Equal Opportunities for Disabled Americans :: Research Papers

Equal Opportunities for Disabled Americans Life for the disabled can be difficult physically, emotionally, and financially. Donley Jones talked about his hardships as a disabled American worker in a personal interview on November 25, 2004. However, there have been several legislative changes in the United States, which have put forth the opportunities that many poverty and lower level families have needed to move to higher grounds financially. Cleaver states that there have been many laws and acts put forth by congress to make this move easier for disabled Americans. Donley, a 37 year old janitor at the Johnson City Mall, is legally blind. Donley talks of the prejudices that left him and his family in poverty. He talks of his struggle to provide for his family and how hard it was to get out of poverty. Donley remembers not knowing how he would ever be able to provide opportunities for his children, such as putting them through college, with his income. Donley tells of how he believes the government had a lot to do with his ab ility to move his family out of poverty. The Disabilities Discrimination act of 1995 came into effect on December 2, 1996 (Lockwood 1). Lockwood tells of how this act provided equal opportunities in the work force for disabled Americans . The Act states that to be covered under the act, a person must have a physical or mental impairment, such as but not limited to loss of eyesight, which lasts at least one year (Lockwood 2). Lockwood’s article also states that the impairment must burden daily activities or put the person in risks of danger The law states that the employer may be required to make certain adjustments for disabled people to be employed. Lockwood stresses how important it is for employers not to discriminate against disabled workers. The employer will be committing discrimination, says Lock wood, if he or she refuses to hire treats a disabled person different than the way he or she would treat a person with out a disability. Section 6 of the Act states that an employer must make necessary changes to the work place (Lockwood 2). According to Lockwood these changes must make give disabled employees the same advantages they would have if they were not disabled. If a person feels they are being discriminated against they can file a lawsuit (Lockwood 5). Lockwood tells of several of the lawsuits have been filed since the act since the act took effect.