[the U.S. ruling] it will allow employers to reject job applicants with disabilities if companies believe that the applicants' conditions might pose a threat to their safety (Holmes, 1991, p. A8).
Nevertheless, the Federal Register, a document that publishes
federal regulations, firmly states before employers reject
disabled applicants, they have to demonstrate that applicants
could be a dangerous threat. For instance, these regulations
would forbid a carpentry or sawmill business to hire anybody
who has narcolepsy. People, who have this disability, might
suddenly fall asleep while operating powerful saws. The
advocates, who protect disabled people's rights, concluded
that it would be easier for employers to avoid hiring the
emotionally and physically disabled (Holmes, 1991).
An Explanation of the Disability Act
This happened before the American with Disability Act was
passed in July of 1992
The law bars discrimination on the basis of physical and mental impairment in employment, public accommodations, telecommunications services, and transportation (Holmes, 1991, p. A8).
The Disability Act provided federally funded programs to prevent employers from discriminating against disabled applicants. "The centers will first hand out rules, then build a consultants' registry and run seminars" (Sebastin, 1991, A1). However, Sebastin (1991) clearly stated these techniques did not guarantee that disabled applicants would be hired.
In January 1992, the law took effect. More than nine thousand disabled people filed legal complaints about how various businesses simply refused to hire them. For instance, Charles Wessel, who was diagnosed with lung cancer and had been the executive director of AIC Security, was suddenly fired. Since his employer felt strongly that the lung cancer might pose a dangerous threat to the company, Charles decided to take him to court. As a result, Charles was able to prove he was fired due to his cancer and received a twenty-two thousand dollars settlement. Unfortunately, he was never rehired (Rockwell, 1993).
Steven Holmes, the author of U.S. Rules Will Let Employers
Reject Disabled Over Safety Issues, clearly demonstrated that
all disabled people will have more career opportunities in the
near future. Although the Disability Act has helped a few
more disabled people to obtain successful careers, many
employers can still clearly show there is a "high probability"
that disabled applicants may pose a dangerous threat to their
companies. Since the majority of these applicants have always
been discriminated against, they most likely will never be
given a fair chance to display their +kills and be hired
(Holmes, 1991).
Employers / Public Discriminated Against the Disabled
Nonhandicapped people often feel uncomfortable, or even fearful, about handicapped people, although the discomfort "may be camouflaged under 'saccarine words' that deny such feelings" (Mandell & Schram, 1983, p. 150).
Sharon Yunker-Deatz, an associate minister, suddenly contracted Multiple Sclerosis. As soon as church members learned that Sharon could no longer walk with a cane and was confined to a wheelchair, they refused to make their church wheelchair accessible. Since ramps were not built, it was impossible for her to continue working in her church located in Montclair, New Jersey. Sharon said, "I didn't want to forgive the people in the church. ... I didn't want God to forgive them" (Holmes, 1991, p. A10).
Agnes Fletcher, the author of Fighting for the Right to be Different, clearly announced,
Disabled people don't want pity or spiritual "healing" and they are fighting back against the non-disabled world's prejudices. ... Telethon is the ultimate in begging, selling the message that disabled people are objects of charity (1993, sec 3: p. 22).