The plan perpetuates the marginalization of disabled workers

(David – professor of sociology @ University of Toronto, Michelle Maroto - professor of sociology @ University of Alberta, and Jennifer Brooks – research associate in the Yang-Tan Institute on Employment and Disability @ Cornell, “The Sociology of Disability-Based Economic Inequality,” Contemporary Sociology 54.1, 2022)

Sociological theories of discrimination suggest that employer attitudes and behaviors play an important role in creating obstacles for people with disabilities at various stages in the labor market. It became clear to some American policy-makers long ago that in order for disability-rights legislation to reach its fullest potential, it had to contend with more than structural barriers. As former member of Congress Tony Coelho noted in a 1997 President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities conference report, ‘‘although innovative programs, actual job opportunities, and federal and local laws are still needed, employer attitudes are now the main obstacle for people with disabilities in the employment arena.’’ Part of the demand-side explanation for poor labor market outcomes among people with disabilities rests with faulty assumptions and misperceptions about productivity and costly accommodations (Kaye, Jans, and Jones 2011; Stein 2003; Unger 2002; Schwochau and Blanck 2000). This has important consequences for delayed labor market entry. Employers believe workers with disabilities are incapable of performing the work required for the job, are less productive than those without disabilities, take longer to learn and complete tasks, require expensive accommodations, will not get along with customers, clients, and coworkers, and will have to take numerous sick days (Chan et al. 2010). Similarly, Livermore (2011) found that the combination of stigma, negative attitudes of employers and colleagues, and structural barriers such as inadequate transportation and supports at work played a substantial role in the ability of people with disabilities to find and maintain stable employment. Even after obtaining gainful employment, individuals with disabilities may be isolated or ignored by coworkers and supervisors, resulting in feeling rejected and devalued or feeling like outsiders in the workplace (Robert and Harlan 2006). Additionally, workers with disabilities may be incorrectly labeled as lazy, incapable, or childlike solely because of their disabilities. As a result, coworkers and supervisors may treat workers with disabilities as if they were incompetent or helpless. Workers with disabilities also experience harassment at work, including ‘‘joking, needling, kidding, name-calling, mimicry, innuendo, rumors, rudeness, sabotage, inappropriate questioning, and insensitive remarks’’ (Robert and Harlan 2006:612). This disability-specific workplace discrimination is not only tolerated but encouraged by the practices and policies of large bureaucratic organizations. Further, as Robert and Harlan note, workplace disability discrimination leads to ‘‘actionable outcomes such as job segregation, low rates of promotion and reasonable accommodation, and a hostile work environment’’ (2006:602). Likewise, although reasonable accommodations are the chief policy mechanism for people with disabilities to maintain gainful employment, the limited studies of the issue indicate significant resistance on the part of employers. For instance, in their earlier work, Harlan and Robert (1998) found that employers engage in resistance strategies to discourage workers with disabilities from requesting accommodations. These strategies include denying employees a disability identity and using employees’ lack of knowledge of the ADA to their advantage. In particular, employers were reluctant to recognize disability; some implied that workers were merely ‘‘acting disabled’’ to receive special treatment. Consequently, employees feared that disclosing their disability might have negative consequences. This affects employment and earnings because, as Konrad et al. (2013) find, workers with disabilities who reported receiving accommodations had higher levels of life satisfaction and lower levels of discrimination.