Disability in the Workplace Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Disability in the Workplace - Research Paper Example People living with disabilities have been cited as the most disadvantaged in employment and this paper focuses on discrimination against people with disabilities in the workplace. The legislation against this form of discrimination, particularly the Americans with Disabilities Act, ADA would be evaluated and compared to its revised version referred to as the ADA Amendments Act, ADAAA which sought to clarify contentious issues in its predecessor. Treatment of people unfairly in particular respects amounts to discrimination and would happen because of people’s prejudiced or stereotypical beliefs about other persons based on their attributes or personal characteristics. Chou and Choi further define workplace discrimination as the variation in treatment pegged on an individual’s characteristics â€Å"which impairs or nulliï ¬ es fairness of treatment or opportunity in the workplace† (1052). Repa (253) gives examples of illegal discrimination as discriminations based on race, skin color, religious beliefs and nationality. Robin (2) points out at sexual harassment as a rampant form of discrimination especially in workplaces. Other recent forms of discrimination considered to be illegal include discrimination based on one’s HIV/AIDS status, pregnancy, being divorced, lesbian or gay. Some other forms of workplace discrimination prohibited by the Americans with Disabilities Act include discrimination ba sed on mental or physical disability, job applicant’s present and past medical conditions and creation of worksites that pose physical barriers to movement of the physically handicapped (Goodman-Delahunty & Foote 27). Treating everyone equally also amounts to discrimination. However, there are exemptions for discrimination such that they do not amount to being illegal, but only if for a specific purpose. These exemptions allow for employers to recruit from a particular race, sex or age when these