Accessibility

Blog Post 6

I never really thought about it before, but there are too many times when I take for granted my ability to not only come and go as I please but to have access to any place I wish to go. I live on campus. While this campus is small compared to schools like UGA, it is still big enough to cause limitations for students with disabilities. The school has done its best, in my opinion, to make the buildings accessible to people who are handicap. There are a lot of stairs, but they do have an elevator for handicap students. I would say that everywhere on campus seems accessible to people with disabilities. Even though this is true, I think that this campus is a tough one. Everything is pretty close together, but there are a lot of hills. I think this can limit their participation in activities that I could participate in. If I want to, I am able to go run around the drill field, participate in inter-murals, and be a part of the basketball team. While these people can play on the drill field or play inter-murals, it is harder for them to do so because there are no teams/sports set up for this. It’s not the fact that the areas are inaccessible to the students, it’s that the fact that the schools lacks opportunities for these people to get involved. 
I decided to research limitations of handicap. Kenneth Jernigan is the author, and he states, “By definition a characteristic—any characteristic—is a limitation” (p.1). One example of handicap he used was blindness. The example that he used to describe this is picking teams to play a game of baseball. Who is more likely to be picked? The blind person is very limited on what he can do. Those limitations cause the blind person to be left out or are limited in their participation. 

Works Cited

"Blindness— Handicap or Characteristic." Handicap. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014.

Gender Identity

        In my opinion, girls should be feminine and men should masculine. This is not to say that girls cannot be tomboys and guys cannot be interested in things that may be on the feminine side. There is a balance. Also, I believe that girls should date guys and vice versa. If someone is gay, I do not have a problem with it. I have friends that are. As long as they do not force it upon me, I do not mind. There have been instances when I have been out with friends, and I have seen them showing affection to their significant other or trying to encourage someone to try being with someone of the same sex. I hate that it has to be this way, but I am not ok with this. I am not a fan of PDA as it is. 
I had a discussion the other day with a friend. We were talking about how most lesbians have had more experience with guys than most of the single, straight girls. I feel like most of these people have been through a traumatizing situation with the opposite sex whether they were cheated on, raped, or even lied to. I feel like men suffer the most from behaving like the opposite sex. Men are supposed to be big, strong, and manly. When men are interested in or partake in things seen as feminine, they are looked down up. This is not to say lesbians are not looked down up, because they are. It is just more socially acceptable for girls to be a tomboy. 

I would say my family has had an impact on my gender identity. My parents are happily married, and I have always wanted a relationship like theirs. My older sister dated a lot of guys and has found her match. My whole family is “normal” when it comes to that aspect. Even throughout middle and high school, every sport team I was on was full of straight girls. This is of course someone was to afraid to tell us otherwise. It was not until my freshman year of college where I started to meet people who were gay. I also spent a lot of time with some because they were on my team. As long as you made it known that you were straight, they left you alone and you were friends. Now that I am friends with some gay people, my eyes have been opened to things they go through because of it. I have talked about it with some of my straight friends. We agreed that we are not ok with people being gay, but we will not judge. 

Good? Bad? Possible?

Blog Post Four

The social norm, when it comes to raising a child, is to distinguish whether the baby is a boy or a girl. People do this by they way they talk, what they say, how they are dressed, and more. After reading the articles assigned, I am shocked that people raise their children i a genderless environment. I never would have thought about it. In one article, it talks about how their children were exposed to many gender stereotypes in school. It would be impossible to keep your kids away from them. Radge said, “They tried some of them out, adopted some, discarded others” (2011, Bouzane). It is said to have had no effect on the children or the way they interact with others. From reading these articles, I feel like it is not possible for you to raise your child in a genderless environment. In my opinion, once they are exposed to gender stereotypes, it would make it harder for them to understand why boys are one way while girls act, dress, and display themselves differently. One family who decided to raise their child like this kept the gender a secret from everyone except for the immediate family and certain others. The parents of this child said, “Instead of dolls for girls and trucks for boys,” they decided that “anything goes” (2011, Koplewicz). They believe it is great for the children to express their gender creatively. This article raises one point I agree with, and “the fact is that gender differences are not all socially invented, and they’re not all chosen.” It is known that there is a difference in the way girls brains develop compared to boys. This can be confusing for a child and lead to other problems. Because of their choice in the way they dress and portray themselves, this can cause many problems due to what society thinks and believes. This is when it is up to the parent to decide what is best for their child. 

Privilege

Blog Post 3

A privilege is a right or an opportunity only enjoyed only by people with an advantage. It is something others may not be fortunate enough to get. When asked to define privilege, the first thing that came to mind would be all of the privileges I have been blessed with. I started playing basketball at an early age. Luckily, my athletic ability and love for the game has let me play up until now. Not only that, but I have had the support both financially and emotionally from my family. Basketball has allowed many privileges. While grades are not just handed to us, like many people may think, some teachers understand our situation and busy schedules. Therefore, they work with us when we have to travel or with everything else going on. In order to be a part of the team, there are certain requirements we have to uphold. As long as we do, we are granted these privileges. 

I also have had the privilege of not only being part of the basketball team, but I am also a part of a sorority. There are not a lot of people who are fortunate enough to be involved in both. Just like basketball, there are certain requirements you must uphold. For instance, you must maintain a certain GPA, volunteer fifteen hours of your time to community service with you philanthropy, and more. By doing all of these things, you are rewarded with a great group of friends, social opportunities, and great experiences. 

As a teacher, I know I will be understanding of student-athletes, but I do not want to make other students feel like the athletes get special treatment to the athletes. I think it is important for the teacher to be approachable when students who do not have certain privileges struggle and need help. As long as there is communication and a reasonable explanation, everyone should have the same attention.