The Debilitating Effects of Discrimination: A Case Study on Disability in the Workplace

Abstract

For years, people living with disabilities have faced daily stigmas. Their public and professional lives can often be unsupported and unsafe, which can lead to discrimination, particularly in the workplace. This research represents six months of on-site observation at Boca Raton’s Habilitation Center for the Handicapped, one of South Florida’s largest employers of people with disabilities, and discusses how they are working internally to empower their employees and clients by moving beyond the continued stigmas. While focusing on what the discriminations towards individuals with special needs in the workplace are, why they exist, and what is being done to facilitate change, this study will also observe the difficulty of inclusion while emphasizing its importance.