Cross-Cultural Comparison of the Concept of "Otherness" and its Impact on Persons with Disabilities

Murdick, N., Shore, P., & Chittooran, M. M. (2004). Cross-cultural comparison of the concept of “otherness” and its impact on persons with disabilities. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 39(4), 310-316.

•  According to Smart (2001), “perceptions of disability labels, expectations of people with disabilities, and ascribed meanings of the experience of disability are all shaped by the broader culture” (p. 71). (p. 311).
•  However, reactions against the “other” who is disabled appear to be more extreme in the Western world, than they are in India, where attitudes toward those who are disabled have ranged from reverence to embarrassment to a fatalistic acceptance of the disability, either because children with disabilities were viewed as a divine gift to parents who had been entrusted with their care or because they were viewed as divine retribution for parental wrong-doing (p. 313).
•  Historically, care of individuals with disabilities in India has been left to families and most services for this population have been provided through private, charitable, or non-governmental organizations (p. 314).
•  Attitudes about individuals with disabilities in India have “ranged from reverence to embarrassment to a fatalistic acceptance of the disability, either because children with disabilities were viewed as a devine gift to parents who had been entrusted with their care or because they were viewed as divine retribution for parental wrong-doing” (Murdick, Shore, & Chitooran, 2004, p. 313).  Even though the range of attitudes is wide, most parents of children with disabilities experience negative feelings about their having a child with a disability.  This can result in decreased chances of gaining education, and a lower quality of life for the child with a disability, along with her parents.