Interview Transcription Interview of Gregory George Shift Supervisor Goodwill Industries (working with teaching disabled work skills) Me: Thank you for doing the interview Gregory George: No Problem Me: First question is, basically I am doing this on the progress that disabled individuals when going to work for agencies like goodwill and ovr; places like that, to see how these individuals go from not really working their whole lives and being in a protective environment with their families to going out and working along with progressing not just on work skills but socially as well. Back to the first question; do you see the difference in disabled individuals when they begin work at goodwill industries to six months later; their very first …show more content…
As time goes on they make friends with the people they work with, just like anybody else who doesn’t have a disability; they do you can see the joy on their faces when they get their first paycheck and knowing they earned this Me: and they worked for it Gregory George: you can see it step by step, my view is if you can teach someone how to clean a bathroom, if they can pick up how to clean a toilet and do it good; that’s improvement. If you come in there and you have zero skills on how to clean a toilet and a bathroom, then in six months you are able to do a bathroom route and do it well; you expect mistakes. Me: like any job Gregory George: exactly, you can see the improvement on them just for the fact that, my theory is just because you got a disability doesn’t mean you can’t function in …show more content…
It’s just a normal nature; it’s a shame because they are afraid of the unknown and makes them miss out on some quality good workers. Me: alright my next question is going to be, what are the challenges they have faced when they first started as a goodwill employee?!, within the first week of starting what are some of those challenges they faced?! Gregory George: a lot of it is nervousness and shy, and the fear of whether they’re going to be able to do the job, and coming into a place where you don’t know anybody along with being away from your protective environment into the unknown. Me: Yeah that can be scary for them I am sure Gregory George: they didn’t know how to ride the bus when they first started, and now they can get on the bus and they can get around; it’s all stuff they never knew they could do. Working in Pittsburgh those buses are not easy; but these guys have overcome it. They’ve learned the buses with knowing how to get to the bus and to get
...ge them to be more visible, which would lead to a positive attitude towards their disability, and a positive attitude felt by those around them. (Christiaan Kier, Chapter 7 powerpoint). For example, there is the Americans with Disabilities act that was passed in 1990, and that was made to change how society and employers thought of towards people with disabilities. (Jason Andrew, Rehabilitation Services). Since then, many acts and laws have been added to give power and recognition to people with disabilities, so they could integrate with society as part of that society and feel positive about their disability rather than just an outcast. Portrayal of people with disabilities is needed to inform everyone that these people have the same rights as anyone else and that they instead of thinking of them as having limitations, they should focus on what they can accomplish.
Previous experience of working in the care industry, with adults with a wide range of needs and disabilities, has given me the experience of working with a diverse range of people. I am currently an administrator for a charity whose service users are adults with learning disabilities. Being caring and compassionate has helped build up a strong relationship with the service users, which in turn has helped me gain their trust. This has helped me to be able to develop a better relationship
Most afflicted adults were stored away in the back rooms of houses, and children with mental disabilities were given up into adoption or aborted. In addition, Hahn reiterates that legislative polices have pronounced people with disabilities as unfit for society, unable to be hired to do work. People with disabilities are in no way “unemployed” because they can not do work. Hahn’s article, “Disability and the Urban Environment: A Perspective on Los Angeles,” which was published in 1986 is outdated, and the thoughts should be reconsidered. In the Disability and Discrimination Act of 1995 and 2005, it lays out policies that ban employers from discriminating against disabled people, when hiring (The Disability and Discrimination Act). It aims to ensure equal opportunity and a level of fairness in the workplace. Since 1986, the social structure of society has adapted and evolved over time. Nondisabled people are more liberal, and they are accepting; however, there still remains a level of discrimination. Even though they are more aware of the inequalities that exist today, people look down on the disabled population. As a society we need to make drastic improvements, in terms of attitudes. Disability should be viewed in a positive light: instead of a burden, disabled people should be part of the community. Disabled people should not have to deal with the social stigma of being different; it is part of what makes them stronger and more will
Once the students begin to feel comfortable, I am flooded with questions. Students are able to expand their knowledge on a variety of disability-related issues. The real challenge is to help them change their perception of people with disabilities. Students have to be convinced that a disability is a limitation and every human has his or her own limitations. A disability is not a sickness someone can catch like a cold. When the students begin to see that we are all equal, then the Disabilities Awareness program has really done its job. The students are stubborn at first to new ideas but, after challenging them, they begin to see the truth behind these ideas and start accepting them.
Kaye, H., Jans, L., & Jones, E. (2011). Why don't employers hire and retain workers with disabilities? Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation, 21(4), 526-536. doi:10.1007/s10926-011-9302-8
Disabled employees have it hard enough finding employers that are willing to employee them let alone deal with them joining a union. Federal and State laws have made amazing progress affording disabled individuals protection against employment discrimination. The most recent of these successes took place in 2008 with the passing of the American Disabilities Act Amendments Act (Berman-Gorvine, 2015, p. 3).
I believe the Americans With Disabilities Act is the most important precedent set in the struggle against all discrimination for persons with disability. In this paper I will give a brief description of the statutes set by the Americans With Disabilities Act, pertaining to disabilities in the workplace. I will then discuss what employers are required to do according to the A.D.A. and some of the regulations they must abide by. The next section of this paper will discuss the actual training of employees with disabilities with a highlight on training programs for workers with mobility and motion disabilities. The following section of this paper will discuss the economic effects of a vocational rehabilitation program. Finally this paper will conclude with a brief discussion of what the measures set by the Americans With Disabilities Act means to the actual workers and people it benefits.
They look forward to it,” she said, adding, “It has given them ownership of something in the school. Just to be visible … it shows they might have disabilities in some areas, but they're also very able in others.”
Disability is an topic that has produced conflict, and is viewed very differently from either side. For able-bodied people to truly understand what disabled people go through they need to see disabled people more; see their lives. If seeing disabled people more often became reality, they would be viewed as normal more, and it would make interacting easier for both sides. Disabled people have a hard life, but it does not mean it is not worth living. Nancy Mairs, Andre Dubus, and Harriet McBryde Johnson all have physical disabilities, and have written about their experiences and views. In their writings, they touch upon both similar and different points. A very present similarity between the authors is they all play to the same audience. In their messages, both Mairs and Johnson agree that able-bodied people automatically assume that disabled people have a lower quality of life or are unhappy. The strategies used by each author plays to their message, and aids them in getting across their position. Disability isn’t always easy to understand, and these authors help illustrate that.
When we were first given this assignment I had not put much consideration into it. I thought we were to ask a couple of questions, it would all work itself out and I would be done. But this was not the case. The thought and reflection put into interview questions really surprised me. There was far more factors other than the questions you were asking, because you were also dealing with people, people who are giving you there free time, their attention and opening themselves up to you a stranger, so there were far more responsibilities then what were initially at hand.
French, S. & Swain, J. 2008. Understanding Disability: A Guide for Health Professionals. Philadelphia: Churchilll Livingstone Elsevier: 4
Even though people who are disabled work with non disabled people, there is a lack of social
The need for vocational rehabilitation as it pertains to individuals with disabilities is growing rapidly. It is imperative that the tools are given for success. There are many obstacles that people face when attempting to secure proper employment and housing. The type of disability plays a significant role. There are many factors that affect an individual's ability to obtain adequate employment and housing. Factors such as gender, age and socio-economic background are key. Employment and housing are the most important elements when transitioning from school to work or childhood to adulthood.
Living my life with a brother with disabilities has never been easy. It has been difficult throughout my life watching him grow up and encounter more and more struggles in life because of his disabilities. Our biggest question throughout the years, though, has been what our plan will be for him later in life. How will he live his life as an adult? Will he work? Where will he live? Will he have friends? How happy can he be? People with children with disabilities have to explain, “How do people with disabilities really fit into American society”? It’s not just families discussing this question; experts as well are debating this unknown by looking at the same questions I mentioned before. Looking at where disabled people are living, whether they are working, and the relationships they have with other people are ways to understand how disabled people fit into American society. This topic should not only matter to people close to disabled people, but to everyone. In some way, every one of us is affected by this topic; we want everyone in our family to lead “successful” lives (have a job/have somewhere to live). The same goes for families with people with disabilities.
I have always grown up in a more ‘normal’ setting and seeing people with disabilities was something that was rare to me. When I was younger, my thoughts on people with disabilities were that they could only be physically seen, nothing else (mentally, intellectually, etc.). As I reached middle school, I realized how broad the world is and how many ways people were affected by disabilities. Some of them led a more normal life and some have a harder time adjusting. Just seeing and reading how so many are affected and how harder it is for them really opened up my mind and allowed me to have a wider perception of how broad things are in the world.