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July 26, 2005
Dispel a Disability Employment Myth
Yesterday, 743 state and national disability organizations entered a “statement of solidarity” proclamation into the Congressional Record on the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Two paragraphs from that statement are pertinent to this week’s discussion here on eSight’s “Swimming in the Mainstream” (SiM) blog.
Consider these words:
- “The ADA has begun to change the landscape of our cities and towns, but a civil rights law alone does not create the kind of transformation of attitudes that Americans with disabilities, their families, and allies are fighting to achieve. This kind of change requires widespread discussion, education, and consciousness-raising.”
- The joint statement also points out that, “in 2005, fears, myths, and stereotypes continue to artificially limit understanding and acceptance of disability as a form of human diversity.”
These two observations may be effective for the Congressional Record, but personal accounts about actually living within the confines of those artificial limits (and knocking them down) always seem to resonate better with me.
That’s why I enjoy this SiM blog. It’s full of personal-experiences stories. Last week’s discussion about misconceptions, which particularly irk you, for instance, brought out some very interesting perspectives.
Here’s one snippet from Jan:
- “One of the things I have found working in various places and being visually impaired is that people treat you as if you are either mentally challenged or you cannot hear. So they yell. It is impossible for some individuals to comprehend the nature of one's handicap.”
In that light (and on this 15th ADA anniversary month), think of yourself as an educator for employers as you answer this week’s discussion question on eSight’s SIM blog:
What one myth about employing people with disabilities do you wish to dispel among employers?
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Posted by Jim at July 26, 2005 05:24 PM