Thursday, August 4, 2022
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
NEWSLETTER
ՀԱՅ
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports
No Result
View All Result
Asbarez.com
ՀԱՅ
No Result
View All Result

Armenians and Disabilities: We Have a Long and Painful Way to Go

by Contributor
December 3, 2018
in Armenia, Commentary, Featured Story, Latest, News, Op-Ed, Top Stories
6
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
A self portrait of the author's twin sister, Susan, a person with disabilities
A self portrait of the author’s twin sister, Susan, a person with disabilities

BY JOSEPH KAZAZIAN

My sister and I were born on the same day, one minute apart. Being twins has always given us a unique bond that people find very entertaining. “The twin thing” is definitely real. So real, that on one occasion my mom witnessed us get up and open the window blinds in our respective rooms at the same time, with zero communication, and in the exact same manner.

Our Beginnings
Growing up for the both of us was very different.

When my sister was mere months old, the doctors said that she wouldn’t see, walk, or speak. On the other hand, I was able-bodied, inquisitive, and the prototypical big brother. From my early life, I have some memories, but I’ve also heard stories about how we were. One of the things I remember was that my sister used my long, curly hair to pull herself up, because it was one of the few ways that she could re-position herself. She had very little motor skills and strength in her body. Since then, I always claim that anyone can pull my hair and I won’t feel a thing.

Another story my mom told me, not long ago, was that I was a 2 year old singing and entertaining my family, while a Harout Pamboukjian song was playing in the background. I allegedly stopped singing and ran to my sister. Everyone thought that I was trying to harm her, or something to that effect. So, they rushed to stop me. I asked “why can’t she sing and dance with me, too?” Apparently a room full of adults broke out into tears, because that was my likely my first true reckoning that we were different.

A few years later, both my sister and I began to go to Rose and Alex Pilibos Armenian School. She started a year after I did. By then, she began to walk, which was the biggest miracle in our lives. She also began to speak, and started reciting Armenian poems that I would struggle to memorize. We were five years old. That year, she was pushed to the ground on three separate occasions, with all three resulting in bloody injuries to her face. Children can be brutal, but you can’t blame them for not understanding somebody’s disabilities. The reminders are still visible, as she still has those scars. Soon, it was clear that she couldn’t continue in that school environment and needed to be placed in special education, where she excelled.

In our teenage years, the bullying did not stop. She was bullied for the way she was, while I was reminded of her disabilities by people at school and elsewhere. That’s when I really began to develop a thick skin and compassion for those who were bullied against. Hell, it probably put me on my path as an activist and an advocate.

In her adulthood, she’s blossomed into quite the artist. For someone who can’t see two feet in front of her, she does amazing things: illustrates, does graphic design, acts, directs, and produces films. I recently saw her latest work: a self portrait of what she thinks she looks like. But even in her adulthood, attitudes about her have not changed. Unfortunately, she’s stared at, talked about in a negative light, and perceived as someone who is “spoiled”, “manipulative”, and “able to change her behavior if she wanted to.”

The saddest part? It is exclusively said by some people who are in our community; you know, the same community who faced annihilation due to intolerance. Unfortunately her disabilities are viewed as her being “sick.” Due to her understanding of her disabilities and her true limitations, there are serious emotional, psychological, cognitive and developmental issues that have followed. She often laments that she was born. More than once, I’ve heard things like “I don’t want to live anymore. Everything is my fault.”

Luckily, I have a very strong family who accepts her, helps her, and loves her unconditionally. Despite her struggles and her emotions, she’s a jolly and happy person who loves everyone around her. But she is sensitive enough to feel the pain and disregard from others, and understandably so, she lashes out from time to time.

Laws and Numbers
In the United States, we have come a long way; from passing laws that protect the disabled such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. These laws protect and promote people with disabilities, so that they may never be discriminated or segregated for conditions entirely outside of their control. As a third-year law student, I’ve had the opportunities to learn and see how these laws function at the University of La Verne College of Law, which has its very own Disability Rights Legal Center.

While there are no official statistics about Armenians with disabilities worldwide, there are some statistics that come from Armenia. Government and Non-governmental sources indicate that about 7 to 15 percent of individuals in Armenia are afflicted by some sort of disability. Today’s Armenia is a signatory of many of the international conventions that are similar in substance and function to the laws we have in the US. By 2025, Armenia will have special education programs for the disabled within the confines of regular public schools, according to Human Rights Watch.

However, if we harken back to the Soviet Era, segregation was the name of the game. Families were encouraged to place their disabled children in orphanages. Children with disabilities were often misunderstood, and their families bore the shame of having a disabled child. This attitude, very unfortunately, manifested itself within the people. Even to this day, left-handedness is still frowned upon. Left-handedness. Some of the greatest leaders and thinkers in the world have been left-handed.

Being the Sibling of a Disabled Person
A lot of what I have seen in my life has been an outgrowth of that shame that others feel righteous enough to feel in my place. Not once in my entire life, however, has a person asked me what I feel about having a disabled sibling. People just make assumptions: that as the able bodied child, I’ve been neglected; that having personal relationships will be difficult because of my “burden.” Others think that life has been unfair to me. Nobody, and I say this with purpose, nobody has the right to assume those things.

I have the most wonderful sibling in the world. She is my first friend. She is my ultimate confidant. She is every ounce of passion in my body. She makes me laugh harder than anyone else can. She’s given me a big heart and wide shoulders. She’s taught me to be patient. She’s taught me to love unconditionally. She’s given me empathy beyond repute, and the ability to put myself in others’ shoes and think about what they might be going through. I’ve learned to love, and I’ve learned to fight because of her.

Solutions
Everyone should always bear in mind that a massive amount of people have disabilities. Some are obvious and some are hidden. As humans, we owe a great debt to one another of being accepting and adapting to people who are different from us. Disabled people are special people; in that they have to adapt to our world. Modern science has made it possible to treat some disabilities and help disabled people adapt to our surroundings. It’s only fundamentally fair that we adapt to others. As Armenians, we may even have a greater responsibility to those who are unprotected. After all, we were once and in some cases continue to be outcast by greater forces, and what purpose does it serve when we segregate and ostracize our own because of conditions for which they had absolutely no choice?

Furthermore, empathize with families that have people with disabilities. The amount of sacrifice and attention that it takes to have a disabled family member is gargantuan. Sometimes that means that a disabled person, in the case of my situation, may not be able to do the basic, day to day functions that we are all accustomed to do alone: crossing the street, adequately using the restroom, even the ability to see what food is available to cook or eat, the ability to open a water bottle or a can of coke… That list is exhausting.

Disabled people have different strengths than we do. Siblings of special people don’t see the disabilities, because we understand our relationship to them. We know what it is we do.

Contributor

Contributor

Next Post

ANCA Efforts Help Pass Local City Measures

Comments 6

  1. Արմենակ Եղիայեան says:
    4 years ago

    Շատ համակրելի յօդուած մըն է:
    Հաճոյքով կարդացի եւ շատ բաներ սորվեցայ:
    Կը գնահատեմ ճաշակը գրողին եւ գրութեան տեղ տուողին:

    Reply
  2. Raffi says:
    4 years ago

    Good article, Thanks.

    Reply
  3. silva says:
    4 years ago

    Thank you for sharing and bringing to our attention an issue that needs our attention.

    Reply
  4. Arsho says:
    4 years ago

    Having a disability has nothing to do with who you are as a human being. Most Armenians, knowing that there’s only so many of us left on this earth to begin with, actually have the utmost respect for disabled individuals, regardless of whether the disability happens to be mental or physical. When someone basically has to get through an extra hoop to get through an obstacle, now that’s a true accomplishment!

    However, in my experience as a Behavior Interventionist, the closest persons to those with special needs, such as the parents and siblings of these individuals, simply disable them even more, especially when it comes to Armenians… It seems as though the disability of their loved one somehow becomes an excuse used to manipulate the person in front of them. It’s almost as if there’s this constant need for others to feel sorry for the disabled person, and even more so, for them, because they have to aid in taking care of that person.

    If someone is already limited in their abilities, and, more importantly, is aware of those limits, why would you want to make them feel less whole in any way? Instead of treating that individual like a regular human being, many of the families of disabled individuals not only see their loved ones as “different”, but also expect others to see them in the same regard. Issues mostly start within the household, and this case, regarding how a disabled Armenian person is interpreted in the public eye, is largely no different.

    Reply
    • Joseph Kazazian says:
      3 years ago

      Suggesting that a disabled person is somehow more disabled because of the behavior of others is not what I am proposing. I commend you for your work as a behavior interventionist, and that’s maybe a subject I’m ill-suited to discuss. However, the fact remains that the stigma that families with disabilities and disabled people have to deal with is an entriely different creature. I’m speaking from my experience as an adult who has a disabled sibling, and have never once used my sibling’s disability as a crutch or as some sort of bargaining chip to manipulate. To suggest that disabled people deserve care does not equate to manipulating others. In fact, it’s often families who are manipulated and gaslighted by others into thinking its wrong for them to help their family member.

      It’s an interesting perspective you provide, but it doesn’t change the fact that lives are affected, both in our community and in others.

      Reply
  5. Arshaluis Marashlian says:
    3 years ago

    Dear Joseph,

    Thanks for your article and for your reply. Awareness is extremely important with this matter. I thank you for your appreciation of my line of work as well. I would also like to clarify that I’m not suggesting that a disabled person is more disabled because of the behavior of others, and I’m not diminishing the stigma that families with disabilities and disabled people have to deal with. I agree, to suggest that disabled people deserve care does not equate to manipulating others. What I am suggesting based on the experiences I’ve had with work (I work with disabled children and adults) is that a reason families may feel gaslighted by others into thinking it’s wrong for them to help their family member like you said, could be because they may be too emotionally invested to see another perspective.

    It’s not a matter of using the disability as some sort of bargaining chip by the disabled person or the family member. It’s more that someone who is less emotionally invested into the situation may see things in a different perspective that the family doesn’t see based on their naturally fierce connection. Lives are very much affected in many ways when there is a disabled individual in the household, and both my initial comment and this one were just some possible reasoning based on my work experience. Please also keep in mind that each family is considered an individual case although we often see similarities based on societal and cultural norms. I wish the best of luck to you, your sister, and your family!

    Sincerely,
    Arsho

    P.S. Please let me know if you would feel comfortable in my using this article for my graduate research.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recommended

Congressional Armenian Caucus Leaders Condemn Azerbaijan’s Latest Attempt to Ethnically Cleanse Artsakh’s Armenians

Congressional Armenian Caucus Leaders Condemn Azerbaijan’s Latest Attempt to Ethnically Cleanse Artsakh’s Armenians

7 hours ago
Through Use of Force, Azerbaijan is Forcing Concessions from Artsakh, Says Human Rights Defender

Through Use of Force, Azerbaijan is Forcing Concessions from Artsakh, Says Human Rights Defender

18 hours ago

Connect with us

  • About
  • Advertising
  • Subscribe
  • Contact

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • Top Stories
  • Community
  • Arts & Culture
    • Art
    • Books
    • Music
    • Theatre
    • Critics’ Forum
  • Op-Ed
    • Editorial
    • Opinon
    • Letters
  • Columns
    • By Any Means
    • My Turn
    • Three Apples
    • Community Links
    • Critics’ Forum
    • My Name is Armen
    • Living in Armenia
  • Videos
  • Sports

© 2021 Asbarez | All Rights Reserved | Powered By MSDN Solutions Inc.

Accessibility

Accessibility modes

Epilepsy Safe Mode
Dampens color and removes blinks
This mode enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
Visually Impaired Mode
Improves website's visuals
This mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
Cognitive Disability Mode
Helps to focus on specific content
This mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
ADHD Friendly Mode
Reduces distractions and improve focus
This mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
Blindness Mode
Allows using the site with your screen-reader
This mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.

Online Dictionary

    Readable Experience

    Content Scaling
    Default
    Text Magnifier
    Readable Font
    Dyslexia Friendly
    Highlight Titles
    Highlight Links
    Font Sizing
    Default
    Line Height
    Default
    Letter Spacing
    Default
    Left Aligned
    Center Aligned
    Right Aligned

    Visually Pleasing Experience

    Dark Contrast
    Light Contrast
    Monochrome
    High Contrast
    High Saturation
    Low Saturation
    Adjust Text Colors
    Adjust Title Colors
    Adjust Background Colors

    Easy Orientation

    Mute Sounds
    Hide Images
    Virtual Keyboard
    Reading Guide
    Stop Animations
    Reading Mask
    Highlight Hover
    Highlight Focus
    Big Dark Cursor
    Big Light Cursor
    Navigation Keys

    Asbarez.com Accessibility Statement

    Accessibility Statement

    • asbarez.com
    • August 4, 2022

    Compliance status

    We firmly believe that the internet should be available and accessible to anyone, and are committed to providing a website that is accessible to the widest possible audience, regardless of circumstance and ability.

    To fulfill this, we aim to adhere as strictly as possible to the World Wide Web Consortium’s (W3C) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG 2.1) at the AA level. These guidelines explain how to make web content accessible to people with a wide array of disabilities. Complying with those guidelines helps us ensure that the website is accessible to all people: blind people, people with motor impairments, visual impairment, cognitive disabilities, and more.

    This website utilizes various technologies that are meant to make it as accessible as possible at all times. We utilize an accessibility interface that allows persons with specific disabilities to adjust the website’s UI (user interface) and design it to their personal needs.

    Additionally, the website utilizes an AI-based application that runs in the background and optimizes its accessibility level constantly. This application remediates the website’s HTML, adapts Its functionality and behavior for screen-readers used by the blind users, and for keyboard functions used by individuals with motor impairments.

    If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement, we’ll be happy to hear from you. You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email

    Screen-reader and keyboard navigation

    Our website implements the ARIA attributes (Accessible Rich Internet Applications) technique, alongside various different behavioral changes, to ensure blind users visiting with screen-readers are able to read, comprehend, and enjoy the website’s functions. As soon as a user with a screen-reader enters your site, they immediately receive a prompt to enter the Screen-Reader Profile so they can browse and operate your site effectively. Here’s how our website covers some of the most important screen-reader requirements, alongside console screenshots of code examples:

    1. Screen-reader optimization: we run a background process that learns the website’s components from top to bottom, to ensure ongoing compliance even when updating the website. In this process, we provide screen-readers with meaningful data using the ARIA set of attributes. For example, we provide accurate form labels; descriptions for actionable icons (social media icons, search icons, cart icons, etc.); validation guidance for form inputs; element roles such as buttons, menus, modal dialogues (popups), and others. Additionally, the background process scans all of the website’s images and provides an accurate and meaningful image-object-recognition-based description as an ALT (alternate text) tag for images that are not described. It will also extract texts that are embedded within the image, using an OCR (optical character recognition) technology. To turn on screen-reader adjustments at any time, users need only to press the Alt+1 keyboard combination. Screen-reader users also get automatic announcements to turn the Screen-reader mode on as soon as they enter the website.

      These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers, including JAWS and NVDA.

    2. Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML, and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard. This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys, operate dropdowns with the arrow keys, close them with Esc, trigger buttons and links using the Enter key, navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys, and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally, keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus, available at any time by clicking Alt+1, or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard. The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear, and not allow the focus drift outside of it.

      Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Disability profiles supported in our website

    • Epilepsy Safe Mode: this profile enables people with epilepsy to use the website safely by eliminating the risk of seizures that result from flashing or blinking animations and risky color combinations.
    • Visually Impaired Mode: this mode adjusts the website for the convenience of users with visual impairments such as Degrading Eyesight, Tunnel Vision, Cataract, Glaucoma, and others.
    • Cognitive Disability Mode: this mode provides different assistive options to help users with cognitive impairments such as Dyslexia, Autism, CVA, and others, to focus on the essential elements of the website more easily.
    • ADHD Friendly Mode: this mode helps users with ADHD and Neurodevelopmental disorders to read, browse, and focus on the main website elements more easily while significantly reducing distractions.
    • Blindness Mode: this mode configures the website to be compatible with screen-readers such as JAWS, NVDA, VoiceOver, and TalkBack. A screen-reader is software for blind users that is installed on a computer and smartphone, and websites must be compatible with it.
    • Keyboard Navigation Profile (Motor-Impaired): this profile enables motor-impaired persons to operate the website using the keyboard Tab, Shift+Tab, and the Enter keys. Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus), “H” (headings), “F” (forms), “B” (buttons), and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements.

    Additional UI, design, and readability adjustments

    1. Font adjustments – users, can increase and decrease its size, change its family (type), adjust the spacing, alignment, line height, and more.
    2. Color adjustments – users can select various color contrast profiles such as light, dark, inverted, and monochrome. Additionally, users can swap color schemes of titles, texts, and backgrounds, with over 7 different coloring options.
    3. Animations – epileptic users can stop all running animations with the click of a button. Animations controlled by the interface include videos, GIFs, and CSS flashing transitions.
    4. Content highlighting – users can choose to emphasize important elements such as links and titles. They can also choose to highlight focused or hovered elements only.
    5. Audio muting – users with hearing devices may experience headaches or other issues due to automatic audio playing. This option lets users mute the entire website instantly.
    6. Cognitive disorders – we utilize a search engine that is linked to Wikipedia and Wiktionary, allowing people with cognitive disorders to decipher meanings of phrases, initials, slang, and others.
    7. Additional functions – we provide users the option to change cursor color and size, use a printing mode, enable a virtual keyboard, and many other functions.

    Browser and assistive technology compatibility

    We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible, so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them, with as few limitations as possible. Therefore, we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Apple Safari, Opera and Microsoft Edge, JAWS and NVDA (screen readers), both for Windows and for MAC users.

    Notes, comments, and feedback

    Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs, there may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible, are in the process of becoming accessible, or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible. Still, we are continually improving our accessibility, adding, updating and improving its options and features, and developing and adopting new technologies. All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility, following technological advancements. For any assistance, please reach out to