Editorial: Disabled workers excluded from jobs

Saturday, Nov. 25, 2000 | 2:42 a.m.

While most Americans have enjoyed the fruits of our robust economy over the past decade, some have been left behind. Disabled individuals unfortunately have been among the hardest hit.

As reported by the Los Angeles Times, inflation-adjusted incomes for disabled employees dipped 4 percent from 1989 to 1998, while incomes for other workers rose 5 percent, according to a study by Cornell University of Ithaca, N.Y., and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Some segments of the disability community face up to 70 percent unemployment.

Part of the blame was pinned on employers who refused to hire disabled workers for fear of having to face lawsuits or make costly workplace improvements in order to comply with the federal Americans with Disabilities Act.

We would favor rewriting the 1990 federal law if that would encourage employers to hire more disabled individuals. The federal law, after all, is really a civil rights law. We are confident that most disabled individuals who are willing and able to work simply want a fair crack at employment. If employers can show that the law is preventing them from hiring people with physical or mental disabilities, we believe Congress should pass amendments to rectify that situation.

Refusing to hire disabled individuals hurts not only those men and women but taxpayers who must foot the bill for costly welfare subsidies. Adding more wage earners expands our tax base. If we exclude disabled individuals from job opportunities, we all lose.