Societal Attitudes and the Civil Rights of Persons With Disabilities

1999 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Corey L. Moore ◽  
Sonja Feist-Price
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Group Model ◽  
Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 ◽  
Negative Attitudes ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Policy Arena ◽  
Made In

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are evidence of the progress, in relation to civil rights, made in the disability public policy arena. Similarly, much progress has been made in changing negative attitudes that sometimes prevail in the organizational workforce. Although much progress has been made for persons with disabilities, there remains much work to be accomplished. An abundance of concerns have recently surfaced regarding whether the previously noted legislation effectively address the rights of persons with disabilities in the organizational workforce. In light of recent concerns, the authors advocate the minority group model as a catalyst for creating public policy that will effectively address the rights of persons with disabilities. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to support the hypothesis that the organizational workforce's perception of persons with disabilities as a minority group will change societal attitudes resulting in a more progressive public policy.

The Minority Group Model and Persons With Disabilities: Toward a More Progressive Disability Public Policy in the United States of America

1998 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-47
Author(s):  
Corey Leshandon Moore
Keyword(s):  
Public Policy ◽  
Minority Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The United States ◽  
Group Model ◽  
Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Societal Values ◽  
Rehabilitation Act ◽  
Made In

The Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) are evidence of the progress, in relation to civil rights, made in the disability public policy arena. Similarly, much progress has been made in regard to societal values and attitudes toward persons with disabilities. Although much progress has been made for persons with disabilities, there is much work to be done. An abundance of concerns have recently surfaced regarding whether the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the ADA effectively address the rights of persons with disabilities. In light of recent concerns, some social scientist have advocated the minority group model as a catalyst for creating public policy that will effectively address the rights of persons with disabilities. The belief is that this perception of persons with disabilities would further progress society's value of promoting the well being of others, respecting the rights of others and promoting the fair distribution of society's resources. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to support the hypothesis that society's perception of persons with disabilities as a bona fide minority group will change societal values resulting in a more progressive public policy.

Support for the Americans With Disabilities Act Among Nondisabled People

2021 ◽  
pp. 104420732110231
Author(s):  
Carli Friedman ◽  
Laura VanPuymbrouck
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
A Priori ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
The United States ◽  
Limited Participation ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Relationship

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) opened the doors to access and enhanced the civil rights of people with disabilities. However, a lack of accessibility to all segments of society continues throughout the United States and is frequently described by people with disabilities as a leading cause for limited participation. Beliefs and attitudes regarding disability can affect critical decisions regarding inclusion and people with disabilities’ civil rights. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore support and opposition to the ADA among nondisabled people. We had the following research questions: (a) What is the relationship between disability prejudice and support for the ADA? and (b) When controlling for disability prejudice, what other factors lead people to support the ADA? To do so, we examined secondary data from approximately 13,000 participants from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Findings from this study revealed that people who oppose the ADA are significantly more prejudiced toward people with disabilities than people who support the ADA. Understanding and becoming aware of attitudes and prejudice toward persons with disabilities can be a first step toward dispelling such beliefs and possibly a priori step to achieving the intent and spirit of the ADA.

Individualism and Equality: Critical Values in North American Culture and the Impact on Disability

1991 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 19-23 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol A. Fowler ◽  
John S. Wadsworth
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
American Culture ◽  
Critical Values ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Rehabilitation Professionals ◽  
Full Participation ◽  
Attitudinal Changes ◽  
The Impact

Culturally shaped attitudes towards persons with disabilities pose significant barriers to full participation in employment. Even with the enactment of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, implementation of the law will occur within the culturally defined stereotypes and assumptions which exist within society. A significant task for rehabilitation professionals will be the inclusion of positive perceptions of persons with disabilities into the conceptual ideology of individualism and equality.. This paper reviews the cultural difficulties of implementing civil rights legislation and addresses the role of rehabilitation professionals in promoting attitudinal changes in society.

U.S. Disabilities Legislation Affecting Electronic and Information Technology

2005 ◽  
pp. 2916-2920
Author(s):  
Deborah Bursa ◽  
Lorraine Justice ◽  
Mimi Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
Sources Of Information ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Section 508 ◽  
Technology Products ◽  
Physical Environments ◽  
Standards And Guidelines ◽  
And Training ◽  
The U.S

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is the cornerstone legislation to address the civil rights of people with disabilities, including making products, services, and physical environments accessible to them. Almost everyone in the U.S. is familiar with the ADA, but designers of technology products and services need to be aware of accessibility standards that go beyond the ADA: specifically, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and Section 255 of the Communications Act. These laws define accessibility standards and guidelines that impact the design of electronic, information, and telecommunication technologies, and they are intended to promote products and services that are as accessible to persons with disabilities as those without (Section 508, 1998). Furthermore, with the aging of the U.S. and world populations (Forrester, 2004), the number of people who want to use technology but cannot, because of disabilities, is on the rise. Designers of technology need to understand how modifications in traditional design will make products more marketable and usable by a wider range of customers. This article reviews important aspects of Sections 508 and 255, assistive technology and accessible design, and additional sources of information and training.

University Students' Knowledge of Civil Bights Laws Pertaining to People with Disabilities

1996 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 25-29 ◽  
Author(s):  
Darin Stageberg ◽  
Jerry Fischer ◽  
Alice Barbut
Keyword(s):  
Civil Rights ◽  
University Students ◽  
Students With Disabilities ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
People With Disabilities ◽  
Section 504 ◽  
Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 ◽  
Workplace Accommodation ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The University

The purpose of this study was to gather data about university students' familiarity with the civil rights laws pertaining to people with disabilities: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. A majority of nondisabled students and students with disabilities reported that they had little, very little, or no knowledge at all of civil rights laws pertaining to people with disabilities. In addition, a significant difference was found between the number of university students with disabilities and students without disabilities requesting accommodations from employers. Furthermore, less than 30% of the university students with disabilities in this study requested a workplace accommodation. Given the results of this research, it is recommended that university students with disabilities receive greater exposure to civil rights laws pertaining to people with disabilities.

scholarly journals "Just How Much Diversity Will the Law Permit?": The Americans with Disabilities Act, Diversity and Disability in Higher Education

2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauren Shallish
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Title Ix ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
Educational Inequality ◽  
Section 504 ◽  
Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 ◽  
Legal Compliance ◽  
Marginalized Groups ◽  
Disability Law

<p><span>Civil rights laws including the Civil Rights Act of 1964, Title IX of 1972, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 worked to protect classes and individuals for whom discrimination had been documented. In an effort to further remedy educational inequality, colleges and universities increasingly used identity categories to enable access and participation in postsecondary life. In addition to anti-discrimination statutes, attention to marginalized groups evolved to include larger networks of academic and co-curricular support such as formations of identity centers, cultural events, fields of study and scholarships yet disability is largely absent from this work as much of higher education maintains a singular focus on legal compliance. This study investigates how disability law is conceived and enacted on five divergent campuses and how participants understood both the function of disability law and other cultural, social and political aspects of disability-related identities.</span></p>

Affirmative Action, Cultural Diversity, and Disability Policy Reform: Foundations to the Civil Rights of Persons with Disability

1998 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 9-18 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renée A. Middleton ◽  
Debra A. Harley ◽  
Carolyn W. Rollins ◽  
Tamala Solomon
Keyword(s):  
Affirmative Action ◽  
Civil Rights ◽  
Cultural Diversity ◽  
Civil Rights Movement ◽  
Independent Living ◽  
Disability Services ◽  
Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 ◽  
Policy And Practice ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
The 1960S

The authors discuss how the impetus for rehabilitation reform historically received momentum from civil rights activities in the 1960s. The origins of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the American with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, are discussed from the political context at the time of passage. Thus, the reader comes to understand how persons with disabilities, through the independent living movement; a civil rights movement within a movement for equality, were empowered to become a major force in prompting the signing of the ADA. The paper is based on the belief that current disability legislation must be inclusive of all persons with disabilities. To that end, connections are made between affirmative action, a major vanguard of equality, cultural diversity and multiculturalism. A rational is provided for the assertion that elimination of affirmative action will have serious repercussions for the long-term effectiveness and survival of other civil rights legislation. Finally, recommendations for achieving multiculturalism are made and concluding remarks predict the outlook for the future with respect to disability services, policy and practice.

Making Non-Discriminatory Fitness-For-Duty Decisions About Persons With Disabilities Under The Rehabilitation Act and the Americans with Disabilities Act

1990 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-326
Author(s):  
Patricia A. Maffeo
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Americans With Disabilities Act ◽  
Clinical Psychologists ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Rehabilitation Act Of 1973 ◽  
Professional Expertise ◽  
Persons With Disabilities ◽  
Fitness For Duty ◽  
Rehabilitation Act

This article describes an assessment role performed by clinical psychologists in the employment context, and examines how it has been evaluated by the courts from the standpoint of discrimination against persons with disabilities. Guidelines are offered for making fitness-for-duty decisions which are legally defensible, and examples of the decision-making process are provided. Data-based limitations on professional expertise are articulated, and conclusions drawn are aimed at practicing psychologists and the courts dealing with these uncertainties. Issues are analyzed principally in relation to the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), which has been passed by both houses of Congress.

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