Writing a textual analysis

Friday, October 18, 2019

Stem Cell Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Stem Cell - Term Paper Example As the basic unit of life, the cell became the determinant for the cause of several serious medical conditions, such as heart failures, birth defects and all types of cancer. An understanding of the process of cell development allowed medical scientists to assess a particular health condition and to boost the recovery of the person who has it. For the purposes of research and treatment, stem cell donation and banking emerged to become the hottest trend in the medical world, though a number of objections were raised especially by those from the church and other moralists. Stem Cell 101 As opposed to the other human and animal types of cell, stem cells are those that Ã¢â‚¬Å"carry the potential to develop into some or many different cell types in the bodyÃ¢â‚¬ (National Institutes of Health, 2010). A simpler and more direct approach is to state that stem cells are cells that renew on its own. They self-generate. As the human bodyÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s repair and rejuvenating mechanism, stem cells have the ability to Ã¢â‚¬Å"divide endlessly and replenish other cells of the living person, and their product could either maintain a form of a stem cell or become another functional cell in the form of a muscle, brain or red blood cellÃ¢â‚¬ (National Institutes of Health, 2010). ... , there are other scientific inquiries conducted by the field experts to determine which other parts of the human body could be possible sources of such a Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnatural treasure.Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ The positive outcome of these explorations shall be one of the most-awaited advancements in modern science and will be considered another quantum leap for humanity. Donation and Transplant It is with this potency and promise of the stem cell that health experts dedicated much of their time researching about this subject. Already, there have been a number of medical investigations that confirmed the multi-faceted functions of the stem cell and that indicated the need for a wider exploration on the matter, including its transplantation. Due to the fact that donated tissues and organs used to replace those that are infected or damaged are easily exhausted, an increased demand for stem cell donation was observed. Medical practitioners, consequently, encourage people to donate a part of themselves in the form of the stem cell to help those who badly need treatment for diseases such as diabetes, Parkinson's, Alzheimer, spinal cord injury, burns, arthritis and cardiac malfunction, among others. To respond to the need, nevertheless, some hospitals and clinical specialists would immediately offer mothers who have just given birth if they are amenable to donate the placentas and umbilical cords of the newborn. However, the decision remains in the mother and a written consent should be executed first. In addition, private businesses emanated to cater to the desire of families who want to preserve the umbilical cord of their newborn for any future use through sophisticated storage facilities. This goes with a substantial payment, though, required from the customers. But for healthcare institutions that

Thursday, October 17, 2019

Budhist ethics and victimized children Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Budhist ethics and victimized children - Essay Example Right thinking, religious and social citizenry have provided relief. Nevertheless, the end to the sufferings of these innocent victims still seems a distant dream. (Help for Victimized Children) The Buddhist ethics highlights the eightfold path that applies to the normal citizens, perpetrators of sufferings on the victimized children, and the victims themselves. The Buddhist ethics provides gripping insights to awaken concern and care, penitence to the perpetrators and solace to the victims. The jungle law of Ã¢â‚¬ËœMight is rightÃ¢â‚¬ has predators and preys following it with their own interpretations of attack or escape. The carnivores kill to satisfy their hunger. However, the perpetrators of crime on children do so to satisfy their greed and lust. Greed is like a bottomless pit and it ends in tragic misery. Buddhist ethics exposes the debilitating consequence and futility of greed as also other fleshly desires. According to the second truth of Buddhist ethics, all sufferings are the results of tanha (cravings). The handling or mishandling of tanha produces fruitful results or sufferings, depending on the process. Tanha is not restricted to criminal actions alone. Tanha in all forms lead to sufferings, according to Buddhist ethics. The tanha for power and good life also leads to suffering. (Michael C. Brannigan) It is difficult to interpret this concept to victimized children because it is practically inconceivable and unreasonable to explain a horrified child why he or she must not crave for solace or good life. The Buddhist concept of anatman (no self, soullessness) provides the eightfold path to freedom from sufferings. This eightfold path of right view, right resolve, right speech, right conduct, right livelihood, right effort, right mindfulness, and right concentration is instrumental in a society eager to alleviate the sufferings of victimized children. The

External Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

External Environment of Business - Essay Example As the paper stresses many non governmental organizations that include many trade organizations and multi lateral forums, have recognized the need for a comprehensive vision on globalization. This has happened in other forums also that could represent the people of the world. World Trade Organization has its own view of the Globalization. While the other experts and researchers have their very own thought process on the issue of global village and globalization. According to the report findings World Trade Organization promotes global trade; ethical global trade. With the increasing technological and political closeness of the countries the national boundaries are merging to produce one single working economy. The fall of the Berlin wall brought about an integration of Germany, as much as the Euro that brought about unified trading partnership between the European Countries. WTO heralds the coming together of all these practices that would include sub groups like the G8, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), and a number of multilateral forum primarily to work out consensus on the issues that plague the global trade. WTO works on the global trade sine globalization is more pronounced and felt in trade than on any other walks of life, let it be culture or sports exchanges. By bringing together a standard practice of trading code, the WTO aims at presenting a comprehensive Globalization that would bring in equality of all participants and fairn ess of trade for all stake holders of the planet. Globalization brings in multiple dimensions to the stake holders in terms of unfair dumping of products in specific areas, free market economies on one end and controlled or regulated markets at the other. Either of them cause problems to specific groups of people and could kill the lives of millions of people like what it did to the textile industry of India during the eighteenth century when Britain dumped its goods there. WTO wants to ensure that global trade that is at the heart of globalization to be free and fair to all concerned. Laissez faire is what WTO wants to promote. Free movement of goods and services across the boundaries of nations brought in through common governance. The economic globalization is the engine that is driving the process of globalization and the organizations like WTO. WTO wants to ensure that all the parties should be fairly treated and a long term vision of the planet is maintained. This is needed since for the current day gain, it is very often found that the long term vision is lost in many nations. In Indonesia, the smoke that masks the sun during summer has become a common place incident. The world has started ignoring the happening three years after the first time it occurred. Indiscriminate cutting of forests and land clearing are the major cause for the happening. WTO aims at bringing in wood control by ensuring that for every tree that is cut at one end of the forest there is another tree planted elsewhere and the cycle of cutting and planting should be continuous and not destructive. It is not a question of moving over to the next forest but rebuilding and harvesting the same forest area. Social forestry has become the watch word of many a forest departments the

Wednesday, October 16, 2019

Stem Cell Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

External Environment of Business Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Domestic workers in America Essay Example for Free

Domestic workers in America Essay In the United States of America a domestic worker is also known as a servant and most often they work and live within the household of their employers. The servants are very distinguishable from the slaves and the serfs since they receive payments for the work they do for their employers. The domestic workers have the freedom of leaving their employment at their free will. In the households which are large there are very many domestic workers who do different kinds of jobs. In America a butler is seen as the most senior domestic worker and he performs duties such as managing the other household servants as well as handling the wines. In America the female domestic workers are known as the maids. Their household chores range from; ironing, cleaning, cooking, washing, Purchasing the household drinks and foods, caring for the children, going together with the household head for the grocery shopping as well as taking the family dogs for walks if there are any. In most instances the domestic workers in America substitute the nursing role of caring for the elderly people in different households as well as taking care of those who have disabilities. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) The different domestic worker organizations in the United States of America The domestic workers union 2000 The domestic workers union was founded in New York by some elderly caregivers, housekeepers and some nannies from the Caribbean, Latin and the African countries. This organizations has a mission of empowering, respecting, and also subjecting the domestic workers to fair labor standards in America especially in the New York City. This organization also aimed at helping in the building of a movement which would end the exploitation and also the oppression of the domestic workers in America. The domestic workers union further supports the domestic workers who have suffered some violations and also abuse as well as violation of their rights in their work places. They also conduct some referrals, they make a provision for a direct support with the domestic workers employees and they at times organize some public support to the organizations members. The other domestic workers organizations in America assist in the protection of the rights and the dignity of the American domestic workers. Some of these organizations produce a contract which is standard for all the employers and the domestic workers including the employment agencies for the domestic workers. (Chow 1994) The domestic workers organizations in America offer some nanny training programs, the computer literacy programs and also some leadership training programs. Other domestic workers organizations in America include; the domestic workers homecare centre, the united domestic workers of America, the united domestic workers of San Diego, the united domestic workers of California and the national alliance of domestic workers. How the domestic worker groups are trying to assist the domestic workers have better experiences in America These domestic worker groups break the isolation of the domestic workers who work in the domestic work industry in the United States of America. This is because without the domestic workers in America all the activities in the major cities would stop in their tracks. On the other hand since the domestic workers especially women are devalued in most of the work aspects these worker groups seek to further educate the public so that they can respect the domestic workers and the work which they do. By educating the public on respecting the domestic workers these groups tend to uncover the racial and gender inequalities which exist in the domestic work industry and the labor market. Similarly these domestic worker groups fight for the recognition of the domestic workers in America as real and also skilled workers in the American population. On the other hand most of the domestic workers are excluded from most of the basic protections which are afforded to the workers in America and this is inclusive of the national labor relations and other discrimination protections thus the domestic workers organizations in America work towards ensuring that such protections are enforced and that the working conditions of the domestic workers ere not solely left at the whims if the employers. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) Similarly these organizations further seek to establish very fair and just standards which formerly recognize the domestic workforce as a real workforce with its own protections. In addition to this these domestic organizations in the united stats of America are movements which win justice for all the domestic workers in America. (Nancy 1987) This is because they address the root causes of all the injustices as well as the exploitation which are faced by the domestic workers alone since all these issues take more than the domestic workers single-handedly. The struggles of the domestic workers in America are closely tied to the struggles of all the other American workers, the immigrants, the migrants and also the oppressed communities. The domestic workers organizations connect with each other as well as other organizations and they build a movement that is very powerful in creating the change needed in the domestic workers workforce. (Chow 1994) The domestic worker groups are looking for ways to include the domestic workers as employees and this will further lead to better working conditions for the domestic workers and they could also be free to form the labor unions just as the other employees in the United States of America. Similarly these groups work towards achieving government Acts which have fair labor standards which set the minimum and wage rates and they also address the issue of the maximum working hours for the domestic workers. Similarly these organizations ensure that the domestic workers are not discriminated on the basis of their color, religion, age, nationality, sex, race as well as their disability. (Chow 1994) How the domestic workers are treated Some of the domestic workers in America receive very bad and poor treatment from their employers as well as the other household members. On the other hand some domestic workers are treated well by their host families. The domestic workers who receive bad treatment from their employers have their privacy invaded. They are also subjected to some sexual, emotional and physical abuses which in extreme cases lead to severe injury or even death. On the other hand the freedom of the domestic workers is restricted by the employees and this implies that they are at times treated as slaves who do not have a say on the decisions that are made pertaining their lives. Many of the domestic workers in America are also treated harshly by their employers as they have their personal documents confiscated especially the new immigrants such that they cannot willingly leave their employers. On the other hand the domestic workers have their working hours and also wages violated especially the live in domestic workers. The issues that the domestic workers have to deal with Most of the domestic workers in America work under very exploitive and harsh conditions and they have very many issues which they have to deal with. For instance the domestic workers are barred from organizing into unions collectively. It is however very important to note that the domestic workers form a very significant part of the American economy yet they are not protected by the labor laws of the federal state as the other employees are protected. In addition to this the domestic workers are faced with very unique barriers of organization since they have difficulties in doing negotiations with the employers as they each are in isolation in their employers households. (Nancy 1987) Most of the domestic workers stay for significant periods with the same employers in the same industry. They are a very stable workforce and they further endure various working conditions which further violate their rights as workers as well as human beings. The domestic workers deal with a lot of issues and they are inclusive of the following; ? Wages Statistics show that half of the domestic workers in America earn very low wages. Most of them make their wages below the minimum wages. On the other hand some of the domestic workers work overtime most of whom do not receive their overtime pays for the overtime hours in which they have worked. In America the domestic workers are the key providers in their families and some of them provide for their home countries but on the other hand they face very severe financial hardships as they work in the domestic labor force. ? Abuse Similarly the American domestic workers experience a lot of abuse from their employers or even the other household members. The abuse which comes from their employers could be inform of physical or even verbal abuse and this makes then feel very insecure and uncomfortable on the other hand some of the domestic workers who face various kinds of abuse identify their immigration status and racism as the main factors which contribute to the actions of their employers. (Chow 1994) The domestic workers also experience some sexual abuse and harassments by their employers but since the employees fear their employers then they are reluctant to report such abuses to the public as well as the concerned authorities. Thus the domestic workers cannot gat any form of assistance from the humanitarian groups, the governmental agencies or even the non-governmental groups. ? Lack of health insurance Most of the domestic workers in America do not receive the health insurance or health cover from their employers. Similarly in America most of the domestic worker cannot afford decent medical care which is necessary for themselves and also their other family members. On the other hand it is only less than half of the domestic workers who get basic benefits from their employers such as sick off and other regular pay rises. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) ? Stress Most of the domestic workers in America are faced with the issue of stress in the households where they work. The employers cause a lot of stress to the domestic workers by requiring them to do multiple jobs. Sometimes the employers also require them to perform duties which are not in their job descriptions in any way. On the other hand some of the employers require their domestic workers to work for other people other than themselves. All such requirements cause a lot of stress to the domestic workers and this could even have adverse effects on their health conditions. The domestic workers experience a lot of labor exploitation and abuse than the other female workers in America and this mainly applies to the migrant domestic workers. Most of the domestic workers are isolated from their families, friends as well as the other employees. In some instances some domestic workers cannot effectively communicate with their employers and this has further led to physical or even verbal abuse. Some domestic workers are abused by their employers but they still remain for the fear that they could loose their jobs and thus they would not be able to support their families. In some extreme case the domestic workers have been severely injured and they have also been killed b their employers. (Chow 1994) Since the domestic workers have their limited choices made by their employers, the employers set the employments terms and conditions regarding their accommodations, pay, meals, contacts, off days and also their mode of payments. The employers tend to control the lives of the domestic workers in most of the aspects. Most of the domestic workers have irregular and very long working hours and they also have some irregular and low payments for their salaries. The domestic workers in America also receive accommodation and meals which are below the standards since this is determined by their employers. Some employers withhold the pay of the domestic workers and they at times fail to pay them as agreed. The domestic workers are also faced with the issue of lack of communication and movement. The employers put some restrictions which limit the domestic workers and they isolated from the outside world. Most of the domestic workers are not allowed to leave the employers houses as well as meet with other people and they are also restricted from inviting friends into their houses. Another major concern for the domestic workers in America especially the immigrants are their possession of the legal identification documents. Some of the employers confiscate the documents which belong to the domestic workers thus they are not able to register or even acquire a work permit. (Chow 1994) The measures which are being taken to rectify these situations In order to rectify the situations which are faced by the domestic workers the following measures have been taken. 1. Implementation of the domestic workers bill of rights. This bill was amended so that it could address various issues concerning the domestic workers in America. The issues which are addressed in this bill of rights included the exclusion of the domestic workers from the most basic labor protections and it also provides a further recognition for the domestic workers workforce as real workforce. Similarly in the bill of rights there was an establishment of specified protections which addressed the vulnerability and the isolation of the domestic workers to the mistreatment and also abuse from their employers. 2. Instigation of the domestic workers policies which further prevent the recruitment fees which are exorbitant for the domestic workers as well as the debt payment systems which are very exploitive for the domestic workers in the United States of America. Such policies also cover the issue of trafficking domestic workers to the United States of America. 3. In rectifying these situations the domestic work is included as a part of the formal sector of employment. This will make it more recognizable and the domestic labor will fully be protected under the labor laws. 4. There is an establishment of employment contracts which are standard for all the domestic workers in America. This helps in the protection of the domestic workers rights and responsibilities. The contract also includes a definition of the employeeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s responsibilities which should be categorized under the domestic work. It also defines the payment rates as well as the working conditions under which the domestic workers should be subjected and it also defines the working hours and the day offs. The contract also considers the domestic workers who are immigrants in the United States of America. (Nancy 1987) 5. Another measure which is being taken in order to rectify the situation off the domestic workers in America is the setting of the public awareness campaigns. These campaigns are based on the laws and regulations regarding the domestic workers in America. Through these campaigns the public is enlightened on the penalties which are entitled to the employers who commit any kind of abuse to the domestic workers. On the other hand the campaigns pay a lot of attention to the issues of the racial and gender migrations and this is inclusive of the living and also the working conditions of the domestic workers. The domestic workers through the campaigns are enlightened on their rights and the rights of their employers. 6. Another important measure which is being taken in addressing the situation of the domestic workers in America is the publicizing of the complaint mechanisms and other hot line services which are accessible to the domestic workers. This would be very helpful especially for the domestic workers in America who have been experiencing all kinds of problems with their employers. Similarly this would provide a better coordination between the employers, the domestic workers and the labor inspectors as well as the immigration officers and the police. (Anderson and Bowman 1993) 7. On the other hand there is development of systematic mechanisms and also training for various labor agencies especially for the non governmental organizations in all the levels. This further ensures that all these parties have a very clear understanding of all the issues which are related to the needs and the rights of the domestic workers. Similarly they will be able to apply the suitable responses whenever the domestic workers are abuses in any way or when their rights are infringed by their employers. The trainings would help the participating parties to counsel, shelter or even refer the domestic workers for health care treatments. 8. There is also the provision of mechanisms for the domestic workers who are immigrants to the United States of America. These mechanisms call for justice if the immigrant domestic workers receive bad treatment from their employers. Similarly they ensure that the immigrant domestic workers are not exploited, cheated, persecuted and they also do not suffer from any form of abuse from their recruiters, employers and other concerned authorities. In such mechanisms there is a requirement for knowledgeable interpreters. 9. Another measure which is being taken in rectifying the situation of the domestic workers is the increase of the number of the labor inspectors in America. Their authority is also being revised so that they can be able to carry out investigations on the working conditions which apply to the informal work places such as the households. On the other hand such inspection is also undertaken on a regular basis in the households which the domestic workers work. (Chow 1994) 10. There is also the development of a positive public perception on the domestic workers especially those who have emigrated from other countries to the United States of America. This would allow the public to appreciate the value of the work which is done by the domestic workers in the country. This is creatively done through the countryÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s mass media especially in the soap operas whereby the domestic workers are displayed as people who play a significant role in the American economy and the whole country at large. This has further helped in counteracting the image of the domestic workers and especially the women who have very low social economic status as well as those with low education levels. 11. In the United States of America there is a regularization process for the domestic workers who are immigrants and this only grants them the right to work. Thus these domestic workers can travel to other districts but only in the company of their employers. 12. There are measures which are looking into establishing some informal and also self help organizations for the domestic workers. This would give the domestic workers an opportunity to interact as well as share their personal experiences with the other domestic workers. 13. So as to improve the situation of the domestic workers in America the government has developed some programs for the immigrant workers and this is inclusive of a pre-departure orientation which is mandatory for the domestic worker and it looks into the heath issues. The issues of the domestic workers rights and responsibilities are also addressed in the orientation. The government acts to protect the human right of the immigrant and also the local domestic workers in America. There is also an establishment of some follow-up programs whereby the employees provide the necessary information on their rights over the domestic workers under the labor laws. This would ensure that both the employees and the employers have a transparency which exists between them and thus any forms of abuses are highly avoided. (Nancy 1987) Conclusion In the United States of America the domestic workers remain to be a very significant part of the countryÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s secondary labor markets. However there have been very major changes in the ethnicity and the geographical origins of the domestic workers in America. On the other hand the domestic workers have been experiencing some very harsh working conditions from their employees whereby their privacy is infringed upon as well as their rights as workers and human beings. However there are some measures which have been taken to address the situation of the domestic workers in America. These include the implementation of the domestic workers bill of rights and other policies and programs which help in protecting the rights of the domestic workers in America. Reference: Anderson, C. And Bowman, M. (1993): The Vanishing Servant and the Contemporary Status System of the American South. American Journal of Sociology Chow, E. (1994): Asian American Women at Work, Survival, Resistance, and Coping. Women of Color in U. S. Society. Philadelphia: Temple University Press. Nancy F. (1987): Introduction, New Immigrants and Changing Patterns in New York City. The New Immigrants in New York; (Ed. ) New York: Columbia University Press.

Monday, October 14, 2019

People With Disability And The Media Media Essay

People With Disability And The Media Media Essay The mass media serves many purposes. It is informative, descriptive, and persuasive but it also helps create stereotypes and reinforce cultural values. Although there is no clear correlation of the effects media has on the attitudes of society towards people with disabilities it is seen to have an influence. People with disabilities and their concerns are either invisible, marginalised, or depicted by negative stereotypes in the media The media seem to distinguish people with disabilities in a number of limited categories. They are portrayed as either heroes for doing something inspirational or achieving something great, as people who should be pitied for their impairment or as people who are sinister or evil and evoke fear. Rarely do they appear and remain in the media in habitual roles. In our society people with disabilities are excluded, oppressed, treated unequally, seen as helpless and are victims of prejudice. Many news articles concerning disability contain stories regarding cures, or overcoming the disability. The Irish Examiner recently featured a story entitled Device lets blind soldier see again (Creedon 2010 p5). The focus in this story is a soldier, a hero, who lost his sight in the Iraqi war trying to regain a normal life and the device he uses enables him to get around without the use of a guide dog. This seems to portraying the need to hide the disability and to somehow fix it, or find a cure for it. Some famous people are also known for trying to overcome their disability and never accepting it. Christopher Reeve, famously known for his role as superman, became a wheelchair user and required breathing equipment following an accident where he thrown from his horse. He never fully accepted his disability and became an advocate for stem cell research to find a cure. President F.D Roosevelt was a wheelchair user but there are claims that only two photos of 35,000 showed him in his w heelchair (Hevey 1992, Delamothe 1992). In another recent story, Autistic boy seeks return of facilities (Kilfeather 2010 p2) a boy is portrayed as being denied his constitutional rights because he is not provided with equipment he requires. On the same page as this article is a story about a young autistic girl who is a hero and is overcoming her obstacles. This story, Grace iPhone app makes a difference (Ãƒâ€œ Cionnaith 2010 p2) does hold positive information for people with autism however in the development of a new device to assist communication but they are treating her as astonishingly impressive. Oliver (1990) noted that people with disabilities were described as extraordinary or sub-ordinate humans. People with disabilities were used as a source of melodramatic entertainment in circuses across Europe and America throughout the 20th century as depicted in Mel Brooks The Elephant man in 1980 and Tod Browning Freaks film in 1932. Disability was not understood at the time and was seen as evil, works of the devil and something to be feared. Cultural views has changed drastically since institutionalization and become more accepting of people with disabilities, although it still needs huge improvements. Soap operas are very popular nowadays. They are entertaining but directly relate to ordinary life experiences and are an excellent way of portraying social issues. They do not include people with disabilities very often, and when they do the person with the disability finds a cure or leaves again. EastEnders, a UK based soap, has included a character with bi polar disorder and a character with paralysis recently. These characters are depicted excellently and will hopefully set a precedent for other soaps. Robert Zemeckis 1994 film Forrest Gump is a widely known film starring a character with autism. This film involves positive and negative imagery. Firstly, he is a hero for his achievements in war but then he is also portrayed as having normal intimate feelings for a member of the opposite sex. He is not just shown as a supernatural human but as a sufferer of unrequited love which is a usual feature of many characters in fiction. This film is an exception to most for its representation of disability. The images the media render can be seen as very conflicting. The current television advertisements to promote safe driving evoke a sense of pity and horror in the viewer to the results of a car accident, such as facial disfigurement, paralysis, undesirability and total dependence on others of the victim. Parents and family are then seen as burdened with the victim of the car accident who now has a disability. There is an emphasis on who is going to provide for victim when the care givers die. There is also a stress on rehabilitation following an accident. If one is a victim of an accident and becomes a wheelchair user one must try to correct that by participating in rehabilitation. Even plastic surgery can be seen as a pressure by society to conform to what is seen to be conventional. This ideology is a product of cultural values and norms, reinforced by the media portrayal of flawlessness. On the other hand, The National Disability Authoritys campaign called Challenging Attitudes, first launch in December 2007, was designed to change peoples views on mental health issues by using television, radio advertisements and posters (see appendix 1). They use a number of words to describe a person and include a mental health phrase such as depression, schizophrenic, bi-polar etc. They are trying to persuade people to look at the person as a whole, not in terms of the disability. This is contradictory to the message given by the car accident advertisements where a person with a disability is seen in terms of their disability and it is something to be feared. The Public Attitudes to Disability in Ireland (2008) report found that many people thought that children with disabilities should not attend mainstream schooling. This shows huge discrimination and problems changing cultural attitudes towards people with disabilities when it cannot be accepted in schools. In this study it was found that 60% of the respondents thought that disability was created by barriers in society which is an idea founded in the social model of disability (Oliver, 1983). This is a big increase since the 2002 report which found that only 25% of people saw society as creating barriers for people with disabilities. Public attitudes are shifting in a positive direction. From practice placement it is evident in a local town in North Kerry that some businesses in the town do not allow young children with a range of physical and mental disabilities into their premises. If they do allow them in it is only at a certain times of the day for a given period. Many of the staff working with these young children are harassed by local people saying that those people should be locked away as they were frightening their children and they should not be behaving like that in public. Environments and attitudes like this exclude people with disabilities and prevent positive socialisation. Huge investment needs to be placed into re-educating the people in our society. People with disabilities are not usually seen in primary roles in television programmes. A study by Cumberbatch and Negrine (1992) in the United Kingdom reveal that the most prevailing stories regarding disability in the media included people with a disability achieving something major or finding a cure. They examined an eight week period of television programming over a number of channels. They also found that people with disabilities only appeared .5% of fictional programmes. Contrasting to the UK study, The Representation and Portrayal of People with Disabilities in Irish Broadcasting (2009) showed that people with disabilities featured more in fictional programmes then nonfiction. Perhaps this means a shift in images over the period of time. In the report, they concluded that: People with disabilities are more likely to be obviously present in drama, comedy and lifestyle programming and are less evident in news, sports and music programming (The Representation and Portrayal of People with Disabilities in Irish Broadcasting, 2009) People with disabilities have only begun to appear in advertisements since the 1980s, most frequently they are seen on charity advertisements appealing for financial support. These advertisements and depictions are mostly controlled by able-bodied people. Mason (1982) argues in her poem that people with disabilities are silenced when it comes to their portrayal in the media so as not to disrupt the image of dependency and need. The Special Olympics advertisement appeals for financial support utilises children in evoking pity in the audience. Many people with disabilities feel that they have no say in these decisions about how they are publicized in the media. They are represented by others who may not understand their needs. More people with disabilities need to be included in the decision making processes. The Irish population seem to be enraptured by the current story of the conjoined twins, Hassan and Hussein Benhaffaf, they have almost become celebrities because of their disabili ty. They have been featured in national and local newspapers, on radio shows and on the television. The media have played a very important role in portraying their image and appealing for financial assistance. A recently conducted workshop in Dublin by Dr. Philip Nitschke, commonly known as Dr. Death in the media, could potentially be very dangerous. His workshops consist of information as to how a person can commit suicide safety and efficiently. Dr. Nitschke is the first doctor in the world to conduct a physician assisted suicide, first done in Australia in 1996. He claims his workshops are aimed at elderly people and those who are terminally ill, but he cannot guarantee that the information he has given will not be used by others such as people affected with mental health issues or people with disabilities. He gives clear information about methods of suicide and he also tells people where to get items to assist their suicide. Although suicide is not illegal in Ireland, euthanasia is and having access to this information could encourage more suicide especially in the more vulnerable in society and in a culture where disability is looked upon as requiring a cure. There have been some positive changes in Irish legislation and policies in recent years. A Strategy for Equality (1996) has influenced some of these changes. This report was made in conjunction with people with disabilities and it made many recommendations. One of the recurring recommendations in the report is to provide training to professionals and individuals such as presenters, journalists, teachers, students, people with disabilities etc. regarding the use of terminology and imagery. It seems that the principle problem lies in the lack of education regarding people with disabilities. Disability is ignored more often than it is acknowledged. This report also recommends that news regarding people with disabilities should feature in mainstream news and not in special correspondence. As they are underrepresented in the media the topic of disability should be made more visible. There is a clear lack of participation in game shows and talent shows by people with disabilities. The report also found that people in the deaf community felt that more programmes need to be subtitled to create equal access; however this issue has been addressed greatly since this report which is a positive action towards inclusivity. The Representation and Portrayal of People with Disabilities in Irish Broadcasting (2009) illustrate that people are more willing to accept and listen to people with disabilities in the media where people with disabilities take part. Overall, however people with disabilities only accounted for 1% of the proportion of people on television even though they account for 10% of the population (Public Attitudes to Disability in Ireland, 2008). They are highly under represented. The programmes involving people with disabilities featured unemployment problems, unusual medical syndromes, being victims of violence and abuse, unequal opportunities, unable to commit to and sustain sexual relationships, etc. This seems to reinforce stereotyping of people with disabilities and portrays a very negative image to the population. There is legislation in Ireland to prevent discrimination against people with disabilities. The Employment Equality Acts 1998 2004 and the Equal Status Acts 2000 -2004 provides that it is illegal to discriminate in workplaces and in service provision on a number of grounds. This is recent legislation that could potentially have a positive effect on peoples values and norms. Also the Disability Act 2005 provides that 3% of positions in public sector organisations must held for people with disabilities. Although this is discrimination against able bodied people, it is for a positive reason and should hopefully encourage more acceptances of people with disabilities. If communities are more exposed to people with disabilities, attitudes and cultural norms would change. In conclusion, it is a slow process but the media is beginning to change its images and the culture is becoming more accepting of people with disabilities. Perhaps it would be worth considering initiatives regarding how prejudice against black people or homosexual people were addressed and how effective they were in planning action and reducing prejudice for the disabled community. References Creedon, L., (2010) Device lets blind soldier see again. The Irish Examiner, March 16th, 5 Cumberbatch, G Negrine, R., (1992) Images of disability on television, Routledge Darke, London Delamothe, T., (1992) Thank You. Medicine and the Media, May 2nd, 1186 EastEnder, 2010 (Soap) Directed by Julia Smith. UK: Elstree Studios Forrest Gump, 1994 (Film) Directed by Robert Zemeckis. USA: Paramount Pictures Freaks, 1932 (Film) Directed by Tod Browning. USA: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Hevey, D., (1992) The Creatures Time Forgot: Photography and Disability Imagery. Routledge, London. Kilfeather, V., (2010) Autistic boy seeks return of facilities. Irish Examiner, March 16th, 2 Leavy, S. (2010) Does the freedom to die enhance lives? 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