Research Paper on Discrimination Against Disabled People

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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 .

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.

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.

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.