What resources can a person turn to if they feel their needs are not being met essay examples

Resources for the Disabled

People with disabilities have for a long time experienced a lot of problems such as discrimination. However, efforts have been made to change this and so policies and acts have been enacted to remove the barriers imposed on the disabled. A good example is the American act of 1990. This act has helped reduce social barriers, but this has proven not enough.
Parents of disabled children need to learn all they can about the disability of their child (Reiffs, 2007, p. 64). They need to know the causes of the disability, treatment, how to deal with the disability, and how to make the person with the disability feel comfortable. With the knowledge, they can be in a better position to advocate and speak out when things are not being done right, and they will also know who to talk to and when.
With the knowledge, the parents or guardians, or even the disabled person can be able to make plans with the school in which their child is in and make arrangements for an Individualized Education Plan (Goodney, 2001, p. 58). This is because they know well exactly what the disabled person needs. To achieve this, one needs to have good communication and negotiation skills.
Being a self-advocate can be a challenge, and one needs to be strong willed so that their efforts may bear fruit. One needs to be very patient and at the same time, very persistent. They should also be bold enough to communicate with the IEP team and tell them exactly what they need for the needs of the disabled child to be met. This means that a self- advocate should first put together all they want to achieve, so that they can push towards achieving it.
In the chance that their needs are not met as they would wish, the parents have the freedom to consult resource centers that provide Individualized Family Services Plan, the Individualized Education Plan, and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These associations also make it easier for the disabled to have access to Assistive Technology, to enable the disabled people to lead normal lives.
Besides resource centers, programs have been implemented to help meet the needs of the disabled. An example is the Supplementary Security Income and the Social Security Disability Insurance. These two help with the finances and even find employment for people living with disabilities. However, they have a number of qualifications that a disabled person should meet before they can start benefit from what they offer.
In conclusion, everybody should feel responsible for making the lives of the disabled easier. After all, a disability does not mean inability.

References

Reiff B. Henry. (2007) Self-Advocacy Skills for Students With Learning Disabilities: Making It

Happen in College and Beyond. London: Open University Press.
Goodley. (2001). Self-Advocacy in Lives of people with Learning Difficulties: The Politics of

Resilience. London: Open University Press.