Disability Discrimination law
Disability discrimination laws are put in place to protect those that do not have the same skill set as a “normal person. Now, a disability can be anyone with a physical or mental impairment. This impairment must prevent a person from doing one or more things effectively. The disability can be physical, cognitive, sensory, or learning. Disability discrimination laws specifically state that a person is qualified for the job if they can perform all duties asked of them. If they can not than then, and only then can an employer refuse to employ them. If a person feels that they can perform the task at hand, but that they still received unequal treatment, then the disability discrimination law has been broken. According to the disability discrimination law, a person is entitled to equal opportunities regardless of any impairment they may have. Now if a person needs something the government calls reasonable accommodations, and are able to perform the tasks that the job requires, then they must be equally considered for the position. Reasonable accommodations under the disability discrimination law include, making adjustments to equipment and training material, changing a work schedule, making the location accessible to all with disabilities, and keeping production at the same level. Now, if an employer must spend more money than necessary, or decrease production and hence, lose money, then they are not required to higher that disabled person. Disability discrimination laws protect the disabled to the best level they can. When someone is not able to function like a “normal” person, than it is hard to allow them to perform tasks that are difficult or challenging. In many cases simple tasks to someone without a disability, are very hard to someone with a disability. In the case of initial consideration for a job, the employer cannot question the ability or disability status of an individual for any reason. Required medical exams must be used for job purposes only and may not ever interfere with the initial employment process. Additionally, according to the disability discrimination laws, people using drugs to help them with there disability on a legal basis may not be questioned. This protects the individual from releasing unnecessary information to an employer.
Many times people that have disabilities are turned away from a job in certain industries because they do not fit a specific look, or would interfere with the current look of the company. Too many business try to fit a mold and will not break it for someone that is a burden on them anyway. The disability discrimination law stops employees who hire someone that is disabled just to say they did it and give them some busy work to perform. In this economy employers are no longer over staffing, and are requiring serious experience for a job. With the power to make their own requirements for a position, disability discrimination laws like the Civil Rights Act, can only help a the disabled so much. Many of the disabled are out of work and forced to collect government assistance.