People with disabilities make up the largest minority in the United States as well as in the entire world. Anyone, at anytime, can become a part of the disability minority. However, people with disabilities are underrepresented and often unheard. Even though the way people with disabilities are perceived and treated has greatly improved throughout the past forty years, ableism still has a strong presence here in the United States; the best way to eliminate this poor treatment of people with disabilities is to eliminate ignorance through education.
One major area that still is a barrier to people with disabilities is acquiring a job. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2014, only 17.1 percent of people with disabilities were employed, while 64.6 percent of people without a disability had a job. The unemployment rate for people with disabilities was 12.5 percent; this contrasts with the unemployment rate for people without a disability which was only 5.9 percent. These statistics are drastically unacceptable and have not changed much over the years.
One of the things continuing to hold back the disabled community is the employer. An employer is not going to hire someone if they, the employer, believe the potential employee is going to be a liability or an extra expense. Many buildings are still not fully accessible or equipped with necessary adaptive equipment, making it potentially more expensive to hire someone with a disability than a person who is not disabled. If a person needs an accommodation to be successful at their job (i.e. a ramp to enter the building, an adaptive phone or computer), an employer is likely to look at this as an extra expense; businesses do not like extra expenses (who does?).
One of the things continuing to hold back the disabled community is the employer. An employer is not going to hire someone if they, the employer, believe the potential employee is going to be a liability or an extra expense. Many buildings are still not fully accessible or equipped with necessary adaptive equipment, making it potentially more expensive to hire someone with a disability than a person who is not disabled. If a person needs an accommodation to be successful at their job (i.e. a ramp to enter the building, an adaptive phone or computer), an employer is likely to look at this as an extra expense; businesses do not like extra expenses (who does?).
This is where education comes into play. Having the knowledge of what equipment and resources exist is important; having the connections to acquire accommodations without having to pay for them out of pocket is pertinent to the success of the disabled community. If a person with a disability is qualified, they should not be penalized for needing an accommodation to fulfill a job; no one should be denied employment that they can do simply due to ignorance or a lack of modifications. A person with a disability who is qualified for a job should have just as much of a chance of getting hired as anyone else applying for that same job. Accommodations should not subtract from a resume.
Ableism and ignorance still have an unnerving amount of influence in the treatment of people with disabilities. With education in the workforce, we can begin to erase the misconceptions and poor treatment of people with disabilities. Society needs to know that people with disabilities are people, and should be treated as so. Hopefully one day the statistics will reflect the abilities of the "disabled" community.
