Physical and Mental Disabilities in the Workplace

Introduction
By analyzing the critical issues of diversity in today’s world through the lenses of history, the humanities, the natural and applied sciences, and the social sciences, one can see how the feedback loop within society is created. This paper explores the issue of physical and mental disabilities in the workplace. Until recently in this nation’s history, individuals with disabilities were viewed as liabilities—but now the very language that people use when discussing individuals who have physical or mental disabilities is changing. Even the term “disabled” seems to stem from the problematic concept of ableism: as the Center for Disability Rights points out, some managers still operate under “the assumption that disabled people need to be 'fixed' in one form or the other.” That assumption is being challenged across the country as the rights of disabled people are asserted and defended—and this paper shows how. Historically, the disabled population has been one of the most marginalized populations in the country. However, as the focus of the humanities has shifted towards promulgating a view oriented towards greater equitability and social justice, the plight of the disabled has come more and more into the light. Thanks to the natural and applied sciences, tools have become available that allow people with a variety of disabilities to be more fully integrated into workplaces. The social sciences have shown, too, that by allowing for a more fully diverse workplace and promoting inclusivity with respect to the disabled, a better workplace culture and national culture overall can be constructed. This paper thus first provides a lens analysis of this issue; second, it analyzes how social practices have been shaped by issues and events in diversity in modern culture; third, it assesses the benefits and challenges of addressing issues in diversity; fourth, it explains how analyzing diversity can help in my interactions with those with different viewpoints, cultures and perspectives.
Lens Analysis
History
Historically, physical and mental disabilities were viewed by and large in society as barriers to entry in the workplace. There was no thought for wheelchair access; no consideration for the deaf or hard of hearing; no accommodative orientation for people with anxiety, schizophrenia, or autism. Even the 32nd U.S. President, Franklin D. Roosevelt was confined to a wheelchair—but this fact was not one that the press was allowed to emphasize as pictures of the president always showed him sitting but not in a wheelchair (it was typically covered from view lest his disability cause some to perceive him as weak or unable to serve effectively).
In the 1960s, however, the Civil Rights Movement led to a change in the social consciousness and the manner in which equitability was to be achieved in society. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) (2018) points out, for example, that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 “prohibits workplace discrimination based on religion, national origin, race, color, or sex.” In accordance with the Civil Rights Act, there has been a movement to recognize the rights of the disabled. The EEOC has been instrumental in identifying those rights and the obligations of employers to make the necessary accommodations so as to prevent discrimination against the disabled.
In 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) was signed into law (Rothstein, 2014). The ADA expressly prohibits any form of discrimination against people with disabilities. In 2008, the Act was amended to provide an even more specific definition of disability with respect to employment, government and public accommodations.
Today, it is a normal and accepted—and expected—practice to see or find wheelchair access for people who cannot walk; large print materials for people are vision impaired. However, it is becoming more and more common to also see people with chronic illnesses like diabetes being permitted periodic breaks throughout the workday to check their sugar levels or administer insulin injections. Those who in the past might have been discriminated against because of their disability are now protected under the law.
Humanities
The humanities are helpful for revealing the course of human events, the character of society, and the issues that need to be addressed. Art is the ultimate mirror for reflecting who people are, what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are. It was Shakespeare who said that artists “hold the mirror up to nature” to show man what he is. In the 20th century, the humanities have been very helpful in drawing attention to the plight of the marginalized, particularly to the challenges faced by the disabled. Authors like William Faulkner told stories from the perspective of disabled characters, in works such The Sound and the Fury. Faulkner humanized a population that was often ignored or marginalized in society. Other artists have done the same. Mary Shelley in Frankenstein showed how a blind man could have more wisdom than a man who could see; and Flannery O’Connor in her short stories and novels showed how what is commonly perceived as a disability by some (such as blindness or being deaf) may not be viewed as a disability by those who have the impairment. The works of these artists have helped to humanize the disabled population and bring them into the social consciousness with greater empathy and sympathy. It is now not uncommon to find that disabled people reject the label of disability preferring instead a simple label of “different.”
Deaf culture, for instance, is the set of values, beliefs, experiences, and expressions of people who are impacted or influenced by deafness or hearing impairment and who typically use some form of sign language to communicate (Padden & Humphries, 2005). The deaf community views deafness merely as a difference in human experience and not as a disability, though the able-bodied community does view deafness as a disability. Thus, there is still a difference in perspective between the hearing community and the deaf community. However, labeling theory explains how the able-bodied community applies and affixes labels to those who are different. Labeling theory states that deviations from the norm are viewed as sub-normal or less than good because people who want to have power label those who are different from them in negative terms so that they will be (Lumen, 2019). Today, the humanities are challenging the status quo in a big way. Even the Marvel Cinematic Universe is planning to present the first superhero with a disability (deafness) in its 2020 film The Eternals (Fabian, 2019). The positive representation of the integration of the disabled with the able-bodied communities in such a major motion picture is evidence that the humanities are changing the social consciousness and the social consciousness is in turn shaping the humanities more and more.
Ultimately the humanities show that the culture of disability is not exclusive but rather overlaps with other cultures, including ethnic cultures, national culture, religious culture, gender, class and myriad other cultures as well. It is diverse but the common thread that unites members of the culture of disability is the effect of the disability on the lives of those who live with it. Understanding is still needed in the wider community so that taboos and stigmas are not perpetuated (Corrigan, 2016; Guruge, Wang, Jayasuriya-Illesinghe & Sidani, 2017). As McDevitt (2018) notes, not all portrayals of the disabled community are positive—even when the intentions are good. For instance, the film Rain Man made it appear that all people with autism are idiot savants, when the reality is that the majority of those with autism are highly functioning and in most ways will blend right into the workplace.
Natural and Applied Sciences
The natural and applied sciences have been very helpful in facilitating the integration of disabled people into the workplace. People with mental disabilities because of PTSD, for instance, are aided with counseling and pharmacological therapy, which allows them to manage their disability and contribute positively to the workplace (Faurer, Rogers-Brodersen & Bailie, 2014).
Technology has also improved substantially in the last few decades so that now many instances of deafness can be improved with surgery or hearing aids. Those without legs can have bionic limbs attached. Digital communications allow people who are immobile to work from home. Virtual workplaces have become more and more common because they so accommodative for a truly diverse workplace where people of all different communities have differing needs. As Baruch (2000) shows, teleworking has allowed many people of diverse backgrounds to join a workplace even if there are time and space barriers in the way: technology is enabling those who in the past would have been viewed as disabled.
Social Sciences
The social sciences have also changed to focus on the benefits of diversity. Marquis, Lim, Kavanagh, Harrell, and Scott (2007) point out that diversity fosters many benefits to the workplace, including empathy; new ideas, increased innovative concepts, and greater camaraderie. Valuing diversity is now seen by social scientists as a pro-social attitude that enhances one’s appreciation for different people’s places, customs and cultures (Nelissen, Hülsheger, van Ruitenbeek & Zijlstra, 2017). The social sciences have even provided new ways that employers can go about the hiring process without running the risk of letting bias or discrimination influence their hiring decisions. For instance, the process of blind hiring is now being promoted. Blind hiring is simply a way to increase workplace diversity by giving recruiters and managers involved in the hiring process a way to base their hiring and recruiting decisions on the candidate’s skill level, knowledge of what is needed for the job, experience and ability to succeed. Factors such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, place of education, culture and so on do not factor into the decision-making process when blind hiring is involved. Those factors are removed from the equation (Bortz, 2018).
The way blind hiring is conducted is by using a pre-hire test to assess the candidate’s knowledge, skill level, and aptitude. The candidate is given an anonymous ID and no signifying characteristics are provided other than the anonymous ID. The only thing the recruiter or hiring manager has to go by are the data points that are returned from the pre-hire test. This way there is no risk of inherent bias being a cause of eliminating a potential candidate because of some difference in one of the various human characteristics. It opens the door to a wider range of diverse candidates being accepted and evaluated based on their merits.
Conclusion
Integrating the Four Lenses
Integrating the four lenses helps people to understand how problems in diversity impact others in both professional and personal contexts by providing deeper empathy and insight into the issue. For an adult with any form of disability, it is tough to hold down any job. This means that it is difficult for such an adult to support oneself financially. The more that people realize the challenges that the disabled face, the more society can grow, unify, and overcome obstacles that keep them divided. Historical awareness can help employers to see why it is important to keep moving forward in terms of safeguarding the rights of the disabled. The humanities can remind employers that the disabled are human too and should not be viewed as sub-human or even as disabled but rather as “different” and possessing their own set of skills. Understanding the natural and applied sciences can help employers to realize that there are many tools available to people with disabilities that can help them to contribute meaningfully in a workplace environment. And the social sciences can provide employers with the right theoretical framework for viewing this issue in a positive manner.
The Impact of Social Practices
Social practices have been shaped by issues and events in diversity in modern culture in a positive way. For example, in 2015, $143 billion was spent in helping 9 millions workers with disability and 2 millions PwD family members through the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program (Montez, Hayward & Wolf, 2017). Bias still exists, but social scientists are actively engaged in helping employers to overcome implicit bias and engage in methods like blind hiring to ensure that disability is a non-factor in the hiring decision process and that disabled people are not discriminated against.
Benefits and Challenges
The benefits of addressing issues in diversity are that it raises awareness and helps the disabled to receive the support they deserve. It helps to ensure equitability in the workplace and provide aid to those who need it. Social programs and organizations have been instituted to assist the disabled community, which is a major positive (Stevens et al., 2016). The main challenge of addressing issues in diversity is that bias can still prevent some from hearing and accepting that change is needed. Stigma and taboo still have to be addressed by raising awareness that people with disabilities are not disabled but just different (Padden & Humphries, 2005). There is also the problem of people wanting to maintain the status quo and not wanting to embrace change even if it is for the better.
How Analyzing Diversity Can Improve Interactions
Analyzing diversity can help in my interactions with those who have different viewpoints, culture and perspectives by giving me greater understanding of the topic and more facts and data to draw upon when advocating for diversity in the workplace and for the rights of the disabled. It also helps to increase my own self-awareness and identify implicit biases in my own character. As Thompson and Cusseo (2014) show, thinking critically about diversity helps people simply to improve their critical thinking skills, which can facilitate the development of greater and more positive interactions with others.
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