Disability Discrimination In The Workplace

As a country we always reinforce the idea that all men and women are created equal, yet there is still prejudice towards certain individuals. Disability discrimination is defined as the “process of making decisions affecting an employee based wholly, or partly, upon the real or perceived disability of the employee in those cases where the employee is a "qualified" individual. [...] a “qualified” individual is an individual disability who, with or without reasonable accommodation, can perform the essential functions of the employment position that such individual holds or desires" (Davidovich, Disability Discrimination). The American with Disability Act, passed in 1990, was the first comprehensive act passed in favor of protecting people with

Even though it is unintentional it is still considered discrimination. Despite the Federal Government's and employers effort to impose equality to those with disabilities, there still is a lack of responsibility to limit disability discrimination since there is bias towards those with disabilities when applying for jobs and an unfair wage gap. The United States Department of Labor has legislated many acts to support those with disabilities in the workforce and also has many agencies to help those find jobs. Acts such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, Rehabilitation Act, Workforce Investment Act, Vietnam Era Veterans' Readjustment Assistance Act, and Civil Service Reform Act (Office of Disability Employment Policy) are powerful resolutions to this problem. American with Disabilities Act is one of the most popular laws passed on this topic. This act “prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities and guarantees equal opportunities for individuals with disabilities in employment, transportation, public accommodations...” (Office of Disability Employment Policy). In efforts to implement an effective method to decrease discrimination towards disabled persons, this act is a strict enforcement of controlling bias towards

Also, statistics show that the unemployment rate for people with disabilities is 12.1% despite the unemployment rate for people without disabilities which is 4.5% (Office of Disability Employment Policy). This is evidence that there is injustice present in our society. Without effective guidelines disabled persons will be behind us as we move forward. These are only the statistics of the prejudice towards the disabled according to Wharton School there are reasons also. Much needs to be done to execute a plan to support the disabled. To become successful we need to move forward altogether as a society not by leaving individuals to