Disability_Paper

Matt Ostrander Working with Persons with Disabilities In 2000 there were about 50 million Americans that had a disability that fell under the American with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) and about 33 million of those are considered severely disabled (Ruffino 423). The ADA’s definition for having a disability states: “Has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities.” Whether you are missing a toe or part of your finger to not being able to see perfect in a way, everybody has some form of a disability or impairment. The only difference is how severely this affectsyour everyday life. When the term disabled is used, it is commonly referred to being a physical ailment. But this is not the case; the word disability covers a wide range of ailments such as; psychiatric, physical, sensory, and cognitive. A psychiatric disability is a broad range of mental and emotional conditions that differs from mental retardation, such as anxiety disorders, ODC, mood disorders, bipolar, and depression. A physical disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more basic physical activities such as walking, climbing stairs, reaching, lifting, or carrying. This includes cerebral palsy, spinabifida, amputations, metabolic disorders and respiratory disorders. A sensory disability impacts one or more of a person’s five senses. This would include low vision, blindness, hearing impaired, deafness, speech impairments and impairments to taste and smell. Finally cognitive disabilities must have an IQ of 70-75 or below, significant limitations in two or more adaptive skills areas (daily living, self care, work skills, etc.), and must be present from childhood. This includes fetal alcohol syndrome, down syndrome, and autism. Within the disabled community there are several myths that need to be demolished. Here are three important ones. The first is the people with severe disabilities are childlike, dependent, and in need of charity or pity. This far from the truth, there is a center in Massachusetts called Monadnock Development Services that specializes in training persons with disabilities to do everyday activities without assistance. In fact, many people with disabilities are able to work and manage their own lives. The second myth is that persons with disabilities are unable to lead normal lives. The truth is that many live a relatively normal life, with only have one facet of their life being impaired. And third, employees with disabilities are more difficult to work with. On the contrary, people with disabilities are more loyal to the company, with put forth greater effort, and are more punctual. When it comes to interacting with someone in the work place that has a disability, it should be no differentthan interacting with someone that does not have a disability. Disabled people are just as capable of doing their job as you are, so special treatment is not needed. Where they might need some special accommodations, they should still be treated the same as any other employee. The first step in doing this is accepting the disability. Remembering that they have been living with the disability for most of their life means that they understand that there is a difference between them and the rest of the employees. But that still does not mean that they are not capable of doing their job to the fullest. Second, see the person rather then the disability. Acknowledging the disability will not offend them, but treating them as an unequal will. Treat the person as you would any other employee. Third, respect the disabled person’s devices such as crutches, wheelchair, cane, Seeing Eye dog, text telephone, or hearing apparatus. These devices are here to help the individual out with everyday task. Just as you would expect them to respect your stuff, you should respect theirs. When you are approaching a hearing impaired individual, touch them in the shoulder to attract their attention so you do not startle them. Also when coming in contact with a blind person, it is courteous to announce your presence as they are unaware of anyone approaching. Fourth, allow the disabled to make their own decisions concerning whether or not they have the ability to do a task. Fifth and last, keep all criticism strictly on job performance and not about the disability. Just as others do not want to be judged because of the color of their skin or the religion they choose to follow, judging someone because of their disability is unacceptable. Works Cited Anderson, David A. “Harassment of the Disabled: A Workplace Issue.” http://library.findlaw.com/2003/Jan/9/132459.html Jan. 9, 2003. Carr-RuffinoPh. D., Norma. “Working with Persons with Disabilities,” Managing Diversity, 7th: 423-460, 2007. “Disability Discrimination.” http://archive.eeoc.gov/ eHowContributing Writer. “How to Interact With a Disabled Person in the Workplace.” Pierce, Meghan. “The disabled in the workplace.” Thompson, Steve. “Interacting with Disabled People in the Workplace.” Research Project Grading INCLUDE THIS FORM WITH YOUR REPORT Student Name:_ _ Diverse group: Grading: Points Possible Content Introduction – synopsis of this paper /5 Literature Review History of diverse group Current status Myths, etc. /20 Interview background (company, interviewee title, etc.) /5 Interview content Review of discussion Compare/contrast to literature review Critical thought and insight /20 Conclusion – reiterate key points and/or insights from the research /10 Subtotal /60 Style Spelling, grammar, punctuation /5 Proper footnoting, citations, bibliography, references /5 Business tone /5 Subtotal /15 Total Score = _/75