Reading about women and disabilities really shocked me. I think it was because growing up in a wealthy community, there were always plenty of special education classes and extra aids and just the idea of shunning people with disabilities really just seemed barbaric to me. It wasn't something I had ever thought about but when it hit me really personally when I read, "children with conditions such as epilepsy...would endure odd treatments or potions to be cured." I myself was diagnosed with epilepsy at age 15 and really thought it was fine (other than not being able to go to concerts, a small price to pay) I always thought it was weird when doctors told me I actually had to be honest with the people around me that I had epilepsy. They were assuming I'd hide it, but I was always really open, not ashamed at all. But reading this article makes me realize epilepsy is definitely considered a disability in some parts of the world and I'm assuming it was looked down upon for many years here in the US as well. I'm lucky to be seeing a neurologist periodically and get the correct medication so that people don't even notice; yet someone in another country could have a very affected life without the correct treatment.
The other major thing that shocked me was the idea that families shunned the disabled and were more likely to give them less help and resources because they were less likely to become successful. That seemed so foreign to me. In privileged families, most of the time all the attention goes to the disabled. Trying to find the right school, tutor, physical therapist, doctors, ect. Through my own personal experience I have seen that it is the kids with the disabilities need more help and guidance from the family and trained professionals. Like the article mentioned, the problem is that these resources for disabled people are usually very expensive, time consuming and are not all over. So it is the wealthy people who have a non-working parent, close to an urban area, with access to transportation. Unfortunately, this is not the situation for majority of the population of disabled people.
Inequalities of Disability Effected by Socioeconomic Status
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I think it is really sad that families would shun their own family members because they are disabled. Instead assisting them find resources and help they would doubt if they could be successful. In my high school people used to mistreat the disables students by making fun of them and humiliating them infront of everyone. It used to make me sick to see people mistreating others because they are disabled. I think that resources for the disabled should be inexpensive because alot families cannot afford it in these hard times.