Religion, Spirituality, and Disability
The concept of disability has received various definitions and explanations derived from different perspectives, thus making it hard for one to regard defining the same with an individual focus. Consideration should be conducted involving both social and environmental aspects. Religion and spirituality explicit significant benefits culturally concerning individuals with disabilities. The essence of the research is the development of an evaluation explaining the term disability broadly, the religious and spiritual contexts to broaden the knowledge concerning the psychological and social impact that are developed due to disability. Establishment of countermeasures and recommendations to ensure that people with disabilities are valued loved, and incorporated in the daily activities carried out in the society as a way of appreciation of their condition.
The study has embarked on both aspects of religion and spirituality in addressing the issue of disability since the terms have robust and efficient resources for acceptance within the community when dealing with a disability. The research also is aimed at understanding why the people living with disabilities have gained a different point of viewing their state toward their life. Which is subjected to the influence created by religion and spirituality. Therefore, their impact cannot be underestimated by the study.
Defining disability
World Health Organization describes disability as an umbrella term that covers impairments, participation, restrictions, as well as activity limitations. An impairment represents a problem in the functioning of the body and structure. An activity limitation can be expounded to express a difficulty that individual encounters when executing an action or task, while participation restriction describing the problem that an individual experiences as they involve themselves with life situations (Goodley, 2016). Therefore from the description, we realize that disability is not just a health problem but a complex phenomenon that reflects the interactions between the features of an individual’s body with the features of the society they live.
Religion and spirituality
Both of the concepts of religion and spirituality appears to be used mostly used synonymously with each other. Relying on their structures, they can be defined as follows; spirituality is defined as one’s connection to the divine by their personal experience. Its primary concern is finding, experiencing as well as embodying an individual’s true spiritual nature; Religion defines the connection with the divine using another person’s experience (Poston & Turnbull, 2004). Its primary concern believes in obedience and following the rules that have been developed by a particular deity or spiritual teacher.
The main research focus of the following study is the establishment of how religion, culture and spirituality variance and practices personally affect people living with disability from their mindset and interaction with other people;
Disabled person religion and the effects it causes to the type of care they receive
Our present world population has been subjected to the diversity of faith, which has challenged the health care providers when it comes to delivering competent medical care that is obliged to cultural beliefs and faith. Bringing the aspect of cultural competence which is the ability of the medical practitioners to provide health services to the patients the disabled in line with their social, cultural as well as religious needs for them and their families. Bringing the essence of developing strategies and measures that will ensure the medical practitioners and other involved parties restructure their systems along with the objective of inclusion of cultural competence. Training and development of policies and guidelines which are focused on the reduction of the barriers of providing aesthetic and religion-based competent care for the disabled persons (Poston & Turnbull, 2004).
Principles and practices of counseling concerning disability in society
The research focused on evaluating a framework which the rehabilitation counselors tend to adopt when dealing with people with body deformations, who may present themselves seeking assistance for managing the conflicts that they are experienced in the social encounters.
Autonomy –this principle addresses the essence of self-determination and independence. The principle allows individuals to enjoy freedom of choice and action (Swain, 2003). Addressing the responsibility of the counselor to encourage the clients where necessary and emphasizing that they make their own decisions and also act under their values.
Justice-people with disability expects to be treated differently by the counselor since society may have different perception about them. For instance, a counselor who is working with a blind person and reading some form to them is expected that they do so orally for the client to understand what the text means.
Beneficence –shows the reflection where the counselor has the responsibility of ensuring that they contribute to the welfare of the client. In simplicity, it means being proactive, good, and also prevent any more harm where it is possible.
The counselors are expected to treat their clients with respect and unconditional acceptance
Avoid exploiting the client’s trust and also try avoiding dual relationships
Provision of privacy and safe setting for counseling session
Ensure they access and develop a safety plan and monitor the client’s behavior, which may be developed due to depression, such as suicidal attempts.
Evidence-based practices and techniques regarding persons with disability
Most of the religious aspects support and accept the people with disability existence in their families and community. Still, there needs to be a special way of ensuring the affected person is provided with the basic evidence-practice techniques in ensuring they can cope with the environment. For instance, the availability of special institutions offering special learning skills to persons with disabilities by use of braille’s sign languages. Application of diagrammatic expression when delivering concepts to them for a clearer understanding of what is being addressed. Such modifications will develop the productivity of the disabled persons and increase the realization of their potential and value in their family setting and society.
Effects of cultural competence deficiencies
Failure of the health care providers systems working towards the provision of culturally competent care the persons with living with a disability may be faced by health consequences, subjection to poor quality care causing dissatisfaction due to the care they receive. The quality of patient-health professional associations is limited.
It is, therefore, significant for the health care professionals to make the spiritual and cultural needs of the patients when administering their medical attention. This will ensure the person they are handling feel safe, secure, and comfortable due to their beliefs and cultural settings. Religious differences between the disabled persons and the people giving care to them have been affecting much the level of care they acquire. This is because the religious disparities develop a feeling of being wronged or mishandled by the parties that have taken the responsibilities of taking care of them. For instance, when dealing with a scenario having two types of believers, a Muslim, and a Christian (Rothman, 2018). They both have a diverse perception of how they view religion, thus causing discontent for the services offered where there are divided interests. The balanced diet recommended by health practitioners may be foregone by people taking care of the people living with a disability. This is due to the belief of religion that the doctor’s recommendations may be against the will of their supernatural beings ending up giving irrelevant food diet to the individuals under their watch, affecting their health status.
To ensure the people living with disability and who requires the attention of caregivers are understood and given care concerning their environment in which they have been brought up or raised. This will save the agony of creating a perception or feeling of being mishandled or tortured due to their culture and customs, which may even lead to mental depression.
The effects of religion on mental and physical health
Religious practices and beliefs contribute to psychological and physical healthiness. For instance, regular spiritual practices are deemed to the reduction of depression, promotion of self-esteem, the building of a family, and marital happiness.
Mental health
Participation in religious practices is highly characterized by good mental health. Where increased spiritual exercises strengthen and foster greater hope and sense of life to the person living with a disability, this is generated by the faith they acquire from the religious traditions. This yielding greater happiness, positivity, life satisfaction, and morale.
Happiness and well being
Through religious affiliation, as well as regular church attendance, was characterized as the typical reason that disabled persons projected to be a provider of their happiness. Where happiness was more significant to individuals who attended religious functions and services frequently (Bailey, 2013). Since they were able to receive a word of hope and comfort that deprives them of the thinking of being unacceptable but encouragement from the religion scripts enables them to learn that they are created with the likeness and image of God supports their happiness and well-being.
Self-esteem, stress and coping skills
Disabled persons have predicted to be frequently attending religious as a means of distressing. With people who involved themselves with the spiritual practices had value on religious faith and were probably at the position of suffering depression. The disabled person in community religious services helps improve their compartment with their supernatural beings, which ensured they are not victims of the criticism they receive in society. But rely on their supernatural beings to guide them and instill them with the courage of undergoing the trial moments such as that criticism where they reduce the chances of devaluing themselves and distress (Bailey, 2013).
Physical health
A disabled person having attended church frequently registered the lowest mortality rates. Religious beliefs and practices delivered longevity significance by most crucial encouragement of a support network between family and allies helping in the maintenance of a pattern of controlled care, reduction of the mortality risk that is subjected to infectious diseases, and other complications. More extended living was connected mainly significantly to the high levels of religious involvement and practices regardless of race, education, or even health history (Frederick, 2015). From a review that was conducted by medical health, practitioners coincided that there was a link between religion and mortality where the practice of religion created relief for the disabled persons giving them the room to reduce the chances of death.
Cultural beliefs
Culture, spirituality, and religion are significant influences on health beliefs or Behaviours, leading to the implications aroused on the health communication environment. Cultural religious and spiritual beliefs are also substantial players of significant roles towards how people understand, interpret, and explaining disability, for instance, understanding of the Autistic spectrum disorder. According to the communal culture in countries such as Indonesia with Islam dominating the religion, Muslim families tend to have strong intergenerational family ties and values of collectivism. The study focuses on understanding how and if the religious beliefs have any Impact on parents on helping them garner the education to raise individuals and children with special needs. It was evaluated that religion helped help the parents and the society at large accept and understand the condition of the disabled persons, and strategize on the goals of rearing and catering for their needs and granting them the freedom of living independently and find their peoples best potential (Frederick, 2015). Religious perception has also brought the parents an option of alternative medicine or holistic treatment as a way of seeking progress for their disabled people in their families.
Most of the parents living with individuals living with disabilities have faced various challenging conditions like financial constraints and limited services. The challenges they faced enhanced them to develop strategies focused on developing a secure, rewarding, and loving space for their affected people and families. Some of the policies they adopted included a search for religious help as well as active involvement in work selective disclosure t close family, and conditional socialization having gradual reintegration with the broader social networks
Religious perception and practice relating parent’s goals and objectives
From the research, it was definable that the Muslim parents were obliged to have strong faith in Allah and focus on their duty of caring for the individuals in their families who are disabled. As Allah was the one who entrusted them with the particular person “disabled” and knew they were capable of giving them the best care which they deserved. In line with these perceptions, it was a booster enhancing the progress and establishment of the extraordinary individuals by immersing them in all the aspects of their life inclusive of the social and religious activities carried out in everyday life (Shin & Lee, 2016).
Religion impacts on disability and it is being managed in daily life
Disability is, however, not a single aspect which is explainable or viewed basically by the individual concept of disability. From the cultural context of understanding disability in the community raises a pervasive influence on how the aspect of disability is understood in different cultures and according to the attitudes of social values for people living with a disability. Bringing a view of disability as a conceptualization of social issues with various cultural understanding within different cultures and not only on the medical problem (Ulrich, 2011). For example, within Taiwan, the major strongest influences on the cultural understanding of disability are derived from ancient Buddhism beliefs, family relationships, and the Chinese language.
Some communities viewed the people living with physical impairments as being impure and also a potential threat that meant to their environment and other people that surround them. According to the Jewish law that describes the need for perfection in both the sacrificial object as well as the preparer of the sacrifice, it highly focuses on this regard discussed above. From the explanation in the book of john, individuals born with disabilities as a way of giving opportunities for God to manifest his power. Therefore there impairments have nothing to do with their parent’s sins or the society they find themselves. Within the Islamic lessons, Islamic lessons have fewer feelings on physique matters, so any attempt of dishonoring or exclusion of any person in the activities or functions of the family and community based on their non-normative body formation is a deed that is against the will of the supernatural beings (Ulrich, 2011). Physical impairment should be regarded and considered as a reasonable condition within the human experience. Therefore, any family or community that is blessed with people having physical impairments are expected to observe the religious readings and cultural beliefs in giving the best attention to the persons living non-normative body formation, as one of their own. and make them feel appreciated as a gift from the Gods and not a curse or a burden to the family they find themselves born.
From ancient times it has been observed through the study that person living with disabilities faces exclusion from participation in most of the religious and socio-cultural practices. This has been realized by the focus on the western world towards perception and the traditions and practices of the Buddhists, even though most of the superstitions and erroneous assumptions on Buddhism beliefs and philosophies are still existing.
Religion and spirituality have portrayed the best attributes one can emulate when dealing with the persons born with physical challenges such that they can feel appreciated by the community and their family and deprives the feeling of being a burden to them. The good acts influenced by the two aspects have reduced the tendency of such people living a stressful and depressing life due to the feeling of devaluation, thus commending the practices of religion and spirituality. But through the study, I develop an urge to try and figure out what more improvisations can be made to improve the value of people living with disabilities in the society, such as the development of institutions that cater to the needs of the latter. Creation of awareness and educating the society on the best measurement skills they are expected to emulate to ensure that they incorporate the persons with disabilities in their families and society. in a manner, they feel valued and hence exploiting their unrecognized abilities, which are of great help in the development of society.
References
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Frederick, T. (2015). Forgiveness and mental health practice. Mental Health, Religion & Culture, 18(5), 418–424. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674676.2015.1077210
Goodley, D. (2016). Disability studies: An interdisciplinary introduction. Sage.
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Poston, D. J., & Turnbull, A. P. (2004). Role of spirituality and religion in family quality of life for families of children with disabilities. Education and training in developmental disabilities, 95-108.
Rothman, J. (2018). Social work practice across disability. Routledge.
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