Ploy 5_rpl

Please read and respond to the attachment(s).

Note: Only up to 20% of the written response content can be quotes from third parties.

Assignment Details:

· Please reply to the presented statement(s) below.

Deliverable Length: 250 words (minimum) per reply

ONE:

I have known a person with a disability at work. She is a lady aged thirty years. Moreover, she has a disability of vision impairment.  Some of the challenges that individuals with disabilities face daily include the feeling of being ignored. Another challenge is feeling like they are slowing people down. Being teased and taunted is the other challenge faced by the disabled. 

One of the special accommodations for employees with disabilities is permitting part time. The company also allows work to be performed at home by the disabled employees. The corporation also changes the training materials to fit disabled employees.

TWO:

I was trying to remember if I ever worked with someone that had a disability. My first thought was no. I have worked only a few jobs that didn’t involve the military. However, then it hit me.

 There are many Soldiers with a type of disability. For instance, I am one of those Soldiers. I suffer from chronic knee and wrist pain. In the military, you are required pass a Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) which was known about two years ago as an Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT). They had to give me an alternate for the events that I cannot perform due to my disability. For instance, instead of running two miles in a certain time; I walk 2.5 miles in a certain time.

When Soldiers are diagnosed with sleep apnea they are provided with a Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) Machine. The CPAP machine is a requirement for all deploying personnel. 

There are many Soldiers that return from deployment  that are employed by the military as a civilian. If the Soldier returned with a disability then the military has to accommodate him/her.  For instance, a ramp for a wheelchair, install bars in all bathrooms, easy access to and from work area I.e. enough space to maneuver a wheelchair and enough space to sit comfortably behind their desk.

After taking this class and our question for DB 5; I realize that the military ensures that no one rights are violated. For instance this pertains to what I spoke about earlier in this post In regards to the physical fitness test. Every Soldier doesn’t have have same standards. The required times or repetitions decreases over time due to age difference. I am not saying that age is a disability, but just writing what I have just realized while taking this class.

They have went far as having female version of the Army Combat Uniform (ACU) As well as the Army Physical Fitness Uniform (APFU).

THREE:

There are multiple barriers that persons with disabilities endure on a day to day basis.  These can include lack of assistance with technology, people with negative attitudes where their disability is concern and limited accessibility with things such as and not limited to ( schools, department stores, diners restrooms, etc.) and participation in some activities.

Some special accommodations  that people with disabilities in the workplace setting are reserved parking spaces, change in testing and training and flexible work schedule.

FOUR:

There are two challenges that employees who are disabled face on a day to day basis. The first is the question of whether or not to disclose the disability. While debating this, the employee may realize the need to disclose in order to explain atypical behavior. Disclosing on a larger scale, such as with colleagues who aren’t in human resources or management as disclosing the disability may be a way of letting peers know that they aren’t receiving preferential treatment but rather whatever “perk” is merely an accommodation according to ADA that enables the employee to work. Citing a study by the Center for Talent Innovation  (Jain-Link & Kennedy, 2019) found that “30% of the professional workforce fits the current federal definition of having a disability — and the majority are keeping that status a secret.” Living with a secret is certainly a day-to-day challenge. Link and Kennedy go further to share “only 39% of employees with disabilities have disclosed this to their manager. Even fewer have disclosed to their teams (24%) and HR (21%). Almost none (4%) have revealed their disability to clients.” 

The second challenge is living with the stigma associated with some disabilities, especially the invisible ones. Jain-Link and Kennedy share a startling statistic from that population. “Well over half of employees (62%) reported that their disability is invisible, agreeing with the statement, “unless I tell them, people do not know that I have a disability.” This doesn’t make the disability any less a reality. I have a friend who has several autoimmune diseases and she suffers silently when she has a flare brought on by stress and performing the basic functions of her job are all but unbearable. She feels “lucky” to have a job and doesn’t want to make a fuss. My friend believes that if she tells anyone she has Lupus, they’ll think she’s faking it so she can get more time off work. Little do they know she’s silently suffering 40% of the time. 

While I’m not disabled, I pulled a muscle in my back last week and I was laid flat for most of the week. When a back spasm would hit, I’d look and sound like I was being tased by a stun gun. Thankfully, I work from home and I could manage to lie flat between video meetings. I can’t imagine having to be in an office, unable to rest my back, let alone having to live with that unpredictable and excruciating pain, daily. 

As we are thinking about challenges, I’d also like to see if I can present something to help minimize the challenge of the stigma. Disability in the workforce is a topic that could be broached in employee handbooks and/or during employee orientation. HR professionals and managers can help to minimize the stigma and bring an awareness of the challenges a disabled employee faces. I like to think when we know better, we do better. Awareness is half the battle.