Sylvi Frogness Ableism is “discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities”(Merriam-Webster Dictionary). Regardless of what anyone thinks, ableism exists in this country. The treatment of disabled people should improve in education, the workforce, and in jail. First, getting an education should be easier for disabled people. Additionally, the workforce has to be unrestricted to all people. Further, incarceration rates need to go down for disabled people. An equal opportunity to an education is essential for disabled people. To start, the lack of special education teachers has negative effects on disabled students. A physical disabilities teacher taught Karen, a deaf girl. The teacher had no qualifications to teach Karen.…show more content… In fact, many prisoners are disabled. Fifty percent of prisoners are disabled. This should be represented in the United States. Clearly, that is not the case, even in juvenile justice facilities. Seventy percent of the children in these facilities are mentally disabled. To note, incarceration usually leads to worsening of symptoms for mentally disabled people. As reported by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, it would cost less to put non-violent mentally disabled inmates in treatment. Thomas Grigsby is an inmate with post traumatic stress disorder and a wheelchair. Walking for Thomas would be a problem without his wheelchair, so he refused to give it up when he was told to. This resulted in him being isolated from the rest of the world. The end result was Thomas's post traumatic stress disorder worsening. Finally, the many of the disabled are addicts and end up in correctional facilities. 10.2 million adults have both an addiction and a disability. Of these ten million people, Misti is just one. She first got into drugs because they helped with her scoliosis. A few years later, she ended up living in a tent when she wasn't in jail. Misti also racked up many charges of prostitution and possession of drugs. The treatment of incarcerated disabled people is unacceptable. Conditions in education, the workforce, and jail need to improve for disabled people. First, disabled peoples' inaccessibility to an education needs to be stopped. Second, disabled people should be able to make a living with less obstacles. Third, jailed and jail-bound disabled people should be treated with more respect. To stop ableism, one simply needs to recognize the person and the
