Acts of Discrimination

Disability Discrimination

Jhier Littles, Student, Fitchburg State University

Disability discrimination is when a person with a disability is treated with lesser value than one without a disability in similar circumstances. As of 2017, it is documented that about one in four people with disabilities face discrimination at least once every day (Gaille). There are many cases of disability discrimination which most adults over 18 do face. As much as people try to avoid discrimination, it is sad to say that there is no way to truly escape or eliminate​ it. Much like any other form of discrimination, disability discrimination does greatly affect those who encounter it. Some who do encounter it experience psychological distress such as depression and anxiety. Many people who face discrimination will encounter racial slurs or even strange looks, and, on rare occasions, it could get physical. The most common causes of discrimination against the disabled are: social and cultural barriers, lack of accommodation/ transportation, lack of inclusion, and unemployment.

One of the sources of discrimination against the disabled is the social and cultural barriers. This happens often because people do not know how to behave towards others who live in different circumstances than they do. People with disabilities do not want people to feel for them or to be treated any differently than any other person. If anything, many of the community that faces this issue, for instance, want an alternative way to get the same job as an abled-bodied person.

Another case of discrimination is the lack of accommodation, ranging from issues like a font in a brochure being too small to an accessible way to get from one part of a building to another. And for this reason, the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) was created. The ADA was created specifically to prohibit discrimination against those with disabilities in all aspects such as in jobsm any form of public transportation, any institute of education, etc. An example of a lack of accommodation that affects the community is the transportation barriers that they have to face. Yes, public transportation is great and works very effectively for the majority of the disabled community, but those public transportation services can only go so far. What happens when those services can no longer be provided and the disabled individual is alone? In Massachusetts, transportation services such as The RIDE by the MBTA are provided to those who identify as disabled. To qualify for The RIDE, one does need to have any form of disability that needs to be supported by a healthcare provider. The Ride is specifically for people with disabilities that feel like they cannot take other forms of public transportation such as the train, bus, or trolley. Taking The RIDE does come with fares depending on the disability. For those who classify as the local members of the ADA community with a destination 3⁄4 of the way from the closest MBTA connection pay $3.35 one-way, per customer. Those who do not classify as an ADA community member a local ride with the same 3⁄4 destination pay $5.60 one-way, per customer. This alternative form of transportation that specifically helps the disabled is just in a few of the fifty states. What about those in the states without these types of services?

Another big example of a lack of accommodation today is the absence of a sign language translator at big speaking events or public conferences. This alone can impact one without the ability to hear so much. Not only are they missing important information, but they are also feeling like they do not belong in that environment because the resources they need to stay in the loop is not available. This is where the issue of lack of inclusion comes into play. Lack of inclusion is one of the most commonly seen cases in discrimination against the disabled. Whether it’s involving playing in a sport or dealing with employment, this can affect a broad variety of the disabled community, and it does greatly affect a person's life.

Oftentimes lack of inclusion for people with disabilities under the age of 18 is seen in schools. Many school systems around the country separate students who classify as disabled in any form the ones who do not. This method of teaching may academically seem like it is the better way for the students with disabilities to learn at their own pace. However, socially, this makes it harder for a kid to feel like they fit in, and at the time where bullying happens most is when kids feel like making friends is what life and growing up is really about, which is why something like being in a different class would affect them so much.

Those above the age of 18 tend to face a majority of lack of inclusion in the workplace. This generally takes place in the hiring or firing process. Employers will overlook a qualifying applicant with a disability because they do not feel like they could fulfill all the requirements due to the disability. This is when unemployment becomes another cause of discrimination against the disabled. In 1991, the employment rates for disabled vs. the able-bodied were dramatically different, with only 50.2% of the disabled community were employed while 84.4% of the able-bodied were employed according to the 1990 census, leaving half of the disabled community without a job or an income. In 2010, 41.1% of the disabled community were documented as employed and 79.1% of the abled were too employed. The typical annual earnings of a disabled person as of 2010 is $23,532 which is almost $11,000 less than a non- disabled person which is $32,688. Over the years, the rates of disability employment have gotten much lower. As of 2019, only 19.3% of people with disabilities were documented as employed. It seems that rates of employment are getting so low in the disability community because the majority of the disabled are older people who cannot work at all because of it (Gaile).

These forms of discrimination emotionally takes the biggest toll on a person because they just want to feel like they are equal, however, that cannot happen if people are not aware of how the barriers affect the disabled person. 

On the bright side, there are a few steps that we as a community and a country can do to make people with disabilities feel more included. The four most effective ways to expand inclusion are; By creating an inclusive culture, broaden talent, foster awareness, and prioritize all forms of access (Stadtler). Inclusive culture not only entails making the disabled community feel welcomed, but it makes the environment diverse so that they feel comfortable even with their physical or mental differences. Today, many companies do try to do a better job of making their staff more diverse and making as many networking connections as they can. Not only is inclusive culture a good tactic for expanding inclusion, broadening talent too is an effective way to resolve one of today's most pressing issues of disability discrimination. When a company with a goal of diversity goes through the hiring process, they should look at all aspects that the job requires and prioritize all access by finding alternative jobs or methods to accommodate disability. The last effective way a company or business could expand inclusion is to foster awareness. By fostering awareness, there will be a decrease in disability discrimination.

“5 Common Causes of Disability Discrimination." Shegerian & Associates, 16 Sept. 2014, https://www.shegerianlaw.com/5-common-disability-discrimination/

Bahattacharya, A. "America still leaves the disabled behind." CNN, 26 July 2015, https://money.cnn.com/2015/07/26/news/economy/americans-with-disabilities-act-proble ms-remain/

“Disability and Health Disability Barriers.” CDC, 4 Sept. 2019, https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/disabilityandhealth/disability-barriers.htm

Gaile, Bradon. "21 Amazing Disability Discrimination Statistics." Brandon Gaile, 22 May 2017, https://brandongaille.com/20-amazing-disability-discrimination-statistics/

Stadtler, D. “4 Ways to Expand Inclusion of People with Disabilities.” SHRM's Executive Network, HR People + Strategy, 21 Feb. 2019, https://blog.hrps.org/blogpost/4-Ways-to-Expand-Inclusion-of-People-with-Disabilities

Stigma Can Lead to Abuse And Neglect

It is not morally right to treat an individual less because of their disability or any differences. People with disabilities are still human. From a young age most are taught to treat people the way you would want to be treated; the same principles should still be followed when it comes to those whom are disabled. Disabilities have been around for all of human history.

During the medieval time period, thoughts on disability were very mixed, as they are today: “People thought it was a punishment for sin, Others believed that disabled people were closer to God - they were suffering purgatory on earth rather than after death and would get to heaven sooner” ("Disability in the Medieval Period 1050-1485"). Some accepted the fact that people may be born with a disability or could be disabled by diseases like years of backbreaking work, or leprosy, which is an infectious disease that causes severe, disfiguring skin sores and nerve damage in the arms, legs, and skin areas around the body ("Disability in the Medieval Period 1050-1485").

The modern day defintion for individualies with diasbilities by the Disability Discrimination Act is a “person who has a physical or mental impairment that has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his or her ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities” ("Definitions of Disability"). The two most common categories of disabilities are mental and physical disability. People with mental or physical disability often do not like to talk about their disability because they risk being looked down upon by society. With the amount of labels, society struggles to see people as more than their disability. This is due to people like Sally Ann Hart who states people with a disability should be paid less because they don’t have a high enough IQ to understand money (Drewett). But people should be able to get paid for the work they do. She also says they should be content with the idea of being able to work to fulfill their happiness. It is disrespectful and disheartening because at the same time society also struggles to provide these individuals with a disability equal access to services such as education. There are so many people with disabilities who want to work, but are denied the opportunity. We need urgent action to make sure those with disabilities can get work, stay in work, and thrive in work (Drewett). People who are not disabled have no right to make decisions for them.

Abuse is not always easy to identify because it comes in many forms, but it can be easily summed up as ​“​the willful infliction of injury, unreasonable confinement, intimidation, or punishment with resulting physical harm, pain, or mental anguish" (Hawes) .This is done so to maintain power and control over another individual. The three most common types of abuse are physical abuse, sexual abuse, and verbal or mental abuse. Abuse within the disability community is often found in nursing homes; the types of actions that have been reported are:

• Removing or destroying a person’s mobility devices (e.g., wheelchairs, scooters, walkers).
• Denying access to and/or taking prescribed medication from someone.
• Forcing someone to take medication against her will.
• Forcing someone to lie in soiled undergarments.
• Preventing access to food.
• Inappropriately touching a person while assisting with bathing and/or dressing.
• Denying access to disability-related resources in the community and/or to health care appointments. ("Abuse of women with disabilities")

Individuals at great risk of abuse are women: “Women with disabilities have a 40 percent greater chance of intimate partner violence than women without disabilities” ("Abuse of women with disabilities").

The fact of women with disbilities as a target goes back even to the Middle Ages with examples such as Joan of Arc. Whether Joan Of Arc had a disability or not the cause of death was not because of her disability of epilepsy or schizophrenia. Her disability was being born a female: “Women are impaled on the cross of self-sacrifice. Unlike men, they are categorically denied the experience of supremacy and individuality” (Chesler). The search for women to find ways to fit in often includes diagnoses of the individual being delusional, which then result in displays of physically aggressive. 

The sad part about abuse is that it can be difficult to report because of fear of retaliation and self doubt: “Often people are scared of the way people will react or of ​victim-shaming, which is where the victim of abuse is in a way made to feel like they are responsible for their abuse, is a huge problem. It prevents people from healing from their trauma because people either don’t believe them or imply that they were somehow at fault” (“Reasons Why People Don't Report Abuse"). There is also what is known as gas- lighting, which is another form of emotional/ mental abuse which is where the victim is manipulated into doubting their own memories of what happened and wondering if they’re delusional. Sometimes victims are even convinced that what’s happening is normal, or even their fault.

Disability DOES NOT ​define a person, so let's stop defining people by the things that make them different and start looking at how those things allow them to be an even better individual. Accessibility for the disabled is important, but even with today’s advancing technology and laws this subject is still not as discussed as it should be. It is time we take a stand for disability rights, which will embrace accessibility, safety, community acceptance, independent living, equal active participation in society, and most importantly equal access to education and employment. 

"Abuse of women with disabilities." American Psychological Association, 2014, https://www.apa.org/topics/violence/women-disabilities​.

Chesler, Phyllis. ​Women and Madness​. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2006.

“Reasons Why People Don't Report Abuse.” ​Choma, https://choma.co.za/articles/455/reasons-why-people-dont-report-abuse-and-why-they-should.

DiGiulio, Sarah. ​“What Is Gaslighting? And How Do You Know If It's Happening to You?” NBC, 15 Aug. 2018, https://www.nbcnews.com/better/health/what-gaslighting-how-do-you-know-if-it-s-happening-n cna890866​.

“Definitions of Disability.” Disabled World, 21 Apr. 2019, https://www.disabled-world.com/definitions/disability-definitions.php​.

“Disability in the Medieval Period 1050-1485.” Historic England, https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/disability-history/1050-1485/​.

Drewett, Zoe. ​“Tory Says Disabled People Should Be Paid Less as 'They Don't Understand Money'.”​ Metro, 6 December 2019, https://metro.co.uk/2019/12/06/tory-candidate-says-disabled-people-paid-less-dont-understand-m oney-11280594/?fbclid=IwAR3oZNZRE5dl5drMXYY7oCSdvmx2KgBp68SabGR14wWUZkZ vQpPk3ZNPIK8​.

Hawes, Catherine. “Elder Abuse in Residential Long-Term Care Settings: What Is Known and What Information Is Needed?” U.S. The National Library of Medicine, 1 Jan. 1970, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK98786/.