Disability trajectories: Disabled youths

“Disability trajectories: Disabled youths’ identify development, negotiation of experience and expectations, and sense of agency during transition” by Suzzanne Margaret Stolz is an informative article that presents crucial information concerning disabled youths. It was written from the author’s perspective, who has grown up with a form of muscular dystrophy and other youths living with disabilities. The study involved youths with a low incidence of orthopedic impairments, including juvenile arthritis, amputation, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and spinal cord injury. The active group influenced the type of information included and excluded from the text. For instance, the text focused more on real-life situations, including things that impact the lives of youths and left out less important things. The author is qualified to inform people about the topic considering she has grown up with a disability. Therefore, she understands the kind of life that young people with disability are exposed to and some of the challenges they pass through daily. Further, she can easily relate to people living with disability who have contributed majorly to the research. The author has also worked with disabled youth in a mentoring program and has conducted intensive research on the area same.

Stolz’s article was interesting to read as it helped in understanding the environment that youths with disabilities are exposed to in their daily activities. Besides dealing with their physical disabilities, the group has to deal with people with different perspectives about disabilities. Therefore, they have to prove to society that they can also excel in work and school, which is equally difficult. I have also learned that youths living with disability develop self-perceptions as they interact with the world around them. According to Stolz (2010), parents have low expectations of disabled people and post-secondary education and independent living. Moreover, the article indicates that less than thirty percent of parents of youths with orthopedic impairments expect their children to graduate with a degree compared to 88% of parents of youths in the general sphere (Stolz, 2010).

According to Stolz (2010), youths with disabilities are already going through many challenges. Policymakers and educators should consider the changeable social conditions that expose disabled youths to a continuing legacy of unemployment, under-education and poverty. Also, the author feels that much can be done to support disabled youths in society to enable them to acquire a better life. After reading the article, I realized I had little knowledge about youths living with disability and the challenges they face. Therefore, the urge to know more about the topic helped me maintain an open mind, which helped me understand most of the author’s points. When teaching others about the topic, I will first help them understand the type of disability we are discussing, after which I will help them understand the issues that these young people face. Further, I will discuss how we contribute to their challenges and then share what can be done to give this group a better future. By working together, we can create an excellent environment for the group to excel and create their identity.

Reference

Stolz, S. M. (2010). Disability trajectories: Disabled youths’ identity development, negotiation of experience and expectation, and sense of agency during transition. University of California, San Diego.