Laws Regarding Equality for Students with Developmental Disabilities

Numerous laws have been put in place to ensure that people with disabilities are protected and assisted in accessing basic services. The topic of disability and equality laws is important to everybody in our societies since it provides guidelines on how people with disabilities should be treated to avoid discrimination. Disability can occur in many forms including physical disabilities, mental disabilities, and developmental disabilities. Developmental disabilities are health conditions caused by physical or mental impairments causing difficulties in various aspects of life. Some of the areas affected include speech, mobility, and learning. The issue of disability and laws present regarding equality for students with developmental disabilities prompts various areas of research. In my interest, a number of research questions arise, they include; What are the challenges faced by students with developmental disabilities? What laws have been put in place to ensure students with disabilities are treated equally? Are laws regarding equality for students with disabilities successful in promoting fairness? The reason for these research questions is to understand the laws, their application, how, and whether they have helped to promote equality for students living with disabilities.

In addition, they will give a better understanding of the difficulties experienced by students with developmental disorders. Despite the implementation of various laws, students with developmental disabilities still face unequal treatment in various learning institutions and there is need to sensitize the public on the issue. Students with developmental disabilities face several challenges. The curriculum also lacks full inclusivity of different levels of students’ abilities. Most qualification courses, for instance, cannot be completed by students with disabilities. Technological aids and equipment designed for students with developmental disabilities are as well insufficient or require large amounts of capital to purchase. Individuals with developmental conditions are also at risk of developing more health issues such as mental health problems as a result of abuse or lack of proper medical care making it harder to accommodate them in learning institutions.

Other than barriers to accessing education, students with developmental disabilities experience abuse and discrimination in learning institutions. People with developmental disabilities, in particular, are seen as incompetent in making decisions and conceptualizing various aspects of life. Individuals suffering from autism, cerebral palsy, and epilepsy stayed at home away from the general public. This attitude leads to discrimination and neglect of disabled people by their families and society in general. However, it is important to note that there has been a significant change in attitude in the recent years and disabled people are now accepted in society. This change can be attributed to legislative laws, Medicare programs, human rights activists, and availability of supportive services. The telecommunication sector has also been included to provide accommodative services for people with various forms of disabilities.

The regulations require that companies in the sector provide services that can be used by a customer with different abilities particularly those with speech and hearing difficulties. Another area covered by the act is indiscriminative accesses to social amenities and commercial facilities. These areas include hotels, recreational areas, shopping malls, and other public places. The act states that no person should be discriminated on disability basis from full and equal benefits of goods and services offered in these areas. Another significant Act is the Developmental Disabilities Assistance and Bill of Rights Act Amendments of 1994(Superfine, 85). This provision aimed at improving the role of families in helping people with developmental disorders as well as providing individuals with developmental disabilities necessary services to see to it that the individuals realize their full potential.

Other Acts such as the Fair Housing Act have been amended to accommodate disabled people as landlords are required to make accessibility adjustments at their expense. In the education sector, different laws have been enacted to promote equality for students with disabilities. The Education All Handicapped Children Act was enacted in 1975 by the US Congress. Regardless of the various efforts by the government to promote equality, disability discrimination in schools and other institutions is still experienced. In society, dehumanizing language is still used to refer to people with developmental disabilities such as autism while in less developed countries children with special needs do not attend school. In schools, there is deliberate ignorance of disability standards and little or no support for children with disabilities.

According to Rhoda et. al. In an attempt to reduce inequalities, various acts have been enacted aimed at enhancing fairness. They include the Americans with Disabilities Act aimed at eradicating discrimination in various sectors. Various laws have also been formulated to fight inequality in schools including the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. Despite these efforts, discrimination is still evident in learning institutions. These cases of discrimination prompt various solutions to fight inequality towards persons with disabilities.  Wiley- Blackwell, doi:10. 1002/berj. Neuhaus, Rhonda, Cindy Smith, and Molly Burgdorf. "Equality for people with disabilities, then and now. " GPSolo 31 (2014): 46. "Studies Flag Potential Downside To Inclusion".  Education Week, 2016, https://www. edweek. org/ew/articles/2016/09/07/studies-flag-potential-downside-to- inclusion. html. Superfine, Benjamin Michael.  Equality In Education Law And Policy, 1954-2010.