CHAPTER 9

THE DISABLED
WORKERS IN
WORPLACE
DIVERSITY
GROUP 5 REPORTERS:
BISCAY, ROSEBELL JOY (Leader)
FUENTES, CHRISTINE (Assistant Leader)
DE LOS REYES, MA. CHRISTELLA
AMASAN, JOANNA RICA
TOLENTINO, PEARL ANN
BSHM – 3D
 INTRODUCTION
 Being a disabled worker could
immediately mean that the person in
question is different from others who are
viewed as “normal”. This perception has
existed at all times in history where
disabled people have been subjected to
direct discrimination and held away from
daily routine of society. Despite
advancements made by the
governments of most countries,
discrimination is still common.
 However, it is to be noted that under the umbrella of
the United Nations, many nations have ratified
conditions where they expect to provide better
treatment to the disabled employee and provide him
with an opportunity for inclusion.

 Modern societies are developing a positive frame of

mind with respect to this particular area and lots of
workers will agree that discriminating the disabled is
something contrary to work practice today.

 In reality, companies should mainly check the degree

of disablity of an individual. The fact that a person can
use his intellect correctly despite a physical disability
will surely allow him/her to work without any difficulty in
 There are interesting perspectives of disability in society. Two
recent views have been considered in particular, beliefs about
deeds in a past life and references made to disabled in the past
with a useful citation of illustrious thinker, Paul Longmore.

 It might be difficult to gauge how disabled worker could be

performing at work.
Findings from a survey among 1000 employers in the United
States in 2007 point out tangible benefits like;
-better perception of the workforce,
-higher levels of productivity,
-lowered absenteeism,
-lower risks of accidents, etc.
just to highlight that negative perceptions of the disabled worker
should be eliminated at first sight.
 Despite arguments that suggests that “employers and employess are
willing to accommodate the disabled worker in his work environment,
there are threats of stigmatization like harassing the employee,
talking bad about him or even making wrongful jokes of him.

 Legislations passed in different environments – UK in this chapter state

that authorities are bringing about reinforcements to ensure that the
disabled worker is enough protected from direct or indirect
dicrimination.

 It is also important to note that to better accommodate the disabled

worker in the work environment, employers need to provide them with
the right opportunities to work like
-specially designed equipment;
-adapted tools and technology;
-lighter workload; and,
-the need to benefit from rest and treatment wherever applicable

These are the initial questions that managers might ask before gaving
 Term Used To Described The
Disabled Worker
 The Handicapped
- The Free Dictionary states that although
handicapped is widely used in both law and
everyday speech to refer people having physical or
mental disabilities, those described by the word tend
to prefer the expressions disabled or people with
disabilities.
- It is also felt that some stigma may attach to the
word handicapped because of its origin in the phrase
“hand in cap”, actually derived from a game of
chance but sometimes mistakenly believed to
involved the image of a beggar.
 The Disabled Worker
- Oxford Dictionaries defines the word “disabled”
came to be used as the standard term referring to
people with physical or mental disabilities in the
second half of the 20th century.

 People with Disabilities

- British Columbia (2015) defined a person with
Disabilities designation identifies a person with a
physical or mental impairment who is significantly
restricted in his or her ability to perform daily
living activities.
 Differently-abled people