Explain how people with disabilities are discriminated against in the areas of housing, jobs, mobility/accessibility, health care and education

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Suggested Response:
• Housing - Previously people with disabilities were institutionalized to keep them out of the community. Today they can live in community group homes; however, many neighborhoods protest them in their areas and will go so far as to have the areas rezoned.
• Jobs - Ongoing documentation reveals that people with disabilities continue to be discriminated against in hiring decisions. A Harris poll reports that only 21% of disabled Americans are employed full time. Of disabled people who work, 80% are employed in sheltered workshops that hire only disabled workers for as little as 20% to 30% of the minimum wage, often earning as little as $11 a week. Even when they are employed full time, people with disabilities may still encounter discrimination by being paid less than their co-workers who have similar responsibilities or by being hired for a position with few responsibilities and little chance for promotion.
• Mobility / Accessibility - The ability of people in wheelchairs to function effectively in the community is affected by the existence of ramps, elevators, curb cuts, and wheelchair lifts on public buses. According to a Harris survey, 60% of people with disabilities report that their social, recreational, and employment opportunities are substantially limited due to lack of accessible public transportation.
• Health Care - People with disabilities spend more on health care than people without disabilities; therefore, access to health care is a major concern. The insurance industry openly uses personal health and genetic data in its review of potential clients. A Harris poll found that compared to nondisabled Americans, almost twice as many people with a disability reported that they had not received needed medical services.
• Education – Historically, children with disabilities have been educated in segregated institutions or classrooms. Although the concept of mainstreaming, or placing children in classrooms with their nondisabled peers, has become more popular it has different meaning for different people. Students with emotional difficulties have also faced difficulties with being removed from schools because of their behaviors without appropriate accommodations being made. Despite court rulings, opponents to mainstreaming argue that disabled students demand too much time from teachers and that it is unfair to nondisabled students.