[Ohio-talk] Disabilities and their portrayal

[Aleeha Dudley]

Hi everyone, 
 I am currently tkking a social justice class this semester and we are starting to discuss some very interesting issues, especially in the readings. It's interesting to see society's views on topics like this, but it is also important to continue to keep challenging the public's beliefs about these matters because some day, blind children will face these unacceptable barriers. 

Sent from my iPad

> On Jan 30, 2014, at 1:33 PM, "Paul Dressell" <pmdbmd at fuse.net> wrote:
> 
> Kaiti Shelton attends the University of Dayton and is active in our Students' Division. Paul
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kaiti Shelton" <kaiti.shelton at gmail.com>
> To: "NFB of Ohio Announcement and Discussion List" <ohio-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Thursday, January 30, 2014 11:21 AM
> Subject: [Ohio-talk] Disabilities and their portrayal
> 
> 
>> Hi all,
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> I made quite a stir in my medical ethics class this morning.  We were asked
>> to consider an example from our book, which concerned a 10 year old boy who
>> was according to the book having all these horrible issues as a result of
>> CP.  Some of the things the book claimed about this boy were not
>> characteristics of CP at all, and it even claimed that CP was genetic itself
>> rather than caused by complications.  The question was, "Is it moral to kill
>> Johnny via lethal injection to end his pain and the suffering of his
>> parents?"  I wasn't going to say anything at first, but then I started
>> questioning things.  Is it moral to kill someone if you think they're in
>> pain, but they don't have the autonomy to tell you whether they are or not?
>> Is it moral to kill a child when his parents are making the request?  Is it
>> moral to make this decision without full and accurate knowledge of what the
>> condition really is?
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> And you know what happened?  When I contradicted the book the professor was
>> first flustered, then when I started answering questions with the knowledge
>> I had he told me I was ahead of the curve, and proceeded with his lecture,
>> using the false information and pretenses the book provided.  I was shocked.
>> This is a class of pre-med majors (and me who is the only non-medical
>> specific person in the class), and it boggled me that this sort of stuff
>> would be fed to the next generation of doctors, dietitions, exercise
>> scientists, etc.  I know this is just an undergraduate class, but shouldn't
>> doctors always take a patient-centered approach, or a human-centered
>> approach for that matter?  And I'm reminded of "The Right to Live in the
>> World," and how what that speech says applies to this situation.  The
>> misinformation in my bioethics textbook only substantiates the claim that
>> people with disabilities lead miserable or terribly painful lives, and that
>> misninformation in the minds and hands of future doctors is a scary thing to
>> me.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Anyway, just thought I'd continue discussion on this topic with others who
>> will get it.  I'm sorry if I ranted a little; I got a little passionate on
>> this issue.
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> Kaiti Shelton
>> 
>> University of Dayton---2016
>> 
>> Music Therapy Major, Psychology Minor, Clarinet
>> 
>> Ohio Association of Blind Students, President
>> 
>> NFB Community Service Group, Service Project Committee Chair
>> 
>> Sigma Alpha Iota-Delta Sigma
>> 
>> 
>> 
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> 
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