Disability Discrimination

Facts about Workplace Discrimination

• Workplace fairness is the number one issue for callers to Lambda Legal's Help Desk, with over 1,000 people calling about workplace rights in 2006.
• In Lambda Legal's 2005 Workplace Fairness Survey, 39 percent of respondents reported experiencing some form of discrimination or harassment in the workplace during the past five years because of their sexual orientation.
• Although people with HIV are protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act and similar state laws, they still experience workplace discrimination due to confidentiality breaches, unjustified fears about transmission and refusals to provide reasonable accommodations.
• From 2002–2006, HIV-related employment discrimination claims have were nationally with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission at an average rate of nearly one per day.
• Even though recent polls show that close to 90 percent of people in the United States think lesbians and gay men should have equal rights in the workplace:
  • There is still no federal law that expressly forbids sexual orientation or gender identity discrimination in the private sector.
  • There is no statewide law providing express protection against sexual orientation discrimination in the workplace in 32 states.
  • There is no statewide law providing express protection against gender identity discrimination in the workplace in 42 states.

Michael Jackson - Black Or White

This is the music video to Michael Jackson's Black or White song. In the song he talks about how it does not matter whether someone is black or white because everyone is equal and should get along. Everyone should be one just as our Pledge of Allegiance states, "One Nation under God..."

Age Discrimination

Believe it, or not, job seekers are reporting age discrimination beginning as early as the mid-thirties. By the time you reach your forties, you can be considered washed up in some industries. There are strategies you can use to help mitigate discrimination issues. There are also laws that prohibit employment discrimination because of age. In addition, to being considered "old," experienced candidates are some times considered more of an expense than a younger applicant would be.

If you are middle-aged, or even younger, keep in mind that you are not alone:

• There are over 16 million Americans over 55 who are either working or seeking work.
• Older workers are getting new jobs at an annual rate of 4.1 percent. This is more than double the .8 percent rate in the general population.
• Older Americans make up 10 percent of the workforce, but account for 22 percent of the nation's job growth.
• By 2015, the number of employees over 55 will reach a record 31.9 million, compared to 18.4 million in 2000.
• Extensive research has found no relationship between age and job performance.

Too Old to Work | Age Discrimination | Channel 4

A Case of Discrimination

Hastings College of the Law, part of the University of California, rightly prohibits student organizations from discriminating. A Christian group that bars non-Christian and gay students sued the school for denying it funding and access to its facilities. The Supreme Court hears arguments Monday in the case. It should rule in favor of Hastings.

To qualify for official recognition, and receive money from a publicly financed university, groups at Hastings are required to adhere to the school’s nondiscrimination policy, which says that official student groups cannot refuse membership on the basis of race, religion, national origin, sexual orientation or other prohibited factors.

For years, the Christian Legal Society chapter at Hastings adhered to this policy. In 2004, it changed course and required members to sign a “statement of faith” that denied membership to students who did not share all of the society’s religious beliefs, as well as gay students. Hastings told the society that it could not remain a recognized group and receive money from the school unless it stopped discriminating.

The society refused, and when the funding stopped, it sued, claiming that its First Amendment rights of free speech, free association and free exercise of religion were being denied.

Under California law, it is illegal for postsecondary educational institutions that receive state money to discriminate on the basis of religion or sexual orientation. The school correctly determined that the law requires it to ensure that its student organization program does not permit discrimination. The school also has the right to pursue its own educational policy of promoting diversity and opposing discrimination.

Students at Hastings who want to join together in more exclusive arrangements are free to do so. They can form unofficial student groups. But Hastings is right that groups that bear its imprimatur, use its name and logo, and receive public funds must not discriminate.

In 2006, the Federal District Court that heard the case ruled for Hastings, and a three-judge panel of the San Francisco-based United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit affirmed unanimously. The panel said that the school’s rules were “viewpoint neutral,” since they imposed a requirement of openness on all student groups, and were also “reasonable.” It was right.

The Christian Legal Society is not being denied any First Amendment rights. It is being told that if it wants an official association with a public university and public money, it cannot deny gays, non-Christians or members of any other protected minority equal rights.

Final Blog

While creating my blog, not only have I learned numerous things about blogging, but about myself as well. A synthesizing mind takes information from disparate sources, understands and evaluates that information objectively, and puts it together in ways that make sense to the synthesizer and also to another person. A creating mind breaks new ground and puts forth new ideas, posts unfamiliar questions, conjures up fresh ways of thinking, and arrives at unexpected answers. I feel as if my mind works in the synthesizing and creating aspects. During my blog, I got my information off of a variety of different websites, and I then I would go further with that information and add my own thoughts and feelings on the subjects. I also sparked new ideas on the subjectsa and put forth my opinion.
Not only did I figure out my mindset while blogging, but I also exemplified different ideas. On my posts, I exhibited curiosty and showed alot of interest on the topics. Discrimination is something that has always interested me and I continue to question it to this day. I wanted to learn more about it, which is why I chose to blog on it. I am especially curious as to why there is still discrimination present in our society after all those years trying to fight it off. I also experimented with new ideas. I experimented with my blog and added a number of different gadgets. I added videos and pictures that related to my topic and added alot of information. Lastly, I exhibited respect for other viewpoints. I shared my beliefs on the topic of my blog, but I did not put down any others beliefs on the topic. I understand that not everyone agrees on the different aspects of discrimination and what we should do to take care of it, so I chose not to bash anyone elses views on this topic.
While blogging I learned several things. First, I learned how to blog. This was my first time that I have blogged. I learned how to add gadgets, post pictures, add videos, and ask questions and have people vote and share their opinions. I also learned a number of things about discrimination. One may thing that race is the leading cause of discrimination in today's society but it is not. Age is discriminated the most in today's society and causes the most problems. I enjoyed blogging, it is a fun way to share ones opinion and learn new things.

Recognizing Discriminatory Behavior

You will know it is discrimination when:

* You bring your child into a public facility like a mall, restaurant or park and you sense people staring or whispering.
* People stop you and ask cold, cutting and insensitive questions about your child.
* Public or private buildings lack appropriate ramps, access points and other physical supports for people with handicaps and disabilities.
* You want to talk to someone about your feelings, worries and concerns and everyone either ignores, avoids or reassures you that everything will be OK.
* Your friends and relatives begin to avoid you and your child.
* There are major cuts at the federal, state and local levels in funding educational, medical, social and rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities.
* Parents in the neighborhood do not allow their children to associate with your children for fear that they will ''catch'' the disability.

This image shows the percentages of the different types o discrimination present in our world today. It is a little shocking to me that the biggest percentage is the retaliation. Most people automatically conclude that race is the biggest problem in todays society based on news that we hear everyday.

Congress Relaxes Rules on Suits Over Pay Inequity

In January of 2009, Congress approved a civil rights bill giving women, blacks, and Hispanics the chance to challenge the pay discrimination in the workplace. The bill was named for a longtime supervisor at a Goodyear tire plant in Alabama named Lilly M. Ledbetter. She thought that the bill would make it easier for workers to win lawsuits claiming pay discrimination based on sex, race, religion, national origin, age, or disability. A jury on the case had found that the company was paying Ms. Ledbetter less than male supervisors, in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Supreme Court did not deny that Ms. Ledbetter had suffered discrimination, but said she should have filed her claim within 180 days of "the alleged unlawful employment practice," which was the initial decision to pay her less then men. Mr. Obama supported the bill, but George W. Bush threatened to veto it, saying that it would "encourage a flood of lawsuits by workers asserting stale claims."

Stereotypes within Discrimination

Within the discrimination that is present today, a variety of stereotypes are made everyday. Citizens of different races often times find it hard to find work. If one goes in for an interview, they are judged immediately. People believe that they just come to the United States just to find work and that they may not work as well as others. They often times get hired on jobs that do not pay as much or are not worthy.

Is Everyone trying to "white?"

After all of the years dealing with discrimination and trying to rid of it, it is still seen in our society today. Because there is a variety of races throughout the United States, people feel as if they have to live as Americans. For example, one from the Asian race may come to the U.S. and go to a school filled with Americans. Because there is a small number of their race in the school, he or she may practice the American ways while at school, but when they return home go back to the ways of their race. Why is this? Why can't everyone be comfortable with their race and be accepted?