Discrimination Against Disabled People
Research papers on discrimination against disable persons will address this problem in society from any aspect you wish. Our writers can write from the sociological perspective, governmental/legislative perspective or even from the psychological perspective.
According to the 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) - a landmark piece of legislation - no citizen may be deprived of the following:
- Employment
- Access to buildings
- Events of any kind because of a disability.
Yet, despite this sweeping law, Americans with disabilities are still denied their rights.
The ADA is quite specific in its intent. Businesses, public services, new construction and modifications, and telecommunications companies are required to provide reasonable accommodations for all disabled people. Further, the act says there may be no retaliatory acts against people who assert their rights .
Encountering Discrimination
Your research paper may want to address the fact that too many people who are disabled encounter discrimination, mostly in "subtle" ways (such as no handicap access ramp to a public building). Even where access is available, the inside of the building itself might have inaccessible areas for someone in a wheelchair, or no Braille markings for a blind person.
While much of this is inadvertent, the ADA mandates full compliance in virtually every public or private area (such as a company or college), and handicapped people cannot be denied their right to participate fully in the social process, either as workers or attendees at an entertainment event.
Whether a person is young or older, the fact that he or she has a handicap of some kind can be intimidating. Take the case of Jackie Okin, a high school girl in New York with cerebral palsy. She had to take the SAT exam but needed a special accommodation. The SAT was offered several times, but only on one date was a special accommodation available. Jackie filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, which found the SAT exams were being offered without concern for people with disabilities. Because of Jackie's action, the change was made, and Jackie had her accommodation.
Disabled and Rights
This happened in 1994, and there is a sequel to Jackie's story. After graduating from Tufts University, she went on to American Law School, where she studied to become a civil rights lawyer, specializing in disability rights.
Jackie's story is not at all unusual, especially in the workplace. The ADA was intended to put more capable disabled people into meaningful professional positions. However, despite the law, little has happened to improve the lot of intelligent people with a disability. A 1997 study showed that state and federal laws barring discrimination have not helped disabled people gain their rights or even wage levels earned by non-disabled people.