Stahn 1

Daniel Stahn
Mrs. Crabtree
Senior Project
25 September 2014
Providing Assistance to the Handicapped
Every year 125,000 children are born with an intellectual disability, which is 25 times
more common in birth than blindness. Another little-known fact is that about ten percent of
Americans have an immediate family member with an intellectual disability (Radford). Little to
nothing is being done to help or assist these disabled and disadvantaged handicapped people in
any way, especially children. As a society, it is important to show these disadvantaged members
of the public that they are meaningful to us and that they matter. These people are not problems
to be fixed, but people, who just like anyone, seek the best in life for themselves. Mentally and
physically handicapped children and adolescents need assistance from every possible place, and
a few of the ways we can provide this support are helping intellectually in the classroom,
creating and maintaining the best work environment, and helping them withstand the physical
and emotional buffetings of the real world.
Since nearly 83% of a modern humans first 17 years are spent in school, their school
time is crucial to their development, especially when the student in question has a disability of
some kind. School changes children and forces them to either adapt and morph to the standards
of their peers, or attempt to withstand the teasing and bullying thrown at them. This can place
extreme mental stress onto the child, and if he or she is handicapped and unable to defend
himself or herself from the constant buffetings of the other children, life can be miserable. A way
to improve the condition of school life for those handicapped children is providing assistance to
them in school with their motor skill learning. A Nobel Prize winner named Dominique
Deviterne conducted a study that was aimed to assess the efficiency of a motor skill learning
method intended to promote learning course personalization through an increase in cognitive

Stahn 2
processing deployment in motor-handicapped persons. The results of his study show the
importance of giving handicapped children an opportunity for a better academic life by
organizing the school curriculum toward the handicapped students. Ditervine states, This study
displayed that, when placed in standard learning conditions, motor-handicapped teenagers
displayed lower performances in motor skill learning than able-bodied teenagers. Not only do
disabled children function better in the school environment when sensory learning is involved,
but the motor ability and learning conditions had significant effects on [the disabled
students] performance. When it comes to learning, the infirm receive the metaphorical short
end of the stick, so the responsibility falls to others to assist and help them; what better place to
accomplish that task than in school, and who better to accomplish it than their teachers and
classmates?
Not only does something need to be done to help the students in school, but also, some
focus needs to go to the teachers and their teaching methods. A learning-devoted woman by the
name of Celia Canning conducted a study that states:
It was decided that if [this group] were to engage in meaningful science
experiences, every teacher in the room would have to become a science teacher.
One lesson per week was allocated to cooperative planning. The science content
to be covered was discussed along with appropriate classroom management for
the tasks. The previous week's lessons would be evaluated and modifications
made to content, processes and classroom management as appropriate.
The studys results indicated that a change in the teaching method was very beneficial to the
disabled students. After the product was reviewed, Canning said that all students, whether
handicapped or not, achieved sound achievement in laboratory skills. The investigation also
concluded that the self-esteem of the [handicapped] children gradually increased along with
their ability to cooperate and work in groups. This course provided valuable information to the

Stahn 3
general public, and not only made learning safer and more enjoyable to the disadvantaged
students, but accomplished the same for the perfectly able children. The changing of the teaching
method significantly improved the education setting for this special group, showing the fact that
a change needs to be made in order to assist these youths so as to provide a better future for
them, and in turn, for the greater community.
Another issue that is essential for modern-day juveniles to be informed of about and be
comfortable with is that of sexuality. The world is nearly overflowing with business such as gay
marriages, homosexuality, and the general atmosphere of comfort that surrounds sexuality these
days with the aforementioned teens. Ages ago, many social barriers barred the way for
physically handicapped teenagers to have a vivid sexual life, says Anja Seidel, a renowned
author and narrator of various childrens books. As she conducted this observation on education,
she gave the adolescents papers dealing with sexual education and with sexuality of young
people with [extensive] physical limitations. Seidel discovered results that led her to believe
that, on average, the majority of the students who were studied were, though socially awkward,
more comfortable with themselves and with each other than they were previous to the study. The
disabled children of these days need self-confidence, and the morale to feel good about
themselves. They face the difficulties of their severe and sometimes deadly disabilities, and they
are more likely to be victims of trauma and endure life being mentally scarred. Obviously a
quality education is needed to provide them a decent chance of having a good lifestyle in the
future in the community, in the home, and in the workplace.
The workplace is nearly as important as school in the life of a mentally or physically
disabled person because it has almost the same potential to shape a persons life. While this is
largely the case, a disabled person can have just as big of an effect on a normal persons life as
the normal person can have on them. An excerpt from How Three Special Teenagers with

Stahn 4
Disabilities became CITs, written by Jennifer Graham, a Boston Globe reporter, states just that
that is, how these three disadvantaged teenagers became Counselors in Training (CIT) at Sesame
Day Camp. A head counselor at the day camp, Lauren Leiter, said this about one of the special
three: Christi has been absolutely wonderful. She has been enthusiastic and always knows
whats going on. The kids love her and she was right there the first day. I was really very
impressed with the way she could read what the kids wanted before they even said anything.
Another handicapped Counselor in Training by the name of Dan Lafferty was observed
encouraging and uplifting to one of his six year-old campers saying this, Relax! I know you can
do it! You can float, just relax! Dan, even though he mentally handicapped, frequently gave
advice and reassurance from his caring and compassionate heart. The competence of these
Counselors in Training was even recognized and they were bestowed the Eleanor P. Eells award
in honor of their achievements. Robert Stahn, Licensed Clinical Professional (mental health)
Counselor, said this when referring to a young student at Hillcrest High School: I think youll
find that Downs Syndrome kids are some of the happiest and most cheerful people. I love them.
Stahn expressed what many people who know these type of persons are thinking; wherever they
are they contribute genuinely, they are lovable, and they bring excitement and delight to those
around them.
A common misconception of employers when hiring handicapped persons is that
handicapped people cannot be skilled like others are, and frankly, employers are worried that the
disabled people will mess up. Eugene Chetson, EdM (Masters in Education), recently
reported,
On Christmas Eve, I was assisted in the photo department of a big-chain drug
store by a middle-aged man who was hearing impaired. He attentively read my
lips while I made my request, then asked me to write down my name. He

Stahn 5
cheerfully and adeptly delivered my package to me. When I asked him how he felt
about working on Christmas Eve and being away from his family, he said that he
was happy to do his part to help the community. I was extremely impressed with
his delightful service and willing sacrifice. I cannot recall a more pleasant
experience with a big-chain employee at any time of year.
Regarding this subject, Russ Willcutt, an author for Venture Travel Magazine, depicts that
manufacturers should rid themselves of the misconceptions many hold about hiring disabled
individuals. Cheryl Roe, MNPL (Masters in NonProfit Leadership), reinforces this statement
by reporting, Too many employers assign difficulties that simply dont exist to the prospect of
hiring people with disabilities, one of these supposed difficulties is that because of certain rules
and regulations, they cannot terminate the employment of an individual who has a disability
(Willcutt). Well, they are wrong; these are fallacies. Not only can these handicapped people be
excellent workers, but a disabled person can be one of the happiest and most excellent people on
the job, bringing joy and love into the place where he or she works. In fact, according to the
Louis Harry study conducted in 2008, 88% of people working with a disabled colleague say that
this experience is enriching, likely to modify their opinion of disabled people and to give a new
sense of value to their job. As this study indicates, many people who work with handicapped
persons report they are better off, whether it be from the job experience or whether it be from the
individual handicapped person involved.
Not only does the treatment of disabled people need to be assessed in the workplace, but
daily living issues (meaning the tangible world after high school, college, and their work) need to
be addressed as well. After all that can be done has been done about education and employment,
support in all life aspects must be provided in the real and physical world. Elizabeth M. Kelly, a
reputed actress, oversaw a research project that was based on the real-life skills of disabled

Stahn 6
children from the Branch Brook School for Crippled Children in New Jersey. Her test gave
excellent information assessing the students gross physical skills, including crossing streets,
using busses, self-help and personal care as well as their general physical security going about
the school, home, and neighborhood. One of the major benefits of this event was that it assisted
in the planning of the childs orthopedic-physical education future program so as to better
prepare for functioning in normal groups (Kelly). Kelly does not need to clarify any further
however, as the message is obvious: handicapped people, especially children, need help to
survive in the harsh world that they live in, and as soon as they are out of the school
environment, they are vulnerable to the unforgiving buffetings of society. Previously, before
humans had sophisticated society, physically or mentally handicapped children were thought to
be a curse or a disease to the family, and they would be either killed or left to die. Such would be
happening now if it were not for the kind and caring community they were received into, and
although society has accepted them, people still act cautious or unfriendly to these people
because they are well different. Now, when they are grown from a small baby to a bigger or
even full-grown citizen, they might need even more help to survive. As mentioned before, the
physical buffetings are not as terrible as they were in days of yore, but the mental torment has
only increased in todays refined world, which is really just switching the battleground from a
physical to a mental standpoint. Many of these people, because they cannot care adequately for
themselves, need to be helped from when they are raised in the home until the day they die.
Low-mobility and low-cognitive-functioning individuals commonly have complications
involving transportation from one place to another. An article from Sarawut Jansuwan, a Ph.D.
student at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Utah State University,
presents an issue to the public: How can the physically and mentally handicapped adequately
transport themselves. He states in this article, individuals with disabilities are generally

Stahn 7
considered low-mobility individuals, having less access to transportation options and often
marginalized in the social environment of the community. His study assessed the transportation
needs of low-mobility individuals with a mixed survey method using an in-person interview as
well as other approaches, and yielded fine results. Jansuwan says the results showed Individuals
with disabilities were still active, which is fantastic, but the number of non-work trips made by
[these individuals] was significantly low. The study suggests that limited mobility individuals
are vulnerable to community participation disparities as a result of transportation disadvantages
(Jansuwan). It is important to understand the role of transportation in the exclusion of
individuals with disabilities to best support the full participation of individuals with disabilities
in all aspects of society. As Jansuwan describes, attention in the transportation field, while it is
improving, still does not compensate for the other aspects of life that are yet needed to be
addressed. Nonetheless, giving a full effort to help these disadvantaged people will undoubtedly
change their lives for the better. Working on this facet of the problem helps somewhat, although
unweaving only one thread of the societal blanket that is smothering these people will not make a
substantial enough difference so they can breathe like the rest of society does.
Another consequential thread that can be removed is the public attitude of suspicion,
ignorance, and, occasionally, malice toward the various members of the handicapped community.
They can thrive just as well, if not better, than the general population if the uninformed
oppression through which they are suffering is removed. A Canadian economist named Jeff
Rubin studied a couple of special teenagers, Jessica and Callie, who are suffering from physical
disabilities, to see what life is like for them. Jessica and Callie say that adults and teens alike
sometimes make assumptions about how frail they are. Jessica lucidly remembers one of her
grade-school teachers treating her like a baby bird. She said, He wouldnt even let other
students touch me, which can undoubtedly be very frustrating to a girl who just wants to play

Stahn 8
and be played with. People stare, she says, and recently, when she was at a local mall with
two disabled friends, a group of strangers whispered and pointed at us. Jessica was surely
annoyed, and she expressed this by saying, They moved away from us, and I was like, were
not going to hurt you. I wish it would just be, OK, theres someone in a wheelchair, no different
from me. This behavior towards these people can be changed, and it can make a difference.
Like Jessica and Callie said, they just want to be treated as normal, not some thing that
differs from the norm, and is therefore shunned. Their biggest wish is merely to be accepted and
welcomed just as any other teenager wants, to be loved and received by their peers as exactly
that one of their peers, not an incomplete, unwelcome outcast.
Nearly every family in the world generally has one disadvantaged member. Thats nearly
15 percent of the earths population, which is one billion people. A million of a million people
are disabled or handicapped in some way. That could be anyone. Approximately one out of every
seven people in the world has a disability. They need help. They need love. They need to be
treated like real people. And yet, the fact stands that they cannot give it to themselves; however,
by providing the necessary materials and services for their comfort and mental, physical, and
emotional security, assistance can be given to them and their quality of life improved greatly.

Stahn 9

Works Cited
Canning, Celia et al. A Model for Teaching Science to Students with Special Needs. Nov.
1997: N.pag. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.
Chetson, Eugene. Personal interview. 12 Jan. 2015
Deviterne, Dominique et al. Cognitive Processing and Motor Skill Learning in MotorHandicapped Teenagers: Effects of Learning Method. Dec. 2007: N.pag. EBSCOhost.
Web. 7 Oct. 2014.
Graham, Jennifer M. How Three Special Teenagers with Disabilities Became CITs. Jul./Aug.
1996: N.pag. EBSCOhost. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

Harry, Louis. 10 Good Reasons to Employ a Disabled Worker in the Hospitality Industry.
Google. AB Multimedia Ltd, 19 Feb. 2008. Web. 13 Jan. 2015

Jansuwan, Sarawut et al. Assessing the Transportation Needs of Low-Mobility Individuals:

Case Study of a Small Urban Community in Utah. EBSCOhost. N.p., Jun. 2013. Web.
13 Oct. 2014.
Kelly, Elizabeth M. et al. Essential Classroom Activity Skills for Orthopedically Handicapped
Children. Feb. 1953: N.pag. .EBSCOhost. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Radford, Katie. 11 Facts About Mental Disability. DoSomething. AARP, n.d. Web. 14 Nov.
2014.
Rubin, Jeff. Disabled and Thriving. Apr. 1999: n. pag. EBSCOhost. Web. 7 Oct. 2014.

Stahn 10
Seidel, Anja et al. Sexual Knowledge Among Adolescents with Physical Handicaps: A
Systematic Review. Sept. 2014: n.pag. EBSCOhost. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.
Stahn, Robert. Personal interview. 12 Jan. 2015
Willcutt, Russ. Ready, Willing, and Able to Work. Student Research Center. Oct. 2014: N.pag.
EBSCOhost. Web. 13 Oct. 2014.