Disability Employment Awareness Month
"I was, on the whole, considerably discouraged by my school days. It was not pleasant to feel oneself so completely outclassed and left behind at the beginning of the race."
-Winston Churchill
In 1990 legislation passed the ADA, Americans with Disabilities Act. When examining this act you find what are called titles, the first dealing with employment. This is what I would like to discuss. Are job opportunities really equal for these individuals? According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics opportunities do not seem to be equal. “The unemployment rate for persons with a disability was 13.4 percent in 2012 high than the rate for persons with no disability, 7.9 percent.”
To follow what Winston Churchill said, how do we move forward if we are unable to start in the first place? These individuals are unable to find employment because they are not let to have a chance. The ADA does not allow the manager, or interviewer to ask direct questions about an individual's disability. The interviewer may not understand or may not get the full idea of what exactly the individual is able to do. This is a fine line here, most places ask are you able to stand for 8 hours, can you lift over 30 pounds and so on. You can see how this is a difficult situation.
To not sound too discouraging there are programs and good ideas out there to help get these individuals jobs. Small business employers are able to receive a tax credit as an incentive to search out these individuals. Vocational Rehabilitation is also a way individuals with disabilities might be able to get their foot in the door. The VA helps find the individual a job and then somewhat buddies up with the employer to pay half of the employees' wages.
"Once we accept our limits, we go beyond them." -Albert Einstein
People need stability, jobs are something stable to look forward to. They are at the same place, you see the same people and typically do the same thing. It is good to get out of the house and have something “to do”. People are full of surprises and you never know what to expect from someone. Employers who are just not sure whether or not to hire my friend with only one arm will not find out that she is a hard worker with a wonderful sense of humor. She's always on time and will not let you down. She was stuck in a rut for a while because she was not given the chance. She would go to interviews and was never called back. Her family found out about a program similar to Vocational Rehabilitation and she was able to find a job. She is now like Albert Einstein says, going beyond her “limits” and loves her job.
October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month and hopefully this has been informative on the issue we are having in our country currently. My hope is that our country comes together and realizes that we are all the same even with our differences.