Associate Program Material

Aging and Disability Worksheet

Part I

Identify 2 or 3 issues faced by the aging population.

1. Discrimination 2. Stereotyping 3. Prejudice

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 is the act of being prejudice or discriminating against someone because of their age. Ageism is not just directed towards older people, it is also directed towards kids, teenagers, and young adults. Sometimes older people discriminate against younger people and younger people discriminate against older people. Ageism influences diversity in society because people that are affected can lose their job. If their was only younger people working in the workplace then that will leave elderly’s out of work which in turn will lack diversity. Older people that has had their job for years has gotten raises and promotions so some jobs think it is easier to fire them and hire younger people to save money. They think it is cheaper to replace them.

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

The Age Discrimination in Employment Act prevents jobs to discriminate against older people that are 40 and older. The ADEA was enacted in 1968. It prevents jobs from firing elderly people and hiring younger people because of them wanting to pay younger people lower salaries. The Supreme Court strengthened federal protection against age discrimination in 1996, ruling unanimously that such lawsuits can be successful even if an older worker is replaced by someone older than 40. Consequently, if a firm unfairly fires a 65-year-old employee to make way for a 45-year-old, this still can constitute age discrimination. (Racial and Racial Groups 13e ch.17, 2012)

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

We have some people that are fighting for the rights of elderly people and younger people that are being discriminated because of their age. I believe that it is not getting much notice though. The act of ageism is still going on today in our society by many employers that think younger people is the answer to all of their problems. Ageism is the same as sexism and racism and I think that people should address it as such. It is equally important. Ageism gets noticed. They have advocacy groups and political organizations that are working to make sure that elderly people are not being treated unfairly such as Older Women League (OWL) and AARP.

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

As shown in Figure 17.1, an increasing proportion of the population will be composed of older people. This trend is expected to continue well through the twenty-first century as mortality declines and the post war baby boomers age. Looking over a period of a century, we see the proportion over age 65 increases from less than one in 10 in 1960 to almost one in four by 2050. Although the aged population is growing more racially and ethnically diverse, the higher death rates of members of racial and ethnic minorities, coupled with immigration to the United States of younger Latinos and Asians, are likely to keep the older population more White than the nation as a whole. (Racial and Racial Group 13e ch17, 2012)

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

• How does poverty affect the aging population?

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?

Disability is a physical or mental disorder that can limit a person’s abilities. Such as movement, senses, or activities. The Americans with Disability Act (ADA) is also called the public law. It’s a civil rights. This act makes it illegal for people to discriminate against people that has a disability. Disabilities such as AIDS, blindness, deafness, wheelchair users, learning incapability, retardation, epilepsy, etc. is covered by ADA. ADA provides a voice to people with disabilities towards employment, transportation, and government discrimination. Of course there are some other services they provide towards other discriminations that people tend to come up with just because someone is disabled.

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

In the past, people with disabilities got treated poorly. A lot was treated poorly because they could not do anything to stop it or talk to someone about it. It is still happening today all over the world. I always see on the news how people with disabilities are being found dead in closets because of starvation with feces and urine all over them. This happened a lot in the past. It has gotten better because people are getting caught and held responsible for treating individuals so harsh. Jobs, the government, transportation services, etc. was inactive. A lot of disabled individuals were sent to homes where they were treated so badly. Nowadays people keep their disabled love ones at home and care for them their selves or have someone else take care of them.

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

The attitudes toward disabled individuals has changed because there is laws enacted. Laws that provide disability with safety and fair treatment. People do not want to challenge those laws. There are a lot of disabled people in the world. You cannot judge a person based on how they are. Disability discrimination is the same as racism, ageism, and sexism. It is all harsh treatment to those who are not like you and people who discriminate against those individuals are not treating them as if they are equal to them. Employers and everyone else have to treat disabled individuals the same.

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

People who has disabilities always have unique issues. They are treated like they are an imbecile. They have absolutely no privacy, they are talked down upon in their faces, and they are treated poorly. I remember one day when I was a young teenager, I was a heavy smoker. My friends, sister, and I was all smoking marijuana. My mother’s best friend has a son who has Down syndrome. While smoking he was in the room with us. He was no more than 8. They passed him the joint and he puffed it and threw it on the floor because he burnt his hand. How awful. I felt so bad because although I did not give it to him, I was still in the room when they gave it to him.

• What is being done to address those issues?

People that protects and enact laws are becoming more aware. They are stepping up and saving disabled people. People around the world sympathizes and cares for them. I have a disabled sister so I know how it feel if someone was to treat her differently. The National Federation of the Blind, and The American Sign Language (ASL) are some organizations that speak on behalf of disabled individuals. The National Federation of the Blind is for people that are blind. It is an organization that is led by blind people. The American Sign Language (ASL) values hard of hearing people and people who are deaf.

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

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), Telecommunications Act, Fair Housing Act, Air Carrier Access Act, Voting Accessibility for the Elderly and Handicapped Act, Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (Mid-Atlantic ADA & IT Information Center, 2002) are some of the laws that are associated with disability. Each one of these acts provide people with disability the right to fair treatment and equality. These laws were enacted because people with disabilities are human and should be treated as such. The right to fair treatment with housing, transportation, voting, education, etc. is what these laws are all about. Helping these individuals. I support all of these laws.

REFERENCES

Mid-Atlantic ADA & IT Information Center (2002) The Body http://www.thebody.com/content/art33023.html

Racial and Racial Group 13e ch17 (2012)