The 5th of May is the European Independent Living Day. This celebration, originated by the French in the early ’90s of the 20th century, is an objection to discrimination against people with disabilities both in everyday life as well as at work or in the office. We talk with Magdalena Bełza-Gajdzica, PhD about the life and access to education of people with disabilities. Her research interests include, among others, functioning in the academic community of people with disabilities, social and educational inclusion of people from disadvantaged groups, as well as the phenomena of infrahumanisation and ableism.
Violetta Kulik: Doctor, in which areas do the manifestations of discrimination against people with disabilities arise most frequently?
Magdalena Bełza-Gajdzica, PhD: To consider the topic of areas, in which the manifestations of discrimination against people with disabilities arise, we should first define the term and specify what sort of discrimination are we talking about. Simply speaking, discrimination is unequal treatment of people or groups. It can be overt or covert, which entails different social actions. The environment in which a person lives can already be discriminatory (covert discrimination – it could also be called indirect). Because for a long time people with disabilities lived in the shadow, often confined to their homes, and since they were not given a chance to speak up and only a few managed to step out of that shadow, the world was constructed mostly by non-disabled people, so that it would be comfortable and convenient for them. No attention was paid to the barriers that were placed in front of people with disabilities. And every little barrier is a manifestation of discrimination which leads to exclusion from some areas of life and hinders the functioning of people with disabilities. The things that are designed are most often designed with non-disabled people in mind: cars, furniture, power outlets, switches, and balcony doors. Those are all manifestations of discrimination. I’m happy that the idea of universal design is more and more often considered the proper one. From the beginning of my educational work with students, I have always been saying that our society should be constructed in such a way that everybody could enjoy their life. If we create something, that will make the life of a person with poorer eyesight, hearing or mobility, we will do something for our own future. Nobody considers themselves (if they are non-disabled, of course) in the categories of disability, and not many people think about old age, which often brings disability.
Coming back to the areas, in which we can see manifestations of discrimination, the most often mentioned area is undoubtedly professional work. The economic activity rate and employment rate of disabled people are nearly four times lower than the rates for the total population. Whereas the unemployment rate among people with disabilities surpasses the unemployment rate for the total population. Discrimination in this area applies not only to access to work but also to treatment at work. Another area where we can spot discrimination is culture. In some places, the special needs of people with disabilities are starting to be noticed. However, places where blind people will find digitalised (featuring alternative text) museum collections or those where a deaf person will watch a performance which will be translated into Polish Sign Language or have live subtitles available are the exceptions. An important area in which people with disabilities face signs of discrimination is the right to love (and sexuality), marriage, and parenthood. We cannot imagine a father or mother with Down syndrome, because why would anyone give birth to another generation of disabled people – it evokes aversion and repulsion. Undoubtedly it needs to be emphasised that the change of the paradigm from medical to social, or even the adoption of bio-psycho-socio-cultural recognition of disability, the emancipation of people with disabilities, and their self-advocacy contribute to several changes. The UN Convention on the rights of people with disabilities, the Act on Sign Language (2011), and the Accessibility Act (2019) indicate that something is being done to counteract the discrimination against people with disabilities. Will it be enough? Certainly not, but it’s something. What is most important is changing people’s mentalities and being attentive to the needs of others.
V.K.: Disabled people are still stereotyped and perceived through the prism of their limitations. Those stereotypes are generally negative. What reactions can we observe most often?
Dr M.B-G.: Yes, that is true, people with disabilities are still perceived through the prism of their limitations. We are still viewing disability through the medical model, in which we mostly focus on deficits and the need of correcting, fixing, and curing them. Unfortunately, it upholds and prolongs the life of a stereotypical way of perceiving a disabled person as somebody weak who needs help, is not a useful member of the society, cannot contribute to society, is evil, mean, does not deserve respect, is weighted down by blame, wretched, always unhappy, miserable. As we can see, they are indeed negative. It needs to be said that society’s development brought positive changes – from the antiquity, which was the time of hostility towards people with disabilities, through a period of fear and pity for disabled people, which was always accompanied by charity (the first centuries of our era), until the present day which is connected with research development, the emancipation of people with disabilities, and social inclusion. Although many positive changes are taking place, the stereotypical view of a disabled person as the “other”, who requires care and support, can still be seen in Polish society. This often furthers specific attitudes, which, according to research, have not got much better since the ‘60s (from after Larkowa’s research). They are still more ambivalent than positive. Of course, making positive declarative statements is easier than making those connected with specific positive actions (e.g. allowing for the construction of a special centre next to our house, agreeing to a disabled boss or a disabled partner for our child). This leads to a situation where we can observe various, not always positive, reactions towards people with disabilities, e.g. underestimating a disabled person, looking at them as an object of curiosity, assigning them roles of lower social category, rejecting, inappropriately caring about the appearance of a disabled person, objecting to their participation in various areas of social life, not agreeing to hire them for senior positions, reluctance to engage in the same projects/activities out of fear that the disabled person cannot be counted on. Stereotypes saying that people with disabilities have nothing but limitations are very harmful. Because of them, the abilities, potential, and talent of disabled people are often overshadowed and in many situations, they have to prove that they have these traits. Stereotypes and myths are the most common cause of discrimination against people with disabilities and they take our attention away from the true image of a person.
V.K.: How do you evaluate the access to education for people with disabilities? What kind of support may they get at our University?
Dr M.B-G.: We live in the age of inclusive education. I think education is an area where the most changes have been made to increase accessibility for people with disabilities. Looking back, we can notice that history did not have mercy for them. For a long time, people with disabilities were only associated with the medical model, which resulted in mainly providing help regarding care, sometimes upbringing. In fact, it was as late as the 19th century when the potential and the educational possibilities of people with disabilities were recognised. Only a few of them were able to pursue private education (it mostly applied to children from rich families that could afford governesses or private tutors). Of course, we need to remember that each case was different, as it depended on the type of disability. In Poland, people with severe intellectual disabilities were the last ones on whom the compulsory education was imposed. In accordance with the education reform of 1999, compulsory education for them was implemented in the form of rehabilitation and education classes. At the moment, by virtue of Art. 70 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, every child has the right to education. In Poland, education of children with disabilities may be implemented in three forms: segregationist (special schools), integrative (integrated schools or schools with integrated departments), non-segregationist (public schools), as well as in the form of individual classes. Public schools, in accordance with the principles of the inclusive education model, will become more adjusted to the needs of students with disabilities but also with different needs (such as national, religious, gender differences etc.). The Ministry of National Education promotes the model of high-quality education for all students, and despite the fact that most public schools in Poland are not ready for this due to different reasons, it is a step forward against discrimination.
Higher education is a completely different story. I always say that it is inclusive. Just the admission process takes into account the principles of equal treatment and prevention of discrimination. We see data in the system and evaluate the results, and not whether or not someone is a person with a disability. Of course, if someone tells us that they are a person with a disability, then they can count on our support in adjusting the admission process – I would like to point out that there are no additional places by virtue of being disabled. When someone becomes a part of the student community, they may receive support in the following ways:
- a special scholarship (granted to every student who has a certificate of disability based on the submitted application),
- Individual Adaptation of Studies (IAS) granted after consultation with the team consisting of the facility Support Coordinator, psychologist and a representative of the Student Service Centre,
- free for students regular meetings with a psychologist employed at the University to improve the quality of functioning in the process of studying,
- free psychiatric consultations,
- an assistant for people with disabilities,
- adjusted buildings and parking places for people with disabilities,
- special equipment (the Student Service Centre upon student’s request may lend: notebooks, voice recorders, FM systems, electric magnifying glasses, audiobook sets, specialist keyboards).
Every person with specific educational needs is treated individually, but the University also tries to introduce changes systemically in order to prevent any form of discrimination even further. Project DUO, which covers possibly every sphere of life of people from the academic community, has a goal of contributing to making our University even more accessible, universal and open.
V.K.: Have students ever referred to general principles of equal treatment?
Dr M.B-G.: In my experience in being a coordinator – never directly. A student with a disability wants to simply be a student, just like every other member of the academic community. They want to have a chance to acquire knowledge, skills, and competencies essential in a given profession. They do not differ from us, apart from the fact that – speaking colloquially – they sometimes have to go through a rough patch. However, there are also situations where a person with a disability does not ask for help. Not everyone needs it and if they are able to handle their problems on their own, they have the right to do so, just like any other student. Sometimes, in the corridors I see people with visible disabilities whom I do not know – which means they do not ask for additional support. That’s equal treatment. I sometimes have situations where lecturers want me to help someone, because they see a person with a disability. But equal treatment means treating everyone equally. Do I approach non-disabled students to offer them support?
V.K.: Thank you very much for the interview.
Dr M.B-G.: Thank you very much. I wish to add a few last words for the readers. I apologise to people with disabilities for every display of discrimination by non-disabled people. If I ever did that, it surely was unintentional. Non-disabled person, remember that at any time you may become a part of the group that you discriminate against. Let’s look after each other!
More information about the subject:
- Byra S., Chodakowska M., Kazanowski Z., 2010, Stereotypy Niepełnosprawności. Między wykluczeniem a integracją. [Stereotypes of Disability. Between Exclusion and Integration.] UMCS, Lublin.
- Kaznowski Z., 2011, Przemiany pokoleniowe postaw wobec osób upośledzonych umysłowo. [Generational Changes of Attitudes towards People with Intellectual Disabilities] UMCS, Lublin.
- Kofta M., 2004, Stereotypy I uprzedzenia a stosunki międzygrupowe. Stare i nowe idee. [Stereotypes and Prejudices Versus Intergroup Relations. New and Old Ideas], [in:] M. Kofta (red.), Myślenie stereotypowe i uprzedzenia. Mechanizmy poznawcze i afektywne. [Stereotypical Thinking and Prejudices. Cognitive and Affective Mechanisms.] The Institute of Psychology the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw.
- Leyens J.P., Demoulin S., Vaes J., Gaunt R., Paladino M.P., 2007, Infra-humanization: The Wall of Group Differences, “Social Issues and Policy Review”, 1.
- https://publicystyka.ngo.pl/postawy-spoleczenstwa-wobec-osob-z-niepelnosprawnosciami-w-ujeciu-historycznym-i-wspolczesnym
Magdalena Bełza-Gajdzica, PhD