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Alesha Gayle English 701 Sec 057 13 Sept 2013 The Recruits Your son/daughter is too stupid to work here. Imagine you are a parent to an intellectually disabled son/daughter and you heard this from an employer. In fact, this type of discrimination toward the intellectually disabled is quite common. Many people with mental disabilities are struggling because of the way they are and there are many of them. They should be allowed to have jobs. While mentally challenged people have different abilities than others, they should have an opportunity to be hired in a typical workplace. They need to make a living, they have abilities that are very useful in businesses, and it would help with a business reputation. They need to make a living. Just because the mentally challenged have a disability does not mean that they are less capable of having a job. In Roy Saundersons article, he states that, The harsh reality is one out of five Americans lives with a disability, and 70 percent of Americans with disabilities are unemployed (Saunderson par. 2). Some mentally disabled people live alone so they need to take care of themselves in some way. Unfortunately, they are having difficulties finding a job due to the discrimination they face. David Batty explains this by stating that, People with mental health problems face poverty, homelessness and unemployment due to discrimination in the workplace and the benefits system (Batty par. 1). While the mentally challenged are not receiving any help from employers, John M. Williams states that they are also not receiving much attention from the government. Each year the federal

Sampang 2 government spends forty times more to support people with disabilities who are not working than it spends to assist those same people to prepare for and to find employment (Williams par. 2). While it is great that the federal government is helping to support those that cannot support themselves, they also need to help those looking for jobs. It is easier said than done to balance helping everyone but the gap between those two groups should not be forty times more than the other. Because they are lacking in employment, they are missing something crucial: basic health care. Williams explains that, Being blocked from participation in the work force also bars people with disabilities from access to health insurance - a major benefit for all workers but of even more significance to people with disabilities. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, twelve million people with disabilities lack health insurance (Williams). Having a job allows one to have health insurance and it is extremely crucial that everyone has that; especially the mentally disabled. Most jobless people with disabilities are being stripped of living a long healthy life by having no money to pay for health care and essentials. Another reason the mentally disabled should be allowed to have jobs is because they could have accelerated abilities that could be an asset to businesses. They can easily be underestimated. A recent study that was conducted by Joanne Ruthsatz and Jourdan B. Urbach observed children with accelerated talents. They would either be talented in fields such as math, art, music, and science. There was something similar with all of them though. In Maia Szalavitzs article about the study, she explains that, On a standard assessment of traits associated with autism, the prodigies in the current study scored higher than a control group on all measures, including attention to detail and problems with social skills or communication (Szalavitz par. 12). Those skills that those children possess can be extremely useful. Their high attention to detail which makes them so good at what they do would be helpful in businesses.

Sampang 3 Take the child that is a prodigy in math as an example. Szalavitz writes, The capacity of working memory is limited: for numbers, for example, most people can hold seven digits at a time on average; hence, the seven-digit phone number. But prodigies can hold much more, and not only can they remember extraordinarily large numbers, they can also manipulate them and carry out calculations that you or I might have trouble managing with pencil and paper (Szalavitz par. 5). While that child may have difficulties communicating with others, give him/her something to calculate and he/she will be able to solve it accurately and faster than others can. That will be incredibly useful for them to mention when they are job searching when he/she is older. The mentally disabled do not have to be accelerated in a certain field however. They can be accelerated at doing a certain task. In Leon Staffords article, he tells the story of Elizabeth Dey who is mentally disabled. For Elizabeth Dey, washing dishes at Rockdale Hospital is the chance of a lifetime. I love it. I do everything. I wash the pans and I put them away. The first time they put me on the sink, they were surprised I learned so quickly (Stafford par. 2). Another analyst uses a man named Al Theeb as another example. "I started filling the [plant] pots finally I am a supervisory salesman. In his role, he must check orders that come in, place orders, convey sales figures, report to his managers and help other staff carry out their tasks. He can name and recognize 90 different plants, and tell you their price (I Love My Work par. 13). While they may not be math wizzes, musical composers, or scientists they get their job done and they really enjoy doing it. In fact, Stafford points out that, People with mental disabilities are often the most satisfied on the job because accomplishments, however minor, give them a chance to show others that they are a vital part of the community (Stafford par. 5). The mentally challenged would have their self-esteem raised when they realize that they are helpful to the

Sampang 4 community due to their own personal skill set that could even improve with experience. Its a win-win for businesses and the mentally challenged employees. Businesses can have staff that will be happy to do what they are assigned and do it right. Because they like the position they are in, they are more likely to be in a good mood which makes working with them easier and customer and employee interaction pleasant and engaging. Not only will hiring the mentally challenged help them, hiring them will also be very beneficial to businesses. Recent studies show that sixty percent of Fortune 500 companies are doing more to recruit employees with disabilities (Williams). Those companies employing people with disabilities will give them good exposure. Giving jobs to disabled people will have a positive effect on the employees in the business. In Saundersons article, he explains that Many people have family members or friends with some form of disability, or know someone who has a loved one with a disability. Being a disabled-worker-friendly company will thus increase loyalty and morale across the entire company (Saunderson par. 5). Because the employees may know a friend or family member with a disability that they respect and love, they would be just as accepting with the mentally challenged employees. When a business has employees that work together and are loyal to the business, it will only make it a well-oiled machine. Hiring them will also leave a good impression on the consumers. Saunderson suggests that, While you should never do it for publicity reasons, hiring people with special needs, and offering training and development to cultivate their growth, is a positive and inclusive way to enhance your corporate brand similar to other corporate social responsibility initiatives (Saunderson par. 6). This form of good publicity will only help them sell or provide more service to customers. A business with a longer life span would provide everyone involved in the business with a job that would keep

Sampang 5 them employed. That would be very beneficial to the mentally challenged. A business with a good reputation is a successful business. The mentally disabled can easily be misunderstood. Sure, they have a single or a few disabilities but that shouldnt overshadow their skills, talent, and capabilities they possess. Despite their differences, they are capable of being in a workplace. They have a lot they can contribute to our society and more people need to realize that.

Sampang 6 Works Cited Batty, David. TheGuardian.com. 2004. The Guardian. 6 Oct. 2013. <http://www.theguardian.com/society/2004/apr/28/equality.mentalhealth>. "'I Love My Work': Mentally Challenged Rises in His Ranks." Khaleej Times Jun 30 2013. ProQuest. Web. 6 Oct. 2013. Saunderson, Roy. Incentivemag.com. 2010. Incentive. 6 Oct. 2013. <http://www.incentivemag.com/article.aspx?id=6652>. Stafford, Leon. "Employers Find Hiring Mentally Disabled Works." The Atlanta Journal the Atlanta Constitution: 0. Jul 08 1999. ProQuest. Web. 6 Oct. 2013. Szalavitz, Maia. Healthland.time.com. 2012. Time. 6 Oct. 2013. <http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/10/what-child-prodigies-and-autistic-people-havein-common/>. Williams, John M. "Abilities in the Workplace Changing Minds." Diversity Factor Winter 2000: 20-3. ProQuest. Web. 6 Oct. 2013.