I have witnessed this type of discrimination being directed toward one of my family members. My uncle, Chris, is schizophrenic. He is 32 years old and has been denied many things in life due to his mental illness. When going to shopping malls with him I notice that not only does he get rude stares from people but I have occasionally heard people state that he has to leave the store because he makes people uncomfortable. Watching this take place is heartbreaking. Due to rude comments such as this one I have seen his self-esteem deteriorate over years to the point where he does not like to leave his house or interact with strangers. I have even noticed how this discrimination has impacted his mental health as he was recently put on anti-depression pills. My uncle has had to endure a lot of hardship throughout his life and people treating him like this adds to his hardships.
This type of discrimination will co
ntinue to take place if people are not educated on different disabilities and the associated limitations and if facilities and structures are not put in place to assist disabled people. Ignorance when dealing with this issue will cause problems. Many people may not see denying a person access to a building as a form of exclusion, but it is. This seemingly minor inconvenience may make this person feel as though they do not belong in the community and that they are unwanted. Not knowing the exclusion of the effects can have on people, can result in people feeling ignored, and irrelevant, and can impact their mental health negatively. I think that most often people are unaware of how hurtful their comments and actions can be and the impact that they can have on a person and their self-esteem. Therefore, is it important that we educate ourselves and others on this issue to prevent excluding people from society.