Life for the disabled can be difficult physically, emotionally, and financially. Donley Jones talked about his hardships as a disabled American worker in a personal interview on November 25, 2000. However, there have been several legislative changes in the United States, which have put forth the opportunities that many poverty and lower level families have needed to move to higher grounds financially. Cleaver states that there have been many laws and acts put forth by congress to make this move easier for disabled Americans. Donley, a 37 year old janitor at the Johnson City Mall, is legally blind. Donley talks of the prejudices that left him and his family in poverty. He talks of his struggle to provide for his family and how hard it was to get out of poverty. Donley remembers not knowing how he would ever be able to provide opportunities for his children, such as putting them through college, with his income. Donley tells of how he believes the government had a lot to do with his ability to move his family out of poverty.

The Disabilities Discrimination act of 1995 came into effect on December 2, 1996 (Lockwood 1). Lockwood tells of how this act provided equal opportunities in the work force for disabled Americans . The Act states that to be covered under the act, a person must have a physical or mental impairment, such as but not limited to loss of eyesight, which lasts at least one year (Lockwood 2). Lockwood’s article also states that the impairment must burden daily activities or put the person in risks of danger The law states that the employer may be required to make certain adjustments for disabled people to be employed.

Lockwood stresses how important it is for employers not to discriminate against disabled workers. The employer will be committing discrimination, says Lock wood, if he or she refuses to hire treats a disabled person different than the way he or she would treat a person with out a disability. Section 6 of the Act states that an employer must make necessary changes to the work place (Lockwood 2). According to Lockwood these changes must make give disabled employees the same advantages they would have if they were not disabled. If a person feels they are being discriminated against they can file a lawsuit (Lockwood 5). Lockwood tells of several of the lawsuits have been filed since the act since the act took effect. Lockwood states that although the disabled win very few of the lawsuits, many employers do not want to take the risk of being prosecuted.

Before the Disabilities Discrimination Act the disabled were discriminated against socially as well as in the work force. Donley Jones sadly remembers these discriminations, " Welp, I hada drawed disability, um, the¼ early, early late seventies, early eighties, jobs were really hard ta find, uh, disabled person getting disability people were under the influence they don’t necessarily need a job, to give them a job would just be takin’ away a job from someone else that needs one, because they they’ve gottan income. (looks a little disappointed and angry with his memories) There stuck there. Your just stuck there. Um, so I made money any way I could. Um collect cans, um, pick tomatas, whatever, I mean. Well I did. I I straight up did." Donley tells of how he believes the prejudices against him were cast over onto his daughter when he testifies, "They wrote my kids off to. They just said well if he ain’t gonna make nothin of himself his kids not gonna make nothin of themselves either. But in my eyes my kids are my greatest accomplishment, because growing up in poverty they aquired the strength needed to work twice as hard to get ahead". Lockwood states that the Disability Discrimination Act is an attempt to put an end to such discriminations in the workforce (Lockwood 6). However, according to Lockwood there are many weaknesses in the Disability Discrimination Act that give employers the opportunity to discriminate against disabled people.

Equal opportunities in the work place make it possible for disabled people to earn extra money (Feldman 1). However with the maximum the disabled are allowed to make and still keep their social security, the are still considered part of the lower class. Those living strictly off of social security barely have enough to get by, let alone worry about things that are severely financially binding, such as buying a house or putting a child through college.

Feldman, Judy. Time (2000).

Cleaver, Joanne. "Opportunities Abound for Disabled Workers." Home Office Computing 18 (2000) : 27.

Lockwood, Graeme. "The Disabilities act of 1995: credible legislation?" Journal of Applied Studies 8 (1999) : 113(6)