The Disabled
We live in a world that refuses to cater to minorities. People with disabilities are often thought of as less and, as a result, are given fewer rights as those who are considered neuro-typical or not disabled. This is unethical behavior that must be stopped. Many disabled people must have advocates because they are unable to fight for their own rights and those who can fight for their own rights often go unheard, but this does not mean they are not people deserving of equality like the rest of us.
Though affirmative action demands employers do not overlook an applicant based on their race, gender, sexuality, or disability, it is often the first three demands that are heeded. Disabled individuals are typically passed over for jobs, assumed to be incapable of fulfilling the job’s needs. Many disabled individuals maneuver around their various disabilities quite successfully, however, finding ways to perform everyday tasks, and other duties one would not have originally thought them capable of carrying out. For example, for decades, individuals in wheelchairs have shown us their only obstacle is stairs, and sometimes even that does not stop them. As they participate in extreme sports, rise in the ranks in business, and drive cars on their own, disabilities are not a reason to pass over an individual for a job.
Intellectual disabilities are often, unfortunately, the reason some people in this world may get taken advantage of as they try to make a life for themselves. Whether they are physically or emotionally abused, or hired at a business and paid less than an average person, there is no ethical reason for these actions. Goodwill is a good example of how society takes advantage of the intellectually disabled. While they appear to be a caring organization that harbor those with autism or Downs Syndrome by giving the employment, some are paid as little as $1.00 each day for doing as much work, or more work, as a neuro-typical individual. The discrepancy is glaringly unacceptable.
Finally, some believe disabled individuals, whether intellectually or physically disabled, are not worthy of respect in public. A bank teller or a cashier may act rudely to a disabled person simply because they are disabled. They may stare, or get upset because the individual takes longer than other customers when collecting their things. Not only is this rude, but it is also unethical. If I, a neuro-typical person, was having a bad day and a cashier rushed me, I could complain and would be taken seriously. However, if a disabled individual complained, they may not be taken as seriously and the behavior might be repeated. This treatment needs to change.
Some like to argue that this treatment does not happen often or it is not that bad. In the case of intellectual disabilities, some say the individual probably does not even notice, so there is no harm. These are not arguments, but rather negations of guilt. They do nothing to solve the issue. Society does not take care of disabled individuals, and society does not care to be bothered with the simplest action, such as granting them equal pay in the workplace. It is time that this unethical behavior changed. Whether a person has a disability or not does not make them less of a person. They should be hired if they are capable of the job, paid the same as everybody else and always treated with respect and dignity, no matter the circumstances.
