Critique of ADA and Affirmative Action
Affirmative Action is designed to introduce individuals of differentraces, ethnic groups, religious affiliations, and genders into occupationsand work places where they historically have not been present, have beenunderrepresented, or have not been represented in leadership capacities.However, the selection process can occasionally hurt members of thosepopulations the policy was designed to help. This is not simply because itcauses individuals to question the 'real' credentials of underrepresentedgroups who would be qualified, otherwise, without such a program.Affirmative Action negates the fact that there may be other reasons thanracism for the dominance of certain groups in certain professions. Consider the presence of male counselors in a rape crisis center thatis attempting to achieve a more balanced gender mix-a raped woman might notfeel as comfortable talking to a male counselor. However sensitive andqualified the male counselor may actually be as a human being and aprofessional, the woman who has just undergone a major trauma and assaultto her dignity might not be able to immediately perceive this. She maymerely see a male face. Even women in less extreme emotional states, in
However, because of ADA guidelines, businesses mustbe equally accessible to all disabilities, even if one community maypresent more of a specific need within the community. The employer who curses theprohibitive costs of compliance with ADA guidelines may do so as he gazesat a balance sheet through bifocals, on an extra-large screen designed torest his tired eyes. Yet by making use of such special aids and becomingmore able as a result, disabled people ultimately become less of a drain onthe community and the American taxpayer, by becoming self-sufficient. Few of us live without someassistance for our correctable disabilities. Discuss the issues of an agency offering accessibility to all (ADA) whatwould be the impact of the costs in retrofitting offices and buildings' Introducing wheelchairs ramps are only one cost that may be incurredby the ADA. 12181), which prohibits discriminationon the basis of disability by public accommodations and requires places ofpublic accommodation and commercial facilities to be designed, constructed,and altered in compliance with the accessibility standards established bythis part. counseling or social services situations on a one-to-one level, might bemore apt to misinterpret and react in a hostile fashion to the malecounselor's questions or comments about her sexual behavior, decisions tohave children or not to have children, and problems with husbands andboyfriends. Also, fulfilling the ADA guidelines is not simply an issue of legalcompliance-it is good business sense, is it not, to be accessible to allmembers of the community, as well as to be fully functional for allpotential employees. Tax breaks, credits, and incentive programs exist forbusinesses, agencies, and schools that must incur high costs to becomecompliant with ADA standards, as well as, in some cases, institutions thatmake special efforts to include such individuals within their workforce anddesignated customer base. It is important to remember that all of us might become disabled atsome point in our lives, to the point of requiring special assistance-eventhrough as something as simple and temporary an accident, such as a skiaccident that renders us immediately confined to a wheelchair with a brokenleg or even a sprain that renders us dependant upon crutches, to mobility-limiting illness, and simply because of aging. (ADA Businesses ContactPage, 2004) This is compliant with Title III of the Americans withDisabilities Act of 1990 (42 U. Requiring a businessto be compliant can result in an inflexible and uniform tolerance by lawrather than need-for instance, a business near a school for the deaf mightbe better apt to pour its resources into serving the specific needs of thatpopulation, rather than focusing on equal access to all. But tax credits andexceptions do exist, and unfortunately, compassion must occasionally belegislated before it becomes a force of habit, and its economic benefitsare recognized.
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Acceptance Essays
