Disability Discrimination In The Workforce

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According to the Oxford dictionary, discrimination can be defined as the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. However, in this case, I would like to talk about discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Discrimination against employees and disabled individuals in the workforce are protected by the Americans with Disabilities Act. According to Employment Law for Business, the ADA summarizes the act by stating a qualified individual with a disability should not be discriminated because of their disabilities. This includes the individuals regard to job application procedures, hiring, advancement, or discharge of employees, compensation,
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Without conducting some form of training, our company can be at risk for a costly lawsuit. Many employees know of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), but are unaware of which individuals are protected. Topics such reasonable accommodation and undue hardship are highly important to talk about in today’s workforce. According to Nolo.com, a legal encyclopedia, reasonable accommodation as simply applying assistance or changes to a position or workplace that will enable an employee to do his or her job despite having a disability. Accommodations include; making existing facilities usable by disabled employees, restructuring jobs, modifying exams and training material (allowing more time for taking an exam, or allowing it to be taken orally instead of in writing) and hiring readers or interpreters to assist an employee. However, reasonable accommodation cannot and should not be mistaken as undue hardship. Undue hardship occurs when making accommodations for an individual, if it will impose financial difficulty, or be disruptive and fundamentally alter the daily operations of business. I was also informed that undue hardship can be determined by observing the nature/cost of the accommodation, financial resources …show more content…
The first disability on the list comes from people who suffer from back or spinal injuries. This specific disability accounts for 19.1% of ADA claims. One of the most common restrictions associated with back injuries in general is lifting. An employer may be instructed to transfer an individual with back injuries to a department that does not require lifting. The second most common disability comes from people who have mental or psychiatric impairments and accounts for 11.7% of ADA claims. Impairments mental or psychiatric includes depression, psychological problems, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder and bipolar disease. The third most common disability comes from individuals who have extremity disabilities. This account for 8.1% of ADA claims. If a person has hand and leg impairments, or carpal tunnel syndrome, they are included in the disability claim. The fourth most common disability noted by the ADA comes from individuals with neurological impairments, and accounts for 11.7% of ADA claims. Neurological impairments include epilepsy, severe migraines, and nervous system disorders. The fifth most common disability is heart impairments. This disability accounts for 4.4% of ADA claims, which includes if an individual has

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