“Discrimination” is a word that gets thrown around in the news quite frequently these days, and with good reason. Despite the efforts of state and federal governments to attempt to put laws in place that prohibit discrimination in many of its different forms, it is still a problem in our society. Workplace discrimination, in particular, still occurs in Florida and throughout the country with alarming frequency.
Discrimination in the workplace can be hard to detect – and even harder to prove, in many situations. However, disability discrimination can oftentimes be a bit more obvious. Knowing the basics about disability discrimination might help those who believe that they have been subjected to this type of treatment.
Disability discrimination basics
As the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission notes on its website, there are certain rights that employers must respect when it comes to employees and potential employees who have a disability. For starters, and in its most basic form, the primary protection for those with disabilities is that employers cannot treat them differently because of those disabilities – particularly in a way that is less favorable than the employers’ approaches to other employees.
Disabled workers or potential employees can also expect to be protected from harassment in the workplace. And, perhaps most importantly, these individuals have the right to request “reasonable accommodations” in the workplace. These accommodations would be expected to help the employee perform the job at hand, enjoy the benefits of the workplace that all other employees enjoy and to help the employee to physically access the actual workplace.