A Society Should be Judged on How it Treats its Weakest Members
People with disabilities have many disadvantages to contend with the rest of us couldn’t even imagine. Society, in general, has been making efforts to make things more equal and easier. Accommodations are made in school, the workplace and just about everywhere you go. But this is just the beginning.
In healthcare people with disabilities are not always treated correctly. Studies show that doctors lack the training necessary to render proper care and assistance. In school doctors and never required to take classes or seminars in dealing with disability issues.
The Americans with Disabilities Act makes it illegal to discriminate based on many facets of life. The informed consent process requires that an individual be given the opportunity to ask questions and get answers. As you may imagine, here in lies some discrepancies and overlap.
But The Americans with Disabilities Act does not explicitly spell out mandates with respect to healthcare. Sometimes physicians assume that someone with a disability doesn’t need a proper explanation of the risks hazards and benefits of a particular course of action because they don’t have the ability to understand what is being said.
These attitudes may impair a doctor’s ability to properly diagnose and treat an illness because of misconceptions about disability. There needs to be a continuing effort made in educating medical professionals to effectively communicate and understand the unique needs and abilities of patients with disabilities.
Society has made leaps and bounds regarding acceptance and acclimation to the mentally challenged. Once dealt with crassly as burdens of the state- expelled to subpar facilities we wouldn’t board our pets in today- there are now many more protections in place to protect the mentally disabled. There are still aspects of society wherein the mentally challenged could use a little more help. Consult a local attorney today about your case.