Awareness Reduce Disability Discrimination
Disability discrimination is a serious problem in the workplace and other areas of life. Disabled people are often disadvantaged compared to non-disabled people for a variety of reasons, including internalised stereotypes and misconceptions. Raising awareness of this issue is vital to help reshape attitudes and reduce discrimination. Disability laws are designed to protect disabled workers and job seekers from being treated unfairly. They apply to all areas of an organisation – from recruitment and promotion to training, and working from home. Disability law also includes provisions for equality training and promoting diversity.
It’s crucial for organisations to understand how the different types of disability discrimination occur so they can take action if it happens. These include direct discrimination – when a decision is made unfavourably because of someone’s disability. For example, if an employer refuses to hire a person with a disability even though they meet the basic requirements of the role. This type of discrimination can be based on a person’s physical or mental disability, as well as age, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, ethnic origin or ancestry.
Indirect discrimination occurs when a policy makes it difficult for people with disabilities to access services, goods or facilities. This could include limiting the number of wheelchair spaces at a restaurant, refusing to provide an accessible toilet or failing to make reasonable adjustments to a job – such as providing visual aid equipment for a person with impaired vision. Discrimination based on disability is illegal under both the federal Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and local laws, such as New York City’s Human Rights Law and NYCHRL.
How Can Awareness Reduce Disability Discrimination?
Some of the causes of disability discrimination can be reduced by raising awareness of the issue and educating staff. This includes teaching all staff about the ADA and how to identify and respond to instances of discrimination. This may involve a training programme that’s followed up with regular refresher sessions for managers and supervisors.
Another important step is to ensure that your organisation’s policies are clear about the legal protections for disabled employees and job seekers. This will likely involve creating a disability equality policy and setting out the procedures for dealing with complaints or acts of discrimination.
It’s also essential to train all staff on the law around disability and to set a good example by never using ableist language or making jokes about people with disabilities. It’s also worth considering appointing a senior member of staff to be the disability law champion for your organisation, someone who’s committed to making your office more inclusive and tackling discrimination.
This could be a HR professional, a manager or another senior member of your organisation. The person doesn’t need to be disabled themselves but should be comfortable talking about the issues and have a strong understanding of how to deal with them. Having a dedicated champion can really help to change the culture in your organisation. It’s also worth thinking about how your organisation can be more accessible to people with disabilities, including by offering work from home options and encouraging staff to work in their preferred ways.
