Essay on Americans With Disabilities Act

Employers must provide an attractive working environment for employees in a bid to boost their morale at work. An organization that does care on welfare of employees can do better as compared to those that have no regard for workers (Carden & Boyd, 2018). The most vulnerable group of workers that need reasonable accommodation includes the disabled. Reasonable accommodation simply implies ensuring that employees are provided with the support they need for them to deliver impeccably. However, the concept of reasonable accommodations relative, and there is a need for employers to acts in a tolerant manner. For instance, some people cannot manage to stand for long at work due to issues with their legs. Such people should be supported and given the necessary support to perform their duties. It is evident from the case that one could be having experience, but disability limits them or may lead to loss of their job (Carden & Boyd, 2018). The Americans with Disabilities Act was established to help people with various problems cope up within the job market. Employers are obliged to respect and treat people with disabilities in accordance with the requirements of the ADA (Thomson-DeVeaux, 2020). To provide reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities might be expensive for employers. This is because some of the support equipment that such individuals require is expensive for employers to provide (Carden & Boyd, 2018). Small businesses will have issues providing reasonable accommodation, which can claim a substantial amount of resources. Equally, most employers do not believe that disabled people can deliver just like other employees without extra support.

Amelia’s article presents a case that indicates a breach of an agreement is between the ADA and people that its meant to protect. For instance, Donna Walton, in the case, lost her job since her employer could not put up with her (Thomson-DeVeaux, 2020). According to the ADA, employers are required to provide reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities to deliver their best at work. The law is meant to protect such individuals but does not work as some employers show no regard for the same. The article notes with concern that since the establishment of the act, employment rate among people with disabilities has dropped. The article notes with concern that there are individuals in the community who feel the ADA has promoted and provided more opportunities for the disabled (Thomson-DeVeaux, 2020). The author has logically presented information to show what the ADA has achieved in the last few years. The fact that some of the disabled are complaining is n indication of the failure by the responsible authorities to take action.

Some individuals feel the ADA has failed in its mandate to protect the rights of disabled people. The core function of the act is to promote the level of unemployment among the disabled (Burkhauser & Stapleton, 2004). According to the article, the objective has not been achieved. This is because the number of disabled living in poverty has doubled in the last few years. Most people in society presume that the ADA should be at the forefront of championing the rights of the disabled. However, this might not work for all occasions, as the victims must report cases for discrimination for a follow-up (Burkhauser & Stapleton, 2004). Employers fear that if they employ disabled people, they might attract legal charges as they are not willing to provide reasonable accommodation as required.

There is an urgent need to enact legislation that can work and help the vulnerable within society to earn a place in the job market. For instance, each employer should be compelled to employ a certain number of disabled individuals and ensure that they have provided reasonable accommodation for individuals (Baldwin & Johnson, 2000). The legislation should be made compelling to avoid a debate that might arise critiquing the policy. Equally, employers who are found culpable of ignoring the legislation should be subjected to a hefty fine as a punishment and confiscate their license. Such stringent measures can help change the situation on experiences that disabled people go through (Turk, 2010). On the other hand, employers might pull out of business, which risks the economy of a country as many jobs are lost (Baldwin & Johnson, 2000). As such, enactment of legislation that governs the employment of disabled people should be done after consulting the involved stakeholders for a mutual understanding.

References

Baldwin, M. L., & Johnson, W. G. (2000). Labor market discrimination against men with disabilities in the year of the ADA. Southern Economic Journal, 548-566.

Burkhauser, R. V., & Stapleton, D. C. (2004). The decline in the employment rate for people with disabilities: Bad data, bad health, or bad policy?. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 20(3), 185-201.

Carden, L., & Boyd, R. (2018). Americans with Disabilities: A Plan to Reduce Claims. Southern Journal of Business and Ethics, 10, 10-16.

Thomson-DeVeaux, A. (2020). Has The ADA Broken Its Economic Promises To People With Disabilities? | FiveThirtyEight. Fivethirtyeight.com. Retrieved 2 April 2020, from https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/has-the-ada-broken-its-economic-promises-to-people-with-disabilities/.

Turk, M. (2010). Has the ADA improved the health of people with disabilities?. Disability And Health Journal, 3(4), 225-226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dhjo.2010.07.007