Workplace Issues Affecting People With Disabilities

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

Equal opportunity and fair employment practices legislation has been enacted and enforced (with varying degrees of vigor, depending upon the philosophical stance of the administration in power) since the early 1960s. Unfortunately, people with disabilities have not shared in the benefits from this legislation and its enforcement to the extent enjoyed by other societal groups.

The concept of equal opportunity often appears to defy precise definitiondefinitions tend to change with the per spective of the protagonist. Klappholz (1989, 247) said that most assessments that equality of opportunity is absent are

1 2actually saying that "certain individuals, or groups, do not have . . . certain opportunities" which are available to other individuals and groups. This line of reasoning is usually extended to the idea that such conditions are "unfair and ought to be remedied" (Klappholz, 1989, 247).

. . .
gument holds that, if investment in equal opportunity were governed by the same criteria as investment in machines, the optimal investment in 6any person with a disability would be determined by the person's productivity in the task for which he or she was employed (Klappholtz, 1989). Thus, equality of opportunity, under such a criterion, would be restricted to instances where persons with disabilities could match the productivity levels of persons with no disabilities. This argument seems to say that some in society are more equal than are others. Although it may appear to be an unfair inferrence, this same argument of economic efficiency could be used to hold that freedom from slavery should be a function of the individual's ability to contribute to the total welfare. Few in modern society would embrace this line of thought. Certainly, however, valid arguments can be advanced in the name of economic efficiency to state that additional expenditures on equal opportunity should not be made for individuals beyond the points of demonstrated competence. Thus, it would be both economically inefficient and socially pointless to provide an individual an opportunity to program a computer, if the individual were unable to master
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Lundberg Startz, DISABILITIES Equal, Pareto Criterion, Milton Friedman, , Department Rehabilitation, equal opportunity, Center Disabled, POLICY Affirmative, people disabilities, economic efficiency, Economic Review, Disabled Johnson, persons disabilities, equality opportunity, opportunity people disabilities, business industry, employment discrimination, opportunity people, racial ethnic, equal employment, free market concept, effects past discrimination, international center disabled, equal opportunity people,
Approximate Word count = 2943
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page)

More Essays on Workplace Issues Affecting People With Disabilities