To Empower or Protect?
While the issues of organizational liability are very real in the international exchange world, program providers may erroneously assume that when a person has a disability, it automatically equals greater liability or risk for the organization. As a result, some programs set limits or rules for the person with a disability that do not apply to other participants. These decisions are often based on the following:
- Lack of communication between program staff and the participant about safety concerns
- Misunderstandings about the nature of the person's disability
- Assumptions of ability based on stereotypes
- Fear of lawsuits
The above fears, assumptions and misunderstandings can lead to unwarranted limits on the level to which the person with a disability is included in the program. These limits may serve to separate the participant with a disability from the group causing unnecessary isolation. Yet, people with disabilities regularly travel independently, go out after dark, participate in sports, learn to negotiate inaccessible places and similar activities everyday around the world. If people with disabilities are unfairly excluded from activities or discriminated against as compared to their peers on the program, the participant may miss out on the experience of a lifetime never to be had again.
Many programs pride themselves on empowering their participants to experience the world, make connections, and, as Ghandi said "Be the change [they] wish to see in the world."
Did you know?
What does empower mean?
Main Entry: em·pow·er
Pronunciation: im-'pau(-&)r
Function: transitive verb
1 : to give official authority or legal power to
2 : ENABLE 1a
3 : to promote the self-actualization or influence of <women's movement has been inspiring and empowering women -- Ron Hansen>
- em·pow·er·ment /-m&nt/ noun
Activity
The following activity shares real situations participants faced while on program where the participant missed out on vital aspects of the program due to perceptions of danger and liability. What are some ways the situations could have been avoided or handled differently?
A participant who has cerebral palsy, shares a missed opportunity during her two-week trip with her Spanish class to Mexico. When the group went to visit the pyramids, "They were afraid if I went up [the pyramids] I wouldn't be able to come back down," remembers the girl. "I sat with our tour guide and basically got a suntan while everyone else walked up the pyramids, so that was upsetting." She feels that she missed out on a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. "Looking back, I wish I would have been more forceful about it, but there really wasn't anymore I could have done because their mind was made up already..."
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How could this situation have been handled differently?
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Are there any excursions in your programs that might need creative solutions for a participant with a disability to take part in?
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Write down some typical program excursions, possible challenges they represent for participants with disabilities from a cross disability perspective.
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After identifying the excursions where there might be disability related concerns, what are some possible solutions for each concern?
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If an alternate field trip is discussed, will it be offered to other participants so that the person with a disability is not singled out and separated the from the group?
Activity:
The following activity shares real situations participants faced while on program where the participant missed out on vital aspects of the program due to perceptions of danger and liability. What are some ways the situations could have been avoided or handled differently?
Aaron is Deaf and had waited all his life to see the inside of the St. Peter Basilica in the Vatican City, Italy. As an art history fanatic, he knew the Basilica held the original of Pieta by Michelangelo. On the day that his high school group visited the church, all the students pulled pants and skirts out of their backpacks to put on so that they would be allowed admittance, a cultural requirement to show respect. "I stood there unbeknownst and saw other students bringing their own proper clothes, whereas I was with nothing," says Aaron. Receiving the same amount of information as others proved to be the biggest challenge for Aaron. The exchange program did not provide him a sign language interpreter, and he mostly relied on other students to write down what was said. When his program leader forgot to tell him this small but important piece of information, "it was the last straw" for Aaron. "I was so upset that I had to escape, and got behind one of those massive columns molded by Bernini and started to cry. My group leader had to chase me, comfort me and apologize for what had happened," recalls Aaron. "Still to this day, I have never seen [Pieta] and it still brews in my head."
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How could this situation have been handled differently?
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What are some methods of communication that staff could have employed to make sure all students had the information necessary?
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Have you or any of your staff experienced situations like these with past participants with disabilities? A. What was the situation? B. How was it handled? C. If faced with the same information today would your organization have handled it differently? How so?