Discrimination In Health And Social Care

Illness, chronic disease, and disability can be exhausting experiences for affected individuals. Between medical appointments, physical limitations, and balancing medications, there can be a lot for these patients to keep track of. While the physical components of illness can be overwhelming, it is not the only challenges these patients face. Along with the illness or disability comes an entirely new social experience for the patient. While this social change is overlooked by many, for the patient it becomes a part of everyday life. Factors of this social experience, include, but are not limited to, facing stigmas, strained social relations, and workplace discrimination. Individuals with an illness or a disability are forced to face stigmas on a daily basis. In chapter 5 of the textbook, the claim is made that individuals who are considered unhealthy are “typically considered less whole and less socially worthy than those …show more content…
As we discussed in class, a hiring construction company may never even consider an applicant in a wheelchair, even though they could still paint walls or work in the office, answering calls and directing the workforce. In a 2010 national survey cited in chapter 6 of the textbook, “almost half of people with disabilities reported encountering job discrimination, most often in the form of lower pay for the same work or being considered ineligible for a job because of their disability” (pg. 125). It is also less likely that ill and disabled individuals will have an employer who is willing to meet their medical needs. If they need breaks throughout the day to eat, or to take medication, the employer must consider this when hiring. It can also be hard for ill and disabled individuals to hold a full-time job once they get it, because they may have to take time off for medical appointments, days when they are in too much pain, or days when they are too sick to come to