Employement Discrimination Against the Disabled

It is unfortunately so that for many years disabled people have had fewer options than people without disabilities. Recent laws in many countries, also the USA, attemptted to put a stop to this. In many countries, the exclusion of jobs based on race, sex, religion or disability is against the law. In certain countries, people who were discriminated against previously, must get preference in jobs they are qualified for.

The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) makes it clear that there should be no discrimination against a qualified person when this person applies for a job. Disabled people must have the same opportunities as any other employee. People who have a disability because of substance abuse such as drugs are, however, excluded from this law.

It is the responsibility of the employer to make sure the workplace is adapted to accommodate these individuals. It normally applies to bigger companies with 15 or more workers.

The clarity of the law is still a bit of a problem and many lawsuits arose because of this. Where a company can prove that the financial burden would have a negative impact on the company they might be excluded from the law.

Jobseekers should also be honest about their disabilities when applying for a job. The law is on the side of the employer if it becomes clear that the employee didn’t disclose all information and is unable to do the job he or she was appointed in.

In a couple of surveys done by employment agencies they found that most employers feel disabled people are loyal workers and are not necessarily more absent from work than any other of their employees. On the other hand, it also showed that employers still prefer to employ people with no disabilities when they have the choice.

Some companies, however, went out of their way to make life easier for their disabled employees and reports showed interesting adaptations, such as assistance with the cost of wheel chairs and hearing aids, providing an appropriate environment for hearing or guide dogs, easily accessible parking close to offices and employing signers to assist deaf employees at important meetings.

While employment opportunities for disabled people are still far from perfect, it is clear that there is a move in the right direction and hopefully discrimination against the disabled will soon be a thing of the past.