Question

Research and identify in a 250 to 500 word short essay the guidelines of the ADA policy. Then give your viewpoint on the pro's/con's of this policy for both the employee and the employer.

Answer 1

ADA is the acronym for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) which prohibits discrimination of the disabled. The ADA act is a federal law that states that the employers which have 15 or more employees should not discriminate applicants or individuals on the basis of disability. The employers are also required to provide the job applicants or employees who have been qualified for the job with reasonable accommodation to enable them to perform the duties as needed. All companies should adhere to the federal and state laws pertaining to employment of individuals with disabilities. The ADA guidelines also states that the company should adhere to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) that prohibits discrimination of potential candidates and employees in the workplace.

The ADA guidelines also states that whenever an individual with a disability has a request for accommodation and the company can provide without any undue hardship, the individual can be reasonably accommodated and should be treated like that of any other individual or employee. If a company’s website is not accessible then it prevents approximately 60 million Americans with disabilities from accessing the website. As we all know, online source of information is the main source of information used by all the stakeholders of the organization. The ADA guideline states that all electronic and information technology should be easily accessed by persons with disabilities and there should not be restrictions or discrimination because they are disabled. The ADA guidelines are used as a tool of reference because they have standards for any employer’s reference such as ADA standards for Accessible Design and ADA checklist for polling places.

Advantage for employees- The ADA policy provide guidelines and regulations for companies to prohibit discrimination of potential applicants or employees based on disabilities similar to that of EEOC guidelines. It enables the individuals to receive reasonable accommodation.

Disadvantage to employees – Disclosure of the disability would lead the employees being treated differently from others; it can also bring about conflicting opinions about one’s self-image.

Advantage for employers- Employers would be able to enhance its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) by helping the disabled people to earn for themselves.

Disadvantage for employers- The compliance costs of the ADA policy is quite high and usually large organizations benefit from this policy because they can meet the expenses required for implementing the policy.