi-Services Inc. which helps in providing support for various

areas for those who have a developmental or intellectual disability and also specifically those
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

who are on the spectrum of autism. They can help with employment, living situations, residential

services, in home support etc. Their services can be reached below.

Name: Brockton Area Multi-Services, Inc. (BAMSI)

Address: 10 Christy’s Drive, Brockton, MA 02301

Website: https://www.bamsi.org/adults/developmentintellectual-disabilities-autism-services/

Telephone Number: Can be found in specified sections on website

Another organization that can help those who live with a disability for social emotional

support can be The Meeting Point in Jamaica Plain. This office has a multitude of therapists who

are available and who specialize in different areas and they also specialize in working with

clients who have a disability. Their office is accessible for those who have a physical disability

and they are able to help with many different aspects of one’s identity such as sexual orientation,

trauma and so on.

Name: The Meeting Point

Address: 3464 Washington St, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130

Website: http://themeetingpoint.org/

Telephone Number: 877-207-8479

Lastly, another organization that is able to be of support is the North Suffolk Mental

Health Association. Their services can cater to those who are hearing impaired or deaf and they

have services that can be reachable through TTY. They provide a fully accessible psychiatric and

counseling services for those who are deaf and hard of hearing and their staff are linguistically

competent. All the counselors who are available are able to sign ASL, sign English, visual
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

gestures as well as use of tactile sign. Their services also include crisis intervention, intake,

referral/information, individual, couples, and family and group therapy.

Name: North Suffolk Mental Health Association (Deaf and Hard of hearing)

Address: 25 Stantiford Street, Boston, MA 02114

Website: http://northsuffolk.org/services/adult-services/deaf-and-hard-of-hearing-outpatient-

clinical-services/

Telephone Number: TTY: 617-912-7897 Voice: 617-912-7800

5)

There are some different approaches that can be used with a client who lives with a

disability. Something that is important to assess is whether or not the disability is an integral part

of the presenting problems that the client is expressing. There may be clients who come in and

are in an accident and have now been identified as someone who is now living with a disability.

If the client is coming in they are struggling with their disability identity, the Weeber’s positional

model may help in identifying this new part. The Weeber’s positional model is a positional

model that has stage based frameworks to work with the client (Forber-Pratt, Mueller, &

Andrews, 2019). The client will go through stages of figuring out their identity as someone who

lives with a disability. Their first stage is going to be the rejection stage, the second stage is when

the client becomes aware of the inequities that are present in society towards those who live with

a disability, third stage is the client starts to make connections with others who share a disability,

fourth stage is making more connections with broader people who have different disabilities than

the client and lastly the fifth stage is the client chooses not to pass as someone who is able-

bodied when there is an opportunity for them to (Forber-Pratt, Mueller, & Andrews, 2019).
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

A new approach called the disability affirmative therapy made by Rhoda Olkin is

becoming more popular (Stebnicki, 2015). This approach does not focus on the negative views of

someone’s disability however, it does not approach someone’s disability as a blessing either. It is

viewed more as what it is in plain sight, it is referred to in the same way sex, religion, age and

ethnicity is referred. It is looking at the disability and appreciating the different knowledge that

has been acquired through having a disability. It is learning more about how having a disability

is incorporating in learning more about the client’s self rather than viewing the disability as a

hindrance and a negative image. (Stebnicki, 2015). This approach also tries to encompass the

other difficulties that may come with someone who is living with a disability such as: economic,

legal, social, educational, financial, familial and so on (Stebnicki, 2015).

6) Strengths

There are different strengths that can be exhibited within this population. One that is

prominent and one must be careful about is family. Family generally become an essential part of

support for those living with a disability (Sue & Sue, 2016). The family learns how to support

their family member with a disability and adjust their lives for them. This can be helpful

depending on what the problem the client presents. The family can be a supportive network in

helping the client through their problems or being able to adjust for them. However, as a

counselor something to keep in mind are the views that the family members may have about

disabilities that are connected to negative stigmas that they may have to disability. A study that

was done with families who have a member who lives with a disability showed how explicitly

they would say they do not have any negative feelings or attitudes towards someone who lives

with a disability however, implicitly when answering questions, it resulted that family members

who had someone in their family with a disability had higher numbers compared to those who
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

knew someone living with a disability (Friedman, 2019). Another strength that is mentioned by

Sue & Sue (2016) is if someone has a traumatic brain injury, they may believe in a higher power

which can help with life satisfaction. This can be a good way to discuss with clients about how

they view the world and try and connect with the greater being that the client believes in.

Another strength mentioned is how those who have a disability have to learn to view life with

a different perspective (Sue & Sue, 2016). There is a resilience in being able to accept ones new

identity, if it is new. One must learn to adjust their lifestyle and how they view the world and one

has to learn to slow down and takes situations one at a time. This can be helpful in learning with

clients and utilizing these moments to walk before learning how to run. This can be a good

example of learning how to break down problems and not all situations has to be fought head on

at the beginning. That it is okay to be able to break down each situation and adjust the

perspective that one has on the situation.

Conclusion

There are many difficult challenges and discrimination that those living with a disability

faces through their daily lives. They are resilient and overcome their challenges as seen through

historical events where those who live with a disability have fought for their right to be seen and

protected by the law. Every person is affected differently by their disability however, it is not

something that is defining them, instead people are proud to show their culture and the resiliency

that has come with it. There is still more research and more changes that need to be done to be

able to make the society that caters towards able-bodied individuals more accessible for those

who do live with a disability which includes accessible resources for physical and mental health.
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LIVING WITH A DISABILITY

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