Associate Program Material

Aging and Disability Worksheet

Part I

Identify 2 or 3 issues faced by the aging population.

1. Lack of retirement planning. 2. Healthcare 3. Discrimination

Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

• What is ageism? How does ageism influence the presence of diversity in society?

Ageism occurs when a group discriminates or prejudges another group based soley off of age. It can happen against groups of any age, but it mainly is targeted against the elderly. Ageism influences the presence of diversity, because the people who are affected by ageism in the workplace may lose their positions to newer, younger, cheaper people coming into the workplace. This may leave senior citizens without adequate healthcare. When a workplace eliminates an entire demographic, it decreases the diversity. Employees who see this take place may come to the conclusion that the group who was eliminated are ineffective workers. Why else would the company decide not to hire them?

• What is the Age Discriminitation in Employment Act (ADEA)? How does the ADEA address issues for the aging population?

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act was enacted in 1967. Its purpose is to prevent discrimination of people over the age of 40 in the work place. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act addresses issues for the aging population by making it illegal to blatantly refuse to hire or to terminate the employment of any individual due to age. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act also it makes it illegal to limit, segregate, or classify employees in any way which would deny or attempt to deny an individual of employment opportunities or otherwise adversely affect his or her status as an employee.

• What is being done to address the issues you identified?

Employers have shyed away from offering pensions, because of the high risk involved. The government has proposed a solution to that. They have suggested that the risk be spread across large groups of employees and retirees. That kind of broad risk pooling would provide significant protection to individuals and would reduce overall costs. One solution being looked at by the government for the healthcare problem is to push the retirement age past 65. This will allow the aging population to continue to have healthcare provided by employers. In most cases, employers cannot force employees to retire at a specified age.

• Is the number of aging population expected to rise in numbers or decrease?

According to the Administration on Aging, the population of people over the age of 65 in the United States in 2009 was 39.6 million (Aging Statistics, 2013). They estimate that by the year 2040, the population of that same group will almost double to about 72.1 million. With the advances in medicine, people are living longer. Another reason for the increase in age is the fact that people are changing their eating habits. Nutrion has become more important to the younger generation, so as they age, their bodies will be in better health.

Aging Statistics. (2013). Retrieved from http://www.aoa.gov/Aging_Statistics/

• What types of legislation may or may not be affected by the aging population?

The types of legislation that will be affected by the aging population include but are not limited to pension and health care. In both cases, the main issue is that the number of people working and paying taxes to fund pensions and healthcare will decrease while the number of older people making use of these services increases. As I stated earlier, pension reform is a key issue for the government. Employers are increasingly moving away from offering pension plans because of high risks and costs. Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security are good, but they are not stable and are in jeopardy of not being able to sustain themselves.

• How does poverty affect the aging population?

As of 2008, about 3.4 million people over the age of 65 lived below the poverty line (Cawthorne, 2008). Those numbers are a little deceptive, however. The numbers do not take into account health care costs. If we factor in medical expenses, it greatly decreases the amount of money the eldery has to pay for other necessities. Aging people of color are more likely than white Americans—7.9 percent of whom are poor—to experience poverty (Cawthorne, 2008). Elderly people of color are less likely than whites to receive private retirement benefits and are far less likely to have asset income, including interest on bank accounts and investments, dividends, rental income on property, and estates and trusts.

Cawthorne, A. (2008). Elderly Poverty: The Challenge Before Us. Retrieved from http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/poverty/report/2008/07/30/4690/elderly-poverty-the- challenge-before-us/

Part II

Answer the following questions in 100 to 200 words each. Provide citations for all the sources you use.

• What does the ADA provide for people with disabilities?

The Americans With Disablities Act is a civil rights law. It makes it illegal to discriminate based on disability in several different areas of life. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Under the ADA, employers are not allowed to fire someone, or refuse to hire someone, simply because of a disability, if the worker can perform the job with or without accommodations. The person, however, does have to be qualified for the job. If a person in a wheelchair wants to join the police academy to become an officer, the police department has the right to not allow them based off their inability to physically perform the duties of the job.

• How have people with disabilities been treated in the past?

In the past, people with disabilities have had to battle against centuries of biased assumptions, harmful stereotypes, and irrational fears. People with disabilities were considered miserable, poor, pitiful individuals unfit and unable to contribute to society. They were assumed to be abnormal and simple-minded, and many of them were forced to undergo sterilization. A large number of them were also forced into institutions and asylums. The “purification” and segregation of people with disabilities were considered merciful actions, but really only served to keep people with disabilities invisible and hidden from a fearful and biased society. They were just put away and forgotten.

• How has the attitude toward people with disabilities changed over time?

Americans with disabilities began to fight for their rights in the 20th Century, and they began to educate people on their disabilities. They opened people’s eyes that their differences should be embraced, as this was a nation that was built on diversity. Disabled WWI and WWII veterans really made strides in getting rehabilitation and vocation training. These were people who were the healthiest and fit Americans prior to getting injured defending their nation. Their disabilities did not make them monsters; their disabilities were only physical differences. Despite these initial advancements made towards independence and self-reliance, people with disabilities still did not have access to public transportation, telephones, bathrooms, and stores. Office buildings and worksites with stairs offered no entry for people with disabilities who sought employment.

• What are some unique circumstances or issues encountered by people with disabilities?

Being judged by society in general as abnormal, imperfect, not worthy of anything, including romantic relationships are a few issues encountered by people with disabilities. Some physically disabled people are treated as if they are mentally disabled as well. People often do not understand that disabled people just want to be treated equally. They do not always want people to fawn all over them trying to do everything for them. Many disabled people are quite capable of doing things for themselves. They just want the same respect that is given to any other person. They do not want to be made a joke of, and they do not want to be grilled about their disability.

• What is being done to address those issues?

Educating the public about people with disabilities is probably the best solution to those issues. The more people understand about the individual disability, the more they are to treat the person normally. There really isn’t much more that can be done. People just have to realize how their actions are being perceived. I think the issue is that people are clueless as to how they are offending people.

• What types of legislation have been introduced to address issues faced by people with disabilities?

The government has introduced the Americans With Disabilities Act. This law makes it illegal to discriminate based on disability in several different areas of life. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Under the ADA, employers are not allowed to fire someone, or refuse to hire someone, simply because of a disability, if the worker can perform the job with or without accommodations. The person, however, does have to be qualified for the job. If a person in a wheelchair wants to join the police academy to become an officer, the police department has the right to not allow them based off their inability to physically perform the duties of the job.