Understanding Disability Discrimination in Employment. Disability discrimination in employment happens when a qualified person with a disability is treated unfairly at work because of their disability. This can include not getting hired, being passed over for promotions, or getting fired because of a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against people with disabilities who are qualified for a job. Qualified means they have the skills, experience, and education needed for the position. Despite laws like the ADA, studies show that people with disabilities still face major barriers to equal employment opportunities. Discrimination and lack of accommodations are big reasons why. Types of Disability Discrimination at Work. Disability discrimination at work can take many forms, such as: - Not hiring someone because of their disability- Firing or laying off a worker because they have a disability - Denying promotions or training opportunities due to a disability- Harassment or bullying related to a person's disability- Refusing to provide reasonable accommodations that would allow a worker with a disability to do their job Discrimination can be intentional or unintentional. But it's still illegal even if an employer didn't mean to treat a worker unfairly because of their disability. What matters is the negative impact on the employee. Why Disability Discrimination Still Exists. Several factors allow disability discrimination to continue in the workplace, including: - Negative stereotypes and assumptions about what people with disabilities can do- Lack of knowledge about disabilities and accommodations among employers-...

Disability bias in employment hinders individuals, businesses, and society. Advocacy and mindset shifts foster inclusive workplaces.

Discrimination's Effects on Employment for People with Disabilities

Understanding Disability Discrimination in Employment. Disability discrimination in employment happens when a qualified person with a disability is treated unfairly at work because of their disability. This can include not getting hired, being passed over for promotions, or getting fired because of a disability. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal for employers to discriminate against people with disabilities who are qualified for a job. Qualified means they have the skills, experience, and education needed for the position. Despite laws like the ADA, studies show that people with disabilities still face major barriers to equal employment opportunities. Discrimination and lack of accommodations are big reasons why. Types of Disability Discrimination at Work. Disability discrimination at work can take many forms, such as: - Not hiring someone because of their disability- Firing or laying off a worker because they have a disability  - Denying promotions or training opportunities due to a disability- Harassment or bullying related to a person's disability- Refusing to provide reasonable accommodations that would allow a worker with a disability to do their job Discrimination can be intentional or unintentional. But it's still illegal even if an employer didn't mean to treat a worker unfairly because of their disability. What matters is the negative impact on the employee. Why Disability Discrimination Still Exists. Several factors allow disability discrimination to continue in the workplace, including: - Negative stereotypes and assumptions about what people with disabilities can do- Lack of knowledge about disabilities and accommodations among employers-...

The autism spectrum has recently been undergoing something of a revolution in thinking thanks mainly to a number of free-sharing individuals on the spectrum, most notably Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, who have spent the last few years sharing their stories and feelings while challenging the belief that people on the autism spectrum are lacking empathy — and in some cases, even emotions. It’s a subject that I find myself drawn to whenever I read yet another poorly written article or book — or when I see a film which simply repeats the old stereotypes. I’ve written about this subject many times but you’ll be relived, I’m sure, to know that I’m not planning to argue the case today. I’m taking it as a given that people with Asperger's syndrome and other ASDs have both emotions and empathy. My focus here is on the difficulties communicating these emotions and feelings. Our children on the spectrum have a wide variety of language skills. Some can barely utter a sentence while others can go on without stopping for hours. Unemotional fact and fiction is very easy to communicate. The child who points and excitedly says “bus” is telling us that he saw a bus, that he likes buses, or that he would like to ride a bus. It’s exactly the same thing communicated by the child who can recite the entire bus timetable. In both cases,...

Individuals with autism challenge misconceptions about lacking empathy, but face difficulties in communicating emotions.

Emotional Communication on the Spectrum

   The autism spectrum has recently been undergoing something of a revolution in thinking thanks mainly to a number of free-sharing individuals on the spectrum, most notably Rachel Cohen-Rottenberg, who have spent the last few years sharing their stories and feelings while challenging the belief that people on the autism spectrum are lacking empathy — and in some cases, even emotions.      It’s a subject that I find myself drawn to whenever I read yet another poorly written article or book — or when I see a film which simply repeats the old stereotypes.    I’ve written about this subject many times but you’ll be relived, I’m sure, to know that I’m not planning to argue the case today. I’m taking it as a given that people with Asperger's syndrome and other ASDs have both emotions and empathy.    My focus here is on the difficulties communicating these emotions and feelings.    Our children on the spectrum have a wide variety of language skills. Some can barely utter a sentence while others can go on without stopping for hours. Unemotional fact and fiction is very easy to communicate. The child who points and excitedly says “bus” is telling us that he saw a bus, that he likes buses, or that he would like to ride a bus. It’s exactly the same thing communicated by the child who can recite the entire bus timetable.   In both cases,...

Individuals with autism challenge misconceptions about lacking empathy, but face difficulties in communicating emotions.

Facing our fears and following our dreams are the messages in this Hallmark Channel Original movie. When Calls the Heart is the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Poppy Drayton), a young woman in her early 20s, living a rather elaborate lifestyle with her parents and sisters. The year is 1910 and they are well off, financially. Their house is staffed with servants and the Thatcher girls are lacking nothing. When Elizabeth gets her teaching degree, she is offered a post in a small western frontier town. Elizabeth is fearful. She has a lot of inner fears and isn't sure she can survive in the rough and tumble world of the frontier. Her mother is against her daughter going out west, and her sister Julie (Daisy Head) does everything in her power, including trickery, to make her stay home. The two girls discover their Aunt Elizabeth's (Maggie Grace) diary and finally learn about their aunt – and the woman for whom Elizabeth was named – who has been absent all of their lives. As Elizabeth reads the diary, Aunt Elizabeth's life is played out and Elizabeth learns she and her aunt are two of a kind. They are both teachers and both posted in small frontier towns. And, they both have Royal Canadian Mounties as friends/beaus. This film is the story of two Elizabeth Thatchers. It's the story of how they forged ahead with their dreams and faced their fears to fulfill their destinies. Michael Landon, Jr.,...

Hallmark's 'When Calls the Heart' follows Elizabeth Thatcher, a teacher confronting fears and chasing dreams in a 1910 frontier town.

When Calls the Heart on Hallmark Channel – A Movie for the Whole Family

Facing our fears and following our dreams are the messages in this Hallmark Channel Original movie. When Calls the Heart is the story of Elizabeth Thatcher (Poppy Drayton), a young woman in her early 20s, living a rather elaborate lifestyle with her parents and sisters. The year is 1910 and they are well off, financially. Their house is staffed with servants and the Thatcher girls are lacking nothing.   When Elizabeth gets her teaching degree, she is offered a post in a small western frontier town. Elizabeth is fearful. She has a lot of inner fears and isn't sure she can survive in the rough and tumble world of the frontier. Her mother is against her daughter going out west, and her sister Julie (Daisy Head) does everything in her power, including trickery, to make her stay home.  The two girls discover their Aunt Elizabeth's (Maggie Grace) diary and finally learn about their aunt – and the woman for whom Elizabeth was named – who has been absent all of their lives. As Elizabeth reads the diary, Aunt Elizabeth's life is played out and Elizabeth learns she and her aunt are two of a kind. They are both teachers and both posted in small frontier towns. And, they both have Royal Canadian Mounties as friends/beaus.  This film is the story of two Elizabeth Thatchers. It's the story of how they forged ahead with their dreams and faced their fears to fulfill their destinies.  Michael Landon, Jr.,...

 A study published January 2012 by the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AIDD) says many adults with disabilities do not have regular daily activities. This lack of educational-vocational activity leads to larger problems, such as depression, poor health, and less close sibling relationships.   The study investigated nearly 800 participants; siblings of individuals with developmental disabilities completed a web-based survey. Results show that nearly 13 percent of these adults did not participate in daytime activities, and they typically had more health and emotional problems, were underserved by the service system, and had parents who were less able to provide care.    Researchers said these adults who did not have daily activities had three times the unmet needs as their peers who are working, volunteering, or attending school. These individuals are perhaps the most in need of formal support and activities, yet they are the ones not receiving care.    Additionally, the siblings of those individuals not participating in daily activities also had poorer mental and physical health, and their relationships with their disabled siblings were weaker.   When individuals with disabilities age out of the school system, where many of their needs are provided for, they typically either stay home or are placed in a community home. Many of these group homes are expensive or hard to get into, which makes it more difficult for families to provide long-term care for these adults.   Research such as this study shows...

Study reveals adults with disabilities lacking daily activities face more health/emotional issues and are underserved by support systems.

Study: No Daily Activities for Adults with Disabilities

Study reveals adults with disabilities lacking daily activities face more health/emotional issues and are underserved by support systems.

Laughter is more than just a sound — it's a whole body experience. 15 facial muscles contract, our breathing becomes irregular as we half-close our larynx, and even our tear ducts can become activated. Our muscles throughout our bodies contract, as laughter spreads from our face, through our respiratory system, and eventually through our entire bodies. People usually laugh because they're happy, but laughter also has the power to make us happy. Laughter releases endorphins, or neurotransmitters that have similar effects as drugs like morphine, which are responsible for feelings of euphoria. Within our immune system, laughter increases the amount of T cells, which are the body's natural defense against viruses, cancer cells, and other disease-causing cells. Levels of B cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies, and levels of Immunoglobins A, G, and M, which help fight infection, all rise. Laughter boosts the immune system, so it would be safe to assume that laughter makes us healthier. Some researchers even suggest that laughing 100 times gives you the same workout as 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing works the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure, so it's like a cardio workout. It also increases memory and cognitive functioning. The average adult laughs only 17 times a day. Many people believe laughter is contagious, and one person laughing can start others in a fit. If you're feeling sick, lacking energy, or stressed, try a few rounds of laughter. It's the medicine...

Laughter triggers a full-body response, releasing endorphins, boosting the immune system, and working like a cardio exercise.

What Happens When We Laugh?

 Laughter is more than just a sound — it's a whole body experience. 15 facial muscles contract, our breathing becomes irregular as we half-close our larynx, and even our tear ducts can become activated. Our muscles throughout our bodies contract, as laughter spreads from our face, through our respiratory system, and eventually through our entire bodies.    People usually laugh because they're happy, but laughter also has the power to make us happy. Laughter releases endorphins, or neurotransmitters that have similar effects as drugs like morphine, which are responsible for feelings of euphoria.   Within our immune system, laughter increases the amount of T cells, which are the body's natural defense against viruses, cancer cells, and other disease-causing cells. Levels of B cells, which make disease-destroying antibodies, and levels of Immunoglobins A, G, and M, which help fight infection, all rise. Laughter boosts the immune system, so it would be safe to assume that laughter makes us healthier.   Some researchers even suggest that laughing 100 times gives you the same workout as 15 minutes on an exercise bike. Laughing works the cardiovascular system and lowers blood pressure, so it's like a cardio workout. It also increases memory and cognitive functioning.   The average adult laughs only 17 times a day. Many people believe laughter is contagious, and one person laughing can start others in a fit. If you're feeling sick, lacking energy, or stressed, try a few rounds of laughter. It's the medicine...

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Special Needs
Articles

Discrimination's Effects on Employment for People with Disabilities

Emotional Communication on the Spectrum

When Calls the Heart on Hallmark Channel – A Movie for the Whole Family

Study: No Daily Activities for Adults with Disabilities

What Happens When We Laugh?

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs Articles

Discrimination's Effects on Employment for People with Disabilities

Emotional Communication on the Spectrum

When Calls the Heart on Hallmark Channel – A Movie for the Whole Family

Study: No Daily Activities for Adults with Disabilities

What Happens When We Laugh?

Find Providers Near You

Special Needs
Articles