Healthcare Reflections on Disability What

Healthcare

Reflections on Disability

What does Lisa mean by "ballpark normalcy"?

Lisa says that ballpark normalcy refers to a life that is not quite normal but it is in the ballpark. When a team gets together to play baseball the players usually all come from different places and from different backgrounds. They all have things that they can do well and all have things at which they are not so good at. The concept is that if they all work together they can each overcome their own deficiencies and still be successful. When a person is put into a situation that has a lot of support, like there is in a ballpark, then they have the opportunity to accomplish a whole lot more than they could on their own. A lot times when ball teams play a ball game there is nothing normal or typical about it. Games can vary from one day to the next, just as peoples lives can.

On page 1, Lisa writes… "the first question that parents ask is "Will she have a normal life"? Do you feel you would ask a doctor the same question about your child? What would a normal life for your child be like? Could a child with disabilities have the same life? Why or why not?

I'm not sure that I would ask the question of whether my child would have a normal life or not. I think it would be obvious from the beginning that normal is an operative word that means different things to different people. So asking the doctor that question would probably not yield me the answer that I am looking for. I don't think that anyone has a "normal" life. Everyone's life is different as each person's circumstances are different. I feel that a normal life if whatever a person makes of themselves. A child with disabilities could have a very normal life for them. It is obviously not going to be the same life as a child that does not have disabilities, but has the opportunity to be just as fulfilling and rewarding. Trying to compare a child's life that has a disability with a child's life that doesn't is like trying to compare an apple with an orange and somehow making it equal. Each child is their own person and should be treated that way. They should be encouraged to life the best life that they can.

3. On page 1, Lisa writes "this type of all or nothing approach may end up causing everyone's life to be more abnormal than accepting aspects of a child's disability would"? What does she mean by that? Do you agree with Lisa? How does it make you feel as future physical therapist that treatment may be viewed as doing more harm than good? Do you feel it would be unethical to not treat a child who you believe could minimize the consequences of a disabling condition?

She means that by trying to lump everyone into one group causes no one to be able to be successful. Every child needs to be treated as an individual and not as just a member of a group. I agree with Lisa in that each child and their circumstances need to be looked at individually. As a future physical therapist I feel that each patient's case has its own unique characteristics and that each of these should be looked at and considered when a treatment plan is devised.

Trying to treat each patient based on exactly what they textbooks say is not the best method. These books are a good starting point, but should not be the end all and be all. Each person is reacts differently to treatment and thus treatments should be tailored to each patient so that they have the best opportunity to be successful. What works for one patient may not work for the next. If everyone is treated according to the way that everyone else has always been treated then it may be that no one ever gets any better.

Every child should be treated so that they have the opportunity to have the best life possible. I definitely think that it would be unethical to not treat a child who I believe could minimize the consequences of a disabling condition. Every child deserves the chance to have the best life possible and if a medical professional has the ability to make sure that this happens then they should be bound to do just that. What constitutes a successful intervention for one child may not be viewed as being successful for the next, but they will find something that is successful for them. Every child has potential and it is up to the team of medical professionals and a child's parents to make sure that they are given every opportunity possible to reach it.

4. We are all unique and different and many of us have issues that are at the edge of "ballpark normalcy," or even out of it. How do you relate to what Lisa says about ballpark normalcy? Is there something about yourself that isn't quite "normal"? Are you doing anything to change any of those aspects of yourself you identify as being on the edge of normal?

I think that Lisa's idea of "ballpark normalcy" is a great concept. It is interesting to think about how often we as people get grouped into segments and then are expected to behave in a certain way just because we are member of that group. So often we forget that people are individuals and that they should be allowed to act way. No two people are alike and so they shouldn't be treated that way.