Students With Disabilities

Students+With+Disabilities

Tiffany Smith, Staff Writer

There are all different people in the world with different needs, and everyone deserves to be treated equally and accommodated. The ADA is the Americans with Disabilities Act that tries to guarantee that people with disabilities have equal opportunity and accommodations. Section 504 is a rehabilitation act and also protects the rights of those with disabilities. Our world uses Darwinian economics which means might equals right. Due to Darwinian economics and prejudice, people with disabilities do not always have the same chances in life as non-disabled people. 

 

Employers and college admissions, when given the choice between a disabled and non-disabled person who have the same qualifications, will sometimes choose the non disabled person. Only 19.1% of people with disabilities are employed compared to those employed without a disability, which is 65.9%. The ADA and section 504 does offer protection for people with disabilities, but it’s not enough. The standards of the ADA and section 504 are weak and do not protect, nor help people with disabilities as much as they need. For example, even for students with multiple disabilities most colleges only offer a select few accommodations. Most of the accommodations offered by the office of disability services have been pre chosen and are not necessarily tailored to the  students’ needs.

 

It is very hard for someone with disabilities to receive necessary accommodations. The way systems are set up people with disabilities have to go through a lot to get the minimal level of accommodations promised by ADA. One thing that leads to people with disabilities not getting their needs met is people’s view of “it’s not my problem”. Just because it’s not your problem doesn’t mean you can’t be the one who comes up with the solution.