Senquetta
Brittingham
Writing
workshop
Prof. George
March 13,
2014 Let’s Provide More Resources for the Disabled
Today, 54 million people in the United States are
living with a disability. That’s one in every five people. According to the
most recent census data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,
around 52 million of them reside in urban communities. These disabilities may include mobility sensory,
physical, and mental, self-care, difficulty going out, and employment
disability. A family member with a disability could leave a huge financial
burden his or her family. The majority of the disabled are in need of resources
and services to help out with finances. Visionary Voices is a website that
offers a program that offers support to people with disabilities. Although the
website is helpful, it doesn't offer any direction as to where a person might
be able to access those sources. My proposition is that the website should have
a benefits tab, which would help the disabled person or their family locate the
resources that they need.
Supplies are something that are very crucial for
people with disabilities. They may need adaptive equipment, such as wheel
chairs, hoya lifts and cairns. This additional equipment can be very expensive
for families. My great grandmother suffers from numerous disabilities such as
cancer, diabetes, and high blood pressure. She has struggled for many years
dealing with these illnesses. Some of these illnesses have resulted in
amputation of both legs and the removal of her right breast. She has to take a
daily dosage of medication in order to ensure that her body is healthy and
operates normally. She has to take medication for each one of her illnesses.
Witnessing her battle through each of these illnesses has motivated me
immensely. My grandmother’s illnesses has taught me to never give up. She needs
expensive tools, such as a wheel chair, a bed that is more accessible to her,
and a wheel chair lift. This wheel chair lift helps her to get on the ground.
All of her supplies are very expensive. If she wasn’t able to afford some of
these things, she would need another resource. There are many other people who
go out without these necessary tools, due to financial disadvantages.
Visionary Voices is an organization founded by
Temple University. This website advocates equal rights and education for people
with disabilities. It ensures safety for people with disabilities. This
organization plans to bring awareness to audiences about people who suffer from
illnesses. Like me, many people don’t know much about people with disabilities.
I knew that they may have difficulty navigating around or learning, depending
on the disability that one may have. Personally, I didn’t know how expensive
these things may be. After research, I discovered how costly things can get,
which then increased my curiosity on ways that other people can be of help
financially. That’s why I feel that a benefits tab can be the most effective
way that people may get involved. This website should include a benefits tab
because it could pose resources for people with disabilities to financially pay
for medication or equipment that they may need. A benefits tab can provide an
outlet for people to contribute toward providing a better life for people who
suffer from illnesses.
In researching technology, I learned that it makes
things easier and more convenient to access information. Through technology
people could also connect with the disabled. The use of technology is
especially good for individuals with disabilities because they may not be able
to get to a library. With modern day technology, people have constant contact
with the internet. On the Visionary Voices website, I felt that they should
include more videos or interviews of some of the children with disabilities. I
also felt that there needed to be more resources. I know with financial
adversities, people with disabilities aren’t always supplied with the things
that they need. A benefits tab will be most useful for the Visionary Voices
website. Once people realize the financial struggles have they will want to
help. As I reflect back to my prior knowledge about people with disabilities, I
know my interpretations were invalid. With technology today, it’s much easier
to research a topic through the internet. So, people with disabilities have a
lot of easier access to technology; so I believe many will be educated about the
benefits tab.
The benefits tab could be a place where
viewers could help by giving money to the program. Through this tab families
could find funding more easily. Possibly getting some government assistance
would help bring in more revenue. This could be life changing for a person who
suffers from an illness. Often times, people tend to not always have support.
People may come from families where they simply don’t have the resources that
one would need in order to handle all of the extensive expenses. This benefits
tab could change lives. I think that this is a bigger way to alleviated that
their financial troubles regarding their needs for supplies will be ensured. I
strongly feel that could be a much larger impactful thing Visionary Voices
should include on their website.
People
tend to not understand how expensive things can be in order to supply equipment
for people with disabilities. Making this tab on the visionary voices website
will bring more awareness to the cause; which could ultimately earn more money
for people. As a result families will feel supported by this cause. When my
grandmother first got diagnosed with diabetes my family made a conscious effort
to help out more. Help could be as simple as a visit that is more frequent. Usually
people who suffer from illness enjoy spending time with others. It is also
useful for them to have some sort of companionship. My grandmother has a care
giver as well as a campaign. . This is a clear exemplification of why people
with disabilities need extra care opposed to someone who doesn’t have a
disability. This also adds to the expenses that a person with disabilities
needs.
When
I visited the Visionary Voices website, the first thing that I noticed was that
they didn’t have a link that supported any financial needs of those who have a
disability. This issue seems too often go unnoticed or isn’t primarily focused
on in the public. If the public chooses not to speak on this issue, a lot of
needs will go unmet. The Visionary Voices website needs a benefits tab to help
reduce the number of those who aren’t able to financially buy the equipment
that people who suffer from disabilities have. When one goes on the Visionary Voices
website they should see the benefits tab first right before the tab labeled “interviews.”
When they click on the benefits tab, they should see another tab that will say “Public
Assistance.” After clicking on this tab, they will begin to fill out a form in
which they will be asked about their condition. They, then will be prompted
with a question that should ask them about what equipment they need. After
answering this question, they should need to fax a letter signed or written by
a doctor that confirms their disability. After completing all of the necessary documentation
they will then be awarded money that will supply their equipment
In conclusion Visionary Voices should include a
benefits tab to help people with disabilities to pay for their supplies. People
who generally don’t experience a disability or know someone who suffers from
one tend to not understand the extent in which expenses can range from. That’s
why I think Visionary Voices should have a benefits tab.
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