The administrators of public personnel offices are confronted with a dilemma as regards employment of the disabled. That is, there is an increasing presence of the disabled in the workplace, and this growth will no doubt continue; which has facilitated discrimination despite the enactment of the Americans With Disa bilities Act Of 1990, and other relevant legislation. Blandy (1989) notes that the disabled, particularly the physically disabled, continue to be ostracized by society, as they have probably been since the beginning of humankind. The physically handicapped, different from those individuals manifesting "invisible handicaps" (i.e., physical handicaps that do not present as being physical, such as back and nerve injury, and infection with the Human Immuno Virus (HIV); mental handicap, etc.), are often looked upon by certain members of society as though they are "freaks of nature." At issue is that many of those individuals who discriminate against the disabled fear that they, too, could become disabled and receive the same, or similar, treatment. As a result, these individuals tend to alienate the disabled, as a way of denying that they could join this population as a result of injury or accident. In support of these behaviors toward the disabled population, Miller (1989, p. A1) notes the following.
A disabled person threatens us because he challenges our contention that we control our own lives. He is a graphic reminder of our vulnerability. A wheelchair makes us admit that it could happen to me. Because we'd rather not think such disturbing thoughts, we build walls to protect ourselves. We avoid any close physical contact with a disabled person, as if by staying far enough away we won't 'catch' what he has or have his bad luck rub off on us.
In addition, many members of society unconsciously depersonalize the disabled by focusing on the disability, rather than the indi vidual. Further, when such persons meet...