1. What do you need to be, do, or have to have a good quality of life? What are barriers to your life quality? What supports your life quality?
2. In the lecture, we discussed ableism. Give one example of how ableism impacted Joaquin's life or the life of any of the students who shared during the lecture.
3. Explain presuming competence as it relates to Joaquin's story. How does the life quality of people relate to the presumption of competence?
4. One of our students mentioned that "a barrier to life quality is when we assume that we've already done the work." Please elaborate on what the student was referring to. Can you think of other examples where this holds true?

QUESTION 1

To attain a good quality of life, one needs security or a safe place to live in, proper education, access to better health care, and love. The main barrier to a quality life is that people assume that one can get whatever they need in a given place. This is a barrier since it is just an assumption that is not true, hence can hinder one from having a quality life. Another barrier to a quality life is the government failing to provide proper support through poor governance that impedes the quality of life. Lack of support from family and friends is another barrier to good quality of life since it leaves one vulnerable without a place to seek refuge. The main thing that supports my life quality is the presence of a caring family and friends. Through my family, I am assured of a sense of well-being and comfort.

QUESTION 2

            Ableism had a significant toll on Joaquin's life. Notably, Joaquin was confined or segregated in an institution whereby he lived with strangers and not his family (Diana 12). Through segregation, Joaquin could not communicate clearly, and no one could cater to Joaquin's needs as his family would have done.

QUESTION 3

            Presuming competencies entails assuming that an individual with autism can understand and think independently. Presuming competence is very much evidence in Joaquin's case since he was confined in an institution for approximately 15years, where he was required to take care of himself without aid. On the contrary, Joaquin had particular behavioral and medical needs that called for specialized attention.  The presumption of competence is directly related to people's life quality since it leads to low quality of life, leading to hopelessness.

QUESTION 4

The moment one assumes that they have already done the work, life quality cannot be achieved. Notably, one should not be in their comfort zones to attain a better life quality. There are so many dynamics in life, and therefore people should continue working hard to be at par with these different dynamics in life. In this regard, assuming that you have already done the work is a significant barrier to a quality life. An excellent example of this is when one may have achieved a specific goal in life, assuming that they have already done the work.