How has society’s responsibility to individual needs changed in the last 10 years?

Question

How has society’s responsibility to individual needs changed in the last 10 years? What do you think the role of human service workers will be in the future?

Answer 1

Today, the individual is more important than ever. 10 years is a very short time, so I can't cite a documented shift during that time. But people are not marginalized or left out because of individual differences as much as they used to be. For example, people with disabilities are being acknowledged and accommodated for their individual needs these days. 50 years ago, they would lump all children with disabilities (whether mental or physical) in the same classroom and give them a second-rate education.

I think that society's responsibility has changed in that we care less about the good of the community. People no longer sacrifice themselves, or at least they're not quiet anymore if they're being ignored. Instead, we care about if our individual needs are being met, and we expect society or the government to make that happen. This is a very common consequence of urbanization/modernity.