Module One Blog Post

 My rendition of a person with a disability shows a person siting in a wheelchair because they have a physical disability that requires the use of one. My drawing of an elderly person features a person that walks with a cane in case their balance is off or they are unsteady and they have glasses to show that their eyesight has declines. I drew both individuals with a smile on their face. 

After watching the videos and reading the course material in this module, my biggest takeaway is the importance of a person-first centered approach when discussing access, providing service, and meeting individualized needs. The way the Guidelines For Writing about People with Disabilities frame this language establishes a connection with the person, then the disability they have to make it clear that a person is a person, not defined by their disability, especially when their disability if visually evident. Judging someone's capabilities off of what you see visually is one of the best ways to deny accessibility and provide poor service. The TED talk Embrace the Shake also places an emphasis on looking at disabilities as an opportunity to look at life in a more creative way through overcoming limitations. To Understand Autism, Don't Look Away also urges the viewer to not be so limited in terms of how we communicate with one another. There does not have to be a linear, standard way to communicate, especially in a world inundated by keyboards with emojis. We don't always have to expect or use speech to understand each other. 

This is similar to what we learned in the Gerotechnology chapter and subsequent videos in the way that someone might view an individual visually at an advanced age as being mentally or physically incapable of certain tasks. Technology has become a social way of life where people are so connected via different methods of technology and an elderly individual might consider themselves left out of tech capabilities because of the social stereotype that they are excluded from it. If the media consistently portrays younger people using technology to stay connected, the message to an older group of people is that they do not belong in the space that uses technology so frequently to stay connected. Media teaches us that the elderly are a frail and vulnerable group of people, though the The Many Faces of Aging in America directly juxtaposes this idea by showing that older individuals view aging as the opportunity to have more time to do activities or working even longer in life. 

I redid my drawings. In my new drawing, the person with a disability is a smiling stick figure. The elderly person is also a smiling stick figure.